Oracle’s JDK (commercial) – you can use this in development and testing for free, but if you use it in production you have to pay for it. Oracle’s OpenJDK (open source) – you can use this for free in any environment, like any open source library.

Is Java a licensed product?

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.

Is Oracle Java licensed?

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.