What is .CLASS file extension?
Compiled .JAVA file created by the Java compiler; contains bytecode, which is binary program code that is executable when run by a Java Virtual Machine (JVM); commonly bundled in to .JAR files, which are included in the $CLASSPATH environment variable for execution.
CLASS files can be compiled from JAVA files using the javac command, which is included with a JVM installation. Many Java IDEs, such as Eclipse, can compile CLASS files on the fly as developers write program code.
Since there are multiple versions of the JVM (e.g., 1.4, 1.5, and 1.6), some CLASS files may not be compatible with certain JVM versions. The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) can execute CLASS files, but it cannot compile them since it does not include the javac binary.
NOTE: Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, the original developers of Java. The JRE and JVM are often used synonymously to refer to the platform that runs Java applications.
You can see a list of software programs here on www.easyfileopener.org that can open this file type so that you don’t need to search for it on the web. You can then open your file with this extension using a software listed below.