Final answer:
The JDK is a development environment for building Java applications, including several tools and the JVM itself, while the JVM is a runtime engine that executes Java bytecode on any platform.
Step-by-step explanation:
The JDK (Java Development Kit) and JVM (Java Virtual Machine) are essential components of the Java programming language, but they serve different purposes.
The JDK is a software development environment used for developing Java applications and applets. It includes the JVM, an interpreter/loader (java), a compiler (javac), an archiver (jar), a documentation generator (javadoc) and other tools needed in Java development.
On the other hand, the JVM is a runtime instance that runs the Java bytecode. It acts as a virtual machine on which Java applications run. The JVM is responsible for converting bytecode into machine language and executing it, thus ensuring Java's platform independence.
Hence, the JDK functions as a development environment for constructing Java applications, encompassing various tools and the JVM. In contrast, the JVM serves as a runtime engine capable of executing Java bytecode on any platform.