Bytecode vs Machine code

So today I learned that bytecode transforms source code (human-readable code) into an intermediate code that can only be run in VMs like the JVM. It’s not exactly machine code, but more like standardized instructions made for the virtual machine, so the VM can understand and run it and, in Java’s case, allow the program to run anywhere as long as there is a JVM.

There are also Python ways that work in a similar idea, but they are more about portability and interpretation than performance itself. On the other hand, machine code (binary) is when the source code is compiled into instructions that can be read directly by the CPU.