Introduction

Every project will require the use of at least one Java Development Kit (JDK). This is the source, root, or core of the code that will be used in each project. It may be a quick decision to just select the most recent JDK, though this might end in frustration and confusion during the build process. This wiki will review the different JDK versions and distributions. Yes, even distributions are different! Distributions are provided by various companies and may contain additional features from the root JDK. The wiki page objective is to remove any confusion about which version or distribution to use.

Background

Distribution

Version

With the change of the licensing model Oracle also updated their release pipeline to include regular feature updates at a faster rate. The overall goal of the JDK development team is to move forward with the bigger Java Enhancement Proposals (JEPs) (, Panama) by working out the foundational JEPs. Some smaller but related features that are foundational to the bigger JEPs are (, Sealed Classes) will be released in between the major features.

Versions

Note: LTS (Long Term Support)

Distributions

JDKs Distribution info can be found here sdkman.io - JDKs.