The Java Development Kit (JDK) is a distribution of

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

technology by

Oracle Corporation Oracle Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational computer technology company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Co-founded in 1977 in Santa Clara, California, by Larry Ellison, who remains executive chairman, Oracle was ...

. It implements the Java Language Specification (JLS) and the Java Virtual Machine Specification (JVMS) and provides the Standard Edition (SE) of the Java Application Programming Interface (API). It is derivative of the community driven

OpenJDK OpenJDK (Open Java Development Kit) is a free and open-source implementation of the Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE). It is the result of an effort Sun Microsystems began in 2006, four years before the company was acquired by Oracle Corp ...

which Oracle stewards. It provides software for working with Java applications. Examples of included software are the Java virtual machine, a compiler, performance monitoring tools, a debugger, and other utilities that Oracle considers useful for Java programmers. Oracle releases the current version of the software under the Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions (NFTC) license. Oracle releases binaries for the x86-64 architecture for Windows, macOS, and Linux based operating systems, and for the aarch64 architecture for macOS and Linux. Previous versions supported the

Oracle Solaris Oracle Solaris is a proprietary Unix operating system offered by Oracle for SPARC and x86-64 based workstations and servers. Originally developed by Sun Microsystems as Solaris, it superseded the company's earlier SunOS in 1993 and became kno ...

operating system and SPARC architecture. Oracle's primary implementation of the JVMS is known as the

HotSpot (virtual machine) HotSpot, released as Java HotSpot Performance Engine, is a Java virtual machine for desktop and server computers, developed by Sun Microsystems which was purchased by and became a division of Oracle Corporation in 2010. Its features improved ...

JDK contents

The JDK has as its primary components a collection of programming tools, including: * appletviewer – this tool can be used to run and debug Java applets without a web browser * apt – the annotation-processing tool * extcheck – a utility that detects JAR file conflicts * idlj – the IDL-to-Java compiler. This utility generates Java bindings from a given Java IDL file. * jabswitch – the Java Access Bridge. Exposes assistive technologies on Microsoft Windows systems. * java – the

loader Loader can refer to: * Loader (equipment) * Loader (computing) ** LOADER.EXE, an auto-start program loader optionally used in the startup process of Microsoft Windows ME * Loader (surname) * Fast loader * Speedloader * Boot loader ** LOADER.COM ...

for Java applications. This tool is an interpreter and can interpret the class files generated by the

javac javac (pronounced "java-see") is the primary Java compiler included in the Java Development Kit (JDK) from Oracle Corporation. Martin Odersky implemented the GJ compiler, and his implementation became the basis for javac. The compiler accepts ...

compiler. Now a single launcher is used for both development and deployment. The old deployment launcher, jre, comes with Sun JDK, and instead it has been replaced by this new java loader. *

– the

Java compiler A Java compiler is a compiler for the Java programming language. Some Java compilers output optimized machine code for a particular hardware/operating system combination, called a '' domain specific'' ''computer system''. An example would be the ...

, which converts source code into

Java bytecode Java bytecode is the instruction set of the Java virtual machine (JVM), the language to which Java and other JVM-compatible source code is compiled. Each instruction is represented by a single byte, hence the name bytecode, making it a compact ...

javadoc Javadoc (also capitalized as JavaDoc or javadoc) is an API documentation generator for the Java programming language. Based on information in Java source code, Javadoc generates documentation formatted as HTML and other formats via extensions. ...

– the documentation generator, which automatically generates documentation from

source code In computing, source code, or simply code or source, is a plain text computer program written in a programming language. A programmer writes the human readable source code to control the behavior of a computer. Since a computer, at base, only ...

comments * jar – the archiver, which packages related class

libraries A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

into a single JAR file. This tool also helps manage JAR files. * javafxpackager – tool to package and sign JavaFX applications * jarsigner – the jar signing and verification tool * javah – the C header and stub generator, used to write native methods * javap – the class file

disassembler A disassembler is a computer program that translates machine language into assembly language—the inverse operation to that of an assembler. The output of disassembly is typically formatted for human-readability rather than for input to an asse ...

* javaws – the Java Web Start launcher for JNLP applications * JConsole – Java Monitoring and Management Console * jdb – the

debugger A debugger is a computer program used to test and debug other programs (the "target" programs). Common features of debuggers include the ability to run or halt the target program using breakpoints, step through code line by line, and display ...

* jhat – Java Heap Analysis Tool (experimental) * jinfo – This utility gets configuration information from a running Java process or crash dump. (experimental) * jma
Oracle jmap – Memory Map
ndash; This utility outputs the memory map for Java and can print shared object memory maps or heap memory details of a given process or core dump. (experimental) * jmc – Java Mission Control * jpackage – a tool for generating self-contained application bundles. (experimental) * jps – Java Virtual Machine Process Status Tool lists the instrumented HotSpot Java Virtual Machines (JVMs) on the target system. (experimental) * jrunscript – Java command-line

script Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

. * jshell – a

read–eval–print loop A read–eval–print loop (REPL), also termed an interactive toplevel or language shell, is a simple interactive computer programming environment that takes single user inputs, executes them, and returns the result to the user; a program written ...

