Oracle Java SE Licensing FAQ
Note: In the event of a discrepancy between any part of this FAQ and the license under which you receive Oracle software, the latter shall be considered correct. This FAQ pertains to Oracle Java SE releases starting April 16, 2019 and has been updated to reflect the Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License available for Oracle Java 17 and later starting September 14, 2021 and the new GraalVM Free Terms and Conditions (GFTC) including License for Early Adopter Versions for GraalVM for JDK 17 and later starting June 13, 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oracle JDK Licensing
- Oracle OpenJDK releases are under the open source GNU General Public License v2, with the Classpath Exception (GPLv2+CPE) (available since Java 9).
- Oracle JDK 17 and later is available under the Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License which permits free use for all users.
- Oracle JDK 11, Oracle JDK Java 8, and Oracle JRE with Java Web Start in Java 8, are available to Oracle Customers via My Oracle Support and also under the OTN License Agreement for Java SE. This OTN license permits personal use, development, testing, prototyping, demonstrating and some other limited uses at no cost.
- Oracle JDK 7 releases are available on My Oracle Support for Oracle Customers only.
The NFTC is the license for Oracle JDK 17 and later releases. Subject to the conditions of the license, it permits free use for all users – even commercial and production use. There is no click through license so automating downloads of it has never been easier.
Oracle will use the NFTC for JDK 17 and later releases. LTS releases, such as JDK 17, will receive updates under this license for one year after the release of the subsequent LTS. After the free use license period, Oracle intends to use the OTN License, the same currently used for Java 8 and 11 LTS releases, for subsequent updates. Non-LTS releases such as JDK 18 will be available for their entire planned six months support life under the NFTC.
Subject to the conditions in the license, the NFTC is intended to permit use by any user including commercial and production use. Redistribution is permitted as long as it is not for a fee. Separately downloaded and separately licensed Java SE Subscription product features such as Java Management Service, Advanced Management Console and GraalVM Enterprise are not available under the NFTC and licensed separately and/or with a Java SE Universal Subscription and/or legacy Java SE Subscription.
For almost fifteen years, Oracle stewards the OpenJDK open source community and provides the latest stability, performance and security updates to the latest releases. This includes patch updates, scheduled over a year in advance; additional updates when required; and two feature updates (which also include critical patch updates) each year under the release cadence. Our contributions are available to be ported, analysed, and used by anyone, as open source. You can download the latest OpenJDK release of Java from Oracle, for free, under an open source license from jdk.java.net. Oracle JDK 8 and Oracle JDK 11 are free for Personal, Development and other uses. Oracle JDK 17 and later release are available under a Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License for all users.
Oracle Java SE 8 updates, which includes the Oracle JRE with Java Web Start, continues to be free for personal use, development, testing, prototyping, demonstrating and some other important uses explained in this FAQ under the OTN License Agreement for Java SE. Personal users can continue downloading the Oracle Java SE 8 JRE at java.com.
If you are using Oracle JRE 8 updates on Windows or macOS, for one of the permitted uses (See question, “For what uses is Oracle Java SE, Java 8 and Java SE 11 updates, free?”) of the OTN license, you will continue to receive updates as before. Oracle will provide at least 18 months notice on the Java SE Support Roadmap page should it plan to end the Auto Update service under the OTN license.
For full information and terms, refer to the OTN License Agreement for Java SE. The OTN License Agreement for Java SE for current Oracle Java SE releases allows them to be used, without cost: (i) For personal use on a desktop or laptop computer, such as to play games or run other personal applications.
(ii) For development, testing, prototyping, and demonstrating applications, including to use by/with profilers, debuggers, and Integrated Development Environment tools.
(iii) For use with some approved products, such as Oracle SQL Developer, or as an end user of a software application created by an approved product. (referred to as “Schedule A” and “Schedule B” Products in the OTN License Agreement for Java SE)
(iv) With identified Oracle Cloud Infrastructure products.
You can get an Oracle Java SE Universal Subscription that includes commercial use license and support at the Oracle Store. For volume discounts and larger purchases, please contact Oracle Sales.
Personal use is using Java on a desktop or laptop computer to do things such as to play games or run other personal applications. If you are using Java on a desktop or laptop computer as part of any business operations, that is not personal use. For example, you could use a Java productivity application to do your own homework or your personal taxes, but you could not use it to do your business accounting.
You may run the Oracle Java SE Development Kit (Oracle JDK) or Oracle Java SE Runtime Environment (Oracle JRE) Program with “Schedule A” products for any use. You may also run software applications with the Oracle Java SE Development Kit (Oracle JDK) or Oracle Java SE Runtime Environment (Oracle JRE) Program that were developed by using “ Schedule B” products for any use. For example, you can use either Program to run an “insurance claim” application provided to you by an insurance company that is an Oracle Forms licensee and used Oracle Forms to develop the application. If you are unsure if the software application that you are using qualifies, please contact your application vendor. Note that any other Program, such as the Java SE Subscription Enterprise Performance pack, is not permitted to run either Schedule A or Schedule B Products. Oracle recommends that customers of “Schedule B” products who make applications available to third parties provide guidance to their users regarding their right to use Java with the application. Note that Oracle customers using a “Schedule B” product, which includes Java must maintain a commercial license for the “Schedule B” product. See question “I am a customer of an Oracle Product that uses Java. Is Oracle Java free for me?” for more information.
