Minecraft Architecture (Java, JVM)

Minecraft is primarily developed using the Java programming language. This has profound implications for its execution model:

• Java Virtual Machine (JVM): Unlike many games compiled into standalone native executables (e.g., Game.exe), Minecraft runs inside a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). The JVM is a software environment that interprets and executes Java bytecode. This means the actual game process visible in the Windows Task Manager or System Informer will not typically be named minecraft.exe. Instead, it will appear as an instance of the Java runtime environment, usually java.exe (often for command-line/server instances) or, more commonly for the graphical client, javaw.exe (Java Windowed).

• Process Identification: Consequently, when analyzing running processes during a screenshare for Minecraft-related activity (like memory string searches or module analysis), the target process is javaw.exe (or potentially java.exe), not a distinctly named Minecraft process. Identifying the correct javaw.exe instance belonging to the game (if multiple Java applications are running) is the first step.