, introduced in Java 9. * jstack – utility that prints Java

stack trace In computing, a stack trace (also called stack backtrace or stack traceback) is a report of the active stack frames at a certain point in time during the execution of a program. When a program is run, memory is often dynamically allocated in tw ...

s of Java threads (experimental) * jstat –

Java Virtual Machine A Java virtual machine (JVM) is a virtual machine that enables a computer to run Java programs as well as programs written in other languages that are also compiled to Java bytecode. The JVM is detailed by a specification that formally descr ...

statistics monitoring tool (experimental) * jstatd – jstat daemon (experimental) * keytool – tool for manipulating the keystore * pack200 – JAR compression tool * policytool – the policy creation and management tool, which can determine policy for a Java runtime, specifying which permissions are available for code from various sources. * VisualVM – visual tool integrating several

command-line A command-line interface (CLI) is a means of interacting with software via commands each formatted as a line of text. Command-line interfaces emerged in the mid-1960s, on computer terminals, as an interactive and more user-friendly alternativ ...

JDK tools and lightweight performance and memory profiling capabilities (no longer included in JDK 9+) * wsimport – generates portable JAX-WS artifacts for invoking a web service. * xjc – Part of the Java API for XML Binding (JAXB) API. It accepts an XML schema and generates Java classes. Experimental tools may not be available in future versions of the JDK. The JDK also comes with a complete

Java Runtime Environment Java is a set of computer software and specifications that provides a software platform for developing application software and deploying it in a cross-platform computing environment. Java is used in a wide variety of computing platforms ...

(JRE), usually called a ''private'' runtime, due to the fact that it is separated from the "regular" JRE and has extra contents. It consists of a

Java virtual machine A Java virtual machine (JVM) is a virtual machine that enables a computer to run Java programs as well as programs written in other languages that are also compiled to Java bytecode. The JVM is detailed by a specification that formally descr ...

and all of the class libraries present in the production environment, as well as additional libraries only useful to developers, such as the

internationalization Internationalization or Internationalisation is the process of increasing involvement of enterprises in international markets, although there is no agreed definition of internationalization. Internationalization is a crucial strategy not only for ...

libraries and the IDL libraries. Copies of the JDK also include a wide selection of example programs demonstrating the use of almost all portions of the

Java API There are two types of Java programming language application programming interfaces (APIs): * The official core Java API, contained in the Android (Google), SE (OpenJDK and Oracle), MicroEJ. These packages (java.* packages) are the core Java ...

Other JDKs

In addition to the most widely used JDK discussed in this article, there are other JDKs commonly available for a variety of platforms, some of which started from the Sun JDK source and some that did not. All adhere to the basic Java specifications, but often differ in explicitly unspecified areas, such as garbage collection, compilation strategies, and optimization techniques. They include: In development or in maintenance mode: *

Azul Systems Azul Systems, Inc. (also known as Azul) is a company that develops and distributes runtimes ( JDK, JRE, JVM) for executing Java-based applications. The company was founded in March 2002. Azul Systems has headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. ...

Zing, low latency JDK for Linux; *

-based Zulu for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, embedded and the cloud; *

/ IcedTea; * Aicas

JamaicaVM The JamaicaVM is a virtual machine and build environment for developing and running realtime Java programs. It includes a deterministic garbage collector and implements the RTSJ.Fridtjof Siebert, "Realtime Garbage Collection in the JamaicaVM 3 ...

; * IBM J9 JDK, for AIX, Linux, Windows, MVS, OS/400, Pocket PC, z/OS; Not being maintained or discontinued: *

Apache Harmony Apache Harmony is a retired open source, free Java implementation, developed by the Apache Software Foundation. It was announced in early May 2005 and on October 25, 2006, the board of directors voted to make Apache Harmony a top-level projec ...

; *

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

's Mac OS Runtime for Java JVM/JDK for Classic

Mac OS Mac operating systems were developed by Apple Inc. in a succession of two major series. In 1984, Apple debuted the operating system that is now known as the classic Mac OS with its release of the original Macintosh System Software. The system ...

; * Blackdown Java – Port of Sun's JDK for Linux; *

GNU GNU ( ) is an extensive collection of free software (394 packages ), which can be used as an operating system or can be used in parts with other operating systems. The use of the completed GNU tools led to the family of operating systems popu ...

Classpath Classpath is a parameter in the Java Virtual Machine or the Java compiler that specifies the location of user-defined classes and packages. The parameter may be set either on the command-line, or through an environment variable. Overview and ...

and GCJ (The GNU Compiler for Java); *

's JRockit JDK, for Windows, Linux, and Solaris;

References

Free software Free software, libre software, libreware sometimes known as freedom-respecting software is computer software distributed open-source license, under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, distribut ...

JDK alternative {{Java (Sun) JDK Software development kits Oracle software Sun Microsystems software

JDK contents

Other JDKs

See also

References

External links