Search code examples
javalicensing

What is the reason to use OpenJDK?

I somehow understand the differences between Oracle JDK and OpenJDK, but I can't find reasons to use OpenJDK. Oracle JDK already has everything one would need and sometimes faster than OpenJDK.

In which cases should someone use OpenJDK? Is it just for legality issues? If yes, then what are issues? I have been developing all my projects using Oracle JDK.

Solution

  • November 2017: At the time this question was asked, the reasons for choosing between OpenJDK and Oracle JDK include:

    • Availability of builds / installers for specific platforms. For example, last time I checked there were no Oracle JDK distros in ".deb" format for Debian / Ubuntu. And no OpenJDK builds for Windows.

    • Oracle JDK has some commercial features that can be enabled by people who have paid. They are not present on OpenJDK.

    • Oracle JDK has an annoying click-through license. This is a pain if you are trying to automate deployment; e.g. to cloud VMs. By contrast, OpenJDK on Linux (at least) can be installed and updated using the platform's package manager.

    • There may be issues if you wanted commercial support for OpenJDK.

    There were no substantive license differences between Oracle JDK and OpenJDK if you just plan to use the software. (There are some constraints on binary redistribution for Oracle JDK, but they are about shipping non-standard or stripped-down versions of the Java platform.)

    In the future, some of these differences will go away, according to this blog page:

    Update in December 2018:

    • As of January 2019, Oracle JDK Java 8 will be EOL for commercial uses. (But free support will continue until January 2020 for personal use.) 1

    • Java 9 and Java 10 are EOL.

    • Commercial uses of Oracle JDK Java 11 and later require a support contract or a subscription from Oracle. OpenJDK Java builds do not have this requirement.

    • Oracle do not provide support for OpenJDK Java builds, but support is available from 3rd parties. Third parties will also port Oracle security fixes to OpenJDK builds.

    Further reading:

    1 EOL stands for end-of-life. An end-of-life (EOL) product is a product that does not receive continuing support, either because existing marketing, support and other processes are terminated, or it is at the end of its useful life.