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Oracle Java SE Licensing FAQ

(Updated October 15, 2024)

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 starting September 14, 2021 and the GraalVM Free Terms and Conditions (GFTC) including License for Early Adopter Versions starting June 13, 2023.

Frequently Asked Questions

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  • Oracle JDK Licensing

    • What is the licensing for currently available Oracle Java SE releases?
      Oracle JDK and Oracle OpenJDK LTS License Guide
      Java Version Releases License
      Six month releases, Java 22 and later Oracle JDK, all releases Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License for All Users
      Oracle OpenJDK, all releases GPLv2+CPE for All Users
      Java 21 Oracle JDK, releases through September 2026 Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License for All Users
      Oracle OpenJDK, releases through January 2024 GPLv2+CPE for All Users
      Six month releases, Java 18 and later January 2024 (20.0.2 and earlier)
      Oracle JDK, all releases      		 Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License for All Users
      Oracle OpenJDK, all releases GPLv2+CPE for All Users
      Java 17 Oracle JDK releases after September 2024 (17.0.13 and later) My Oracle Support (Oracle Customers Only) and Oracle Technology Network License Agreement for Java SE for Personal, Development and other Users only.
      Oracle JDK, releases through September 2024 (17.0.12 and earlier) Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License for All Users
      Oracle OpenJDK, releases through January 2022 (17.0.2 and earlier) GPLv2+CPE for All Users
      Java 11 Oracle JDK, all releases My Oracle Support (Oracle Customers Only) and Oracle Technology Network License Agreement for Java SE for Personal, Development and other Users only.
      Java 8 Oracle JDK 8u211, April 2019 and later My Oracle Support (Oracle Customers Only) and Oracle Technology Network License Agreement for Java SE for Personal, Development and other Users only.
    • What is the "Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions" License (NFTC)?

      The NFTC has been in use since September 2021 and is currently the license for Oracle JDK 21 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.

    • How long will Oracle use the NFTC and what happens afterwards?

      Following the same pattern as Oracle JDK 17, Oracle JDK 21 updates are planned to be made available under the NFTC until September of 2026, one year after the next release that Oracle currently plans to offer long term support for, which is Java 25 in September 2025. After the free use license period, Oracle intends to use the OTN License, the same currently used for Java 8, 11, and 17 LTS releases, for subsequent updates. Non-LTS releases, such as JDK 23, will be available for their entire planned six months support life under the NFTC.

    • What are the restrictions on the “NFTC”?

      The NFTC is intended to permit use of the Program, including runtime images produced by the jlink tool, by any user, including in commercial and production use. Hosted use, including allowing use by third parties who do not obtain a copy of the Program or runtime images, is generally considered use for your internal business operations, and you may charge fees for your service. 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 GraalVM are not available under the NFTC and licensed separately and/or with a Java SE Universal Subscription and/or legacy Java SE Subscription.

    • What is the history of Java’s free availability?

      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, Oracle JDK 11, and Oracle JDK 17 are free for Personal, Development and other uses.

      Oracle JDK 21 and later release are available under a Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License for all users.

    • What about Java SE 8 specifically?

      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.

    • Am I able to continue using auto-update for Oracle JRE 8?

      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, Java SE 11, and Java SE 17 updates, free?”) of the OTN license, you will continue to receive updates as before. Oracle intends to 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 what uses are current Oracle Java SE, Java 8, Java SE 11, and Java SE 17 updates, free?

      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.

    • How do I get an Oracle Java SE license for other uses?

      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.

    • Can you elaborate on what qualifies as Personal use in the OTN License?

      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.

    • Can Oracle Java SE be used to provide third party training?

      Yes. The Oracle Technology License for Java SE does not prohibit use in connection with third party training, but note that the license does not permit redistribution. Additionally, Oracle expressly allows use of Java SE licensed under the No-Fee Terms and Conditions (NFTC) license for third party training. For clarity, notwithstanding the limitation in License Rights and Restrictions, paragraph (b) in the NFTC, if you are otherwise compliant with the terms and conditions of the license, you may charge an instructional fee for such training.

      And, of course, assuming you are compliant with the license conditions, Oracle does not impose any restrictions on using Oracle OpenJDK for third party training since it is licensed under the GPL.

      Oracle also provides access to support, curriculum and other benefits for educators with Oracle Academy. This includes Oracle Java and other Oracle software. For more information see this blog.

    • Can you elaborate on use with approved “Schedule A” and “Schedule B” products in the OTN License?

      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.

    • Can I add my product to Schedule A in the OTN License?

      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 3rd Party Products

    • I am an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) customer that uses Java. Is Oracle Java free for me?

      OCI Customers are entitled to use Oracle Java SE products per the Oracle PaaS and IaaS Universal Credits and Service Descriptions.

    • I am a customer of an Oracle Product that uses Java. Is Oracle Java free for me?

      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.

    • What if Oracle JDK is included with the application I licensed from my application vendor?

      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

  • Historical Licensing

    • What is the Binary Code License for Java SE (“BCL”)?

      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 earlier Oracle Java SE releases I may have downloaded under a different 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.