ClassLoader
The JVM mechanism that locates, defines, and links classes under a loader namespace and delegation model.
Technical Context
Class identity is the pair of binary class name and defining class loader. The same bytecode loaded by two different loaders can therefore represent incompatible runtime types, which matters in application servers, plugin systems, hot reload, agents, and memory-leak analysis.
Related Concepts
- JVM
- class identity
- delegation
- metaspace