No. Oracle offers a commercial Oracle Java SE Subscription for ISVs that is separate from the Java SE available on OTN. Please contact Oracle Sales for more information.
Use of Oracle JDK with Oracle and 3 rd Party Products
OCI Customers are entitled to use Oracle Java SE products per the Oracle PaaS and IaaS Universal Credits and Service Descriptions.
If you are a customer who has a current support entitlement to any Oracle Product that includes Java, you continue to have free access to the Oracle Java SE Development Kit (Oracle JDK) or Oracle Java SE Runtime Environment (Oracle JRE) Program for use with that Oracle Product. See this My Oracle Support (MOS) document (requires Oracle Support login) for more information.
Thanks to its reputation for high quality, compatibility, reliability and a predictable release schedule known well in advance, Oracle Java runtimes are a favorite target for Java developers. Accordingly, many third-party software vendors beside Oracle develop, test and certify their software for Oracle JDK and recommend its use to run their applications. Your application vendor may have an ISV agreement with Oracle to provide you with Java updates to run the application vendor’s product. If this is the case, you will not need a separate license from Oracle for Java running on the application. Please contact your application vendor to determine whether your application vendor is authorized to distribute Java to you with their application.
GraalVM Licensing
What is the new “GraalVM Free Terms and Conditions (GFTC) including License for Early Adopter Versions” License?
The GFTC is the license for GraalVM for JDK 17, GraalVM for JDK 20 and later releases. Subject to the conditions of the license, it permits free use for all users – even commercial and production use. There is no click through license so automating downloads of it has never been easier.
Subject to the conditions in the license, including the License for Early Adopter Versions, the GFTC is intended to permit use by any user including commercial and production use. Redistribution is permitted as long as it is not for a fee. Separately downloaded and separately licensed Java SE Subscription product features such as Java Management Service and Advanced Management Console are not available under the GFTC and licensed separately and/or with a Java SE Universal Subscription and/or legacy Java SE Subscription.
Oracle will use the GFTC for GraalVM for JDK 17, GraalVM for JDK 20 and later releases. LTS releases, such as GraalVM for JDK 17, will receive updates under this license for one year after the release of the subsequent LTS. After the free use license period, Oracle intends to use the Oracle Technology Network License Agreement for GraalVM Enterprise Edition Including License for Early Adopter Version License, the same currently used for GraalVM Enterprise Edition 22 and earlier versions. Non-LTS releases such as GraalVM for JDK 20 will be available for their entire planned six months support life under the GFTC.
Historical Licensing
Oracle Java SE versions (including updates) released prior to April 16, 2019 are the only versions licensed under the BCL license, it is no longer used for new releases.
What happens to the Oracle Java SE releases I may have downloaded under previous licenses, such as the BCL?
You may continue to use releases you have downloaded under the terms of the license under which you downloaded them. Legacy releases are still available in the Java Archives. Note that older versions of the JRE and JDK are provided to help developers debug issues in older systems. They are not updated with the latest security patches and are not recommended for use in production. Oracle strongly recommends that you remain on an up-to-date version of Java with the latest performance, stability and security updates.
Java от Oracle снова бесплатна
В сентябре 2017 года Oracle объявила о планах распространения JDK под лицензией GPL для Oracle OpenJDK, а также как Oracle JDK под лицензией Oracle Technology Network (OTN). Oracle OpenJDK под лицензией GPL сообщество разработчиков встретило с большим энтузиазмом. Однако, все как один сходились во мнении, что Oracle JDK должен распространяться на однозначно бесплатных условиях. Oracle выражает признательность за проявленный интерес и с радостью сообщает, что начиная с Java 17 Oracle JDK станет полностью бесплатным.
Oracle будет предоставлять LTS версии в рамках NFTC, по крайней мере, в течение одного полного года после релиза новой LTS. Возможность обновлять JDK раз в полгода, чтобы повысить производительность, получить доступ к новым функциям и возможностям никуда не исчезнет. А для тех, кто предпочитает переходить с текущей LTS на следующую, будет достаточно времени, чтобы осуществить этот переход плавно.
Дополнительные сведения о лицензировании Oracle JDK см. в разделе Часто задаваемые вопросы о лицензировании Oracle Java SE.
Подписка на Oracle Java SE продолжит предоставлять дополнительные функции, такие как Java Management Service, Advanced Management Console и GraalVM Enterprise. Стоимость подписки не изменится. В сочетании с поддержкой 24/7 (от самих разработчиков Oracle, которые разрабатывают исходный код для большинства платформ Java, используемых во всем мире) и низкой стоимостью (всего 25$ за компьютер или 2,5$ за пользователя в месяц), подписка Oracle Java SE остается предпочтительным выбором большинства организаций.