Getting Hands-On with HotSpot
Rediscovering My Java Roots
Recently, I found myself revisiting Bill Venners' classic book Inside the Java Virtual Machine. I started my programming journey as a Java developer in the late 90s and spent about 15 years deeply immersed in the Java ecosystem. Those were fascinating times - watching Java evolve from its early versions through the enterprise boom, and seeing how the JVM became a platform for multiple programming languages.
The book sparked something in me. Despite having moved on to other technologies, platforms and roles over the years, I felt drawn back to the intricate world of Java - not just to write Java code again, but to look under the bonnet at the very engine that powers it: the HotSpot VM.
I decided to embark on a hands-on journey with OpenJDK, the open-source implementation of the Java Platform. This post documents my setup process using CLion as my IDE of choice. If you're considering exploring OpenJDK's internals yourself, hopefully this guide will save you some time and frustration.