If you want to run Java programs on your computer, you only need to install the Java JRE. Only if you are planning to do some Java programming, you need to install the JDK. Installing this update will ensure that your Java applications continue to run as safely and efficiently as always.

The JRE is the Java Runtime Environment, it covers most users needs. It is a package of everything necessary to run a compiled Java program, including the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), the Java Class Library, the java command, and other infrastructure. However, it cannot be used to create new programs.

The JDK is the Java Development Kit, the full-featured SDK for Java. It has everything the JRE has, but also the compiler (javac) and tools (like javadoc and jdb). It is capable of creating and compiling programs.

The latest version of Java is Java 20 or JDK 20 released on March, 2023. However, many versions of Java are actively maintained for compatibility purposes. Java 8, Java 11 and Java 17 are the three long-term support versions recommended by Oracle. You can download the version you need below:

Sometimes, even if you are not planning to do any Java development on a computer, you still need the JDK installed. For example, if you are deploying a web application with JSP, you are technically just running Java programs inside the application server. Why would you need the JDK then? Because the application server will convert JSP into Java servlets and needs to use the JDK to compile the servlets.

What's New

The full version string for this update release is 9.0.4+11 (where "+" means "build"). The version number is 9.0.4. For the January CPU, two different JDK9 bundles were released:

  • Oracle JDK 9.0.4 (contains non-public commercial features, deploy, installers, etc.)
  • OpenJDK 9.0.4 (built only from OpenJDK source code)