The Java virtual machine (JVM) used by the Android platform. Android apps are written in Java. They are compiled into the Dalvik executable (DEX) file, which resides in an Android package (APK) for installation on Android devices. Dalvik is a subset of Apache Harmony, a Java implementation distributed under free software licenses (see
free software). The name comes from a town in Iceland, which was the home of ancestors of Dan Bornstein, Dalvik's developer. See
Android and
Java Virtual Machine.