Understanding Just-In-Time Compilation

Just-in-time (JIT) compilation is a technique that improves the performance of programming languages by translating code into machine code during execution, rather than before. This allows the compiler to optimize based on real-time data, such as the types of variables passed to functions, leading to more efficient execution. By compiling only the functions that are actually called, JIT compilers minimize the time spent on compilation while still enhancing the program's performance. This optimization approach can significantly speed up interpreted languages like Ruby by reducing the overhead associated with traditional interpretation.