#Java native access code#

Import public interface C extends Library ). To this end, the developer has to define an interface describing in Java terms what functions the library provides. The JNA project ( Java Native Access) tries to provide an easy, pure-Java way to access native libraries using their native interface.

#Java native access code#

Java and native code access data via the same type definitions) a native library can be dropped in for an additional platform without any recompilation.Consequently, debugging can be really hard when using native libraries.įor further arguments to use Java instead of native libraries, see also our rationale for using Java. By using native libraries, it is much easier to produce fatal errors that tear down the complete Java virtual machine.Native libraries take away that advantage. It is one of Java’s greatest strengths that you do not need to compile for every platform you plan (or anyone else plans) to run on. There are even examples of C code compiling fine for 32-bit but not for 64-bit CPUs on the very same Operating system. It also means that you incur the problems with C/C++ where a library compiling successfully on one platform does not at all imply that it compiles on any other platform. Using native libraries flies in the face of the platform independence of JavaĮven if ImageJ only supports 32-bit/64-bit Windows, macOS and Linux (and PowerPC with macOS for the time being), it is a major hassle to maintain them.Disadvantages of using native librariesĮven if JNA and JNI provide some convenience for using native libraries, there are substantial downsides of using native libraries: There are two options available to make use of native libraries: JNA and JNI (see below for detailed descriptions). Sometimes, you may want to use 3rd party libraries that are not available as Java components, but only as native libraries. When in doubt, ask for help from the community. This section is out of date, potentially misleading or invalid.