Oracle Java SE Licensing FAQ

The previous Oracle Java SE license model had several options – some free under the Binary Code License (“BCL”) and some paid under Oracle commercial terms. To simplify and provide full licensing transparency and clarity, Oracle as of Java 9 provides two distinct Java releases:

• Oracle OpenJDK releases under the open source GNU General Public License v2, with the Classpath Exception (GPLv2+CPE) (since Java 9), and
• Oracle Java SE product releases, which includes the Oracle JDK for Java 8 and later, and Oracle JRE with Java Web Start in Java 8, under the OTN License Agreement for Java SE. This license permits personal use, development, testing, prototyping, demonstrating and some other uses at no cost.

Different builds are provided for each Java release, but these builds are functionally identical aside from some cosmetic and packaging differences. More details are provided in our Roadmap document and summarized in this blog.

If you are an organization used to getting Oracle Java SE binaries at no cost, you can simply continue doing so with Oracle's OpenJDK releases available at jdk.java.net. If you are used to getting Oracle Java SE binaries at no cost as a personal user or for development use, then you can continue to get Oracle Java SE releases through java.com (personal users) and the Oracle Technology Network (“OTN”) (developers). Those wishing to use the Oracle JDK or Oracle JRE for other uses will require a Java SE Subscription. Supported customers of Oracle products can continue to get their Oracle Java SE binaries from My Oracle Support (MOS) or Oracle Software Delivery Cloud (customers), and other locations.

Yes. For over a decade, Oracle stewards the OpenJDK open source community and provides the latest stability, performance and security updates to the latest release. 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 new 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 Java SE8 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 a customer who has a current support entitlement to any Oracle Product that includes Java, you continue to have free access to any Oracle Java SE updates for use with that Oracle Product. See this My Oracle Support (MOS) document (requires Oracle Support login) for more information.

Oracle provides the latest Java releases, made available in March and September each year, including quarterly performance, stability and security updates (in January, April, July and October) under an open source license at jdk.java.net. Also, Oracle provides updates; including Java 8, Java 11, and Java 12 of Oracle Java SE under the OTN License Agreement for Java SE at OTN.

Oracle Java SE versions (including updates) released prior to April 16, 2019 are the only versions licensed under the BCL license.

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.

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, including Java 8 updates, free?”), you will continue to receive updates as before until at least December 2020. The auto-update mechanism will ask you to confirm that you understand and accept the new license before updating.

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 Subscription that includes commercial use license and support for as low as $2.50/desktop user/month 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 “Schedule A” products on Oracle Java SE for any use.

You may also run software applications that were developed by using “Schedule B” products for any use. For example, you can use Oracle Java SE 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.

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 the customer of an Oracle Product that uses Java. Does Oracle Java remain 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.

Thanks to its reputation for high quality, compatibility, reliability and a predictable release schedule known well in advance, Oracle JDK is the favorite runtime of the vast majority of 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.