Download Java 17 for Free: The Latest Version of Java SE Platform
Introduction
Java is one of the most popular and widely used programming languages in the world. It is a general-purpose, object-oriented, and platform-independent language that runs on millions of devices, from desktops and servers to mobile phones and embedded systems. Java enables developers to create high-performance, reliable, and secure applications that can run on any operating system that supports a Java virtual machine (JVM).
Java 17 is the latest long-term support (LTS) release of the Java platform. LTS releases are supported by Oracle for at least eight years, and receive security and bug-fix updates regularly. This means that you can use Java 17 for your production applications without worrying about compatibility or stability issues. Java 17 is also the result of extensive collaboration between Oracle engineers and other members of the worldwide Java developer community via the OpenJDK Community and the Java Community Process (JCP). Since the previous JDK 11 LTS released three years ago, over 70 JDK Enhancement Proposals (JEPs) have been implemented in Java 17.
download java 17
Java 17 offers many benefits for developers, such as new language features, improved performance, enhanced security, and better compatibility. Some of the main features of Java 17 are:
Pattern matching for switch: This feature allows you to use patterns in switch expressions and statements, which can simplify your code and make it more readable. Patterns can match on the type, structure, or properties of an expression, and bind variables to parts of it. For example:
switch (obj) case Integer i -> System.out.println("Integer: " + i); case String s && s.length() > 5 -> System.out.println("Long string: " + s); case null -> System.out.println("Null"); default -> System.out.println("Other: " + obj);
Sealed classes: This feature allows you to restrict which classes or interfaces can extend or implement your class or interface. This can help you define a fixed set of possible subtypes for your type, which can improve encapsulation and security. For example:
public sealed class Shape permits Circle, Rectangle // common fields and methods public final class Circle extends Shape // specific fields and methods public non-sealed class Rectangle extends Shape // specific fields and methods
Text blocks: This feature allows you to write multi-line strings without using escape sequences or concatenation operators. Text blocks can preserve indentation and formatting, which can make your code more readable and maintainable. For example:
String html = """ <html> <body> <p>Hello, world</p> </body> </html> """;
Enhanced pseudo-random number generators: This feature provides new interfaces and implementations for pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs). It makes it easier to use different algorithms interchangeably, and it also offers better support for stream-based programming. For. example, you can use the new RandomGenerator interface to create a PRNG object with a specific algorithm, and then use its methods to generate random numbers or streams of numbers. For example:
RandomGenerator rng = RandomGeneratorFactory.of("L128X128MixRandom").create(); int n = rng.nextInt(100); // a random integer between 0 and 99 DoubleStream ds = rng.doubles(10); // a stream of 10 random doubles
Foreign function and memory API: This feature provides a low-level API for interacting with native code and memory outside the Java heap. It allows you to call native functions, access native structures, and manage native resources without using the Java Native Interface (JNI). This can improve performance, safety, and portability of your Java applications that need to interoperate with native code. For example:
// A native function that returns the current time in seconds MethodHandle time = CLinker.getInstance().downcallHandle( LibraryLookup.ofDefault().lookup("time").get(), MethodType.methodType(long.class, MemoryAddress.class), FunctionDescriptor.of(CLinker.C_LONG, CLinker.C_POINTER) ); // A native memory segment that represents a null pointer MemorySegment nullPointer = MemorySegment.ofAddressNative(MemoryAddress.NULL); // Call the native function with the null pointer as an argument long seconds = (long) time.invokeExact(nullPointer);
Hex format: This feature provides a convenient way to format and parse hexadecimal strings. It supports both uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as optional prefixes and delimiters. It can also handle byte arrays, byte buffers, and integral values. For example:
String hex = HexFormat.of().withUpperCase().formatHex(42); // "2A" int value = HexFormat.of().parseHex("FF"); // 255 byte[] bytes = HexFormat.ofDelimiter(":").parseHex("CA:FE:BA:BE"); // -54, -2, -70, -66
Downloading Java 17
Before you can install and use Java 17 on your system, you need to download the appropriate Java distribution for your needs. There are two main sources of Java distributions: Oracle and OpenJDK.
Oracle is the company that owns and leads the development of the Java platform. It offers commercial and free versions of Java distributions for various platforms and purposes. The commercial versions require a license and a subscription fee, but they provide additional features, such as Java Flight Recorder, Java Mission Control, and Z Garbage Collector. The free versions are based on the OpenJDK project, but they may have some differences in terms of packaging, licensing, and support. You can download Oracle Java distributions from https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/downloads/.
OpenJDK is an open source project that develops and maintains the reference implementation of the Java platform. It is sponsored by Oracle and other major companies and organizations in the Java community. It provides free and open source Java distributions for various platforms and purposes. You can download OpenJDK Java distributions from https://jdk.java.net/17/ or from other vendors that offer their own builds of OpenJDK, such as Adoptium, Amazon Corretto, Azul Zulu, IBM Semeru, Microsoft Build of OpenJDK, Red Hat OpenJDK, and SAP Machine.
How to download java 17 for windows 10
Download java 17 jdk for mac
Java 17 download oracle
Java 17 openjdk download
Download java 17 eclipse
Java 17 free download for linux
Download java 17 netbeans
Java 17 download 64 bit
Download java 17 offline installer
Java 17 download zip
Download java 17 jre
Java 17 download msi
Download java 17 intellij idea
Java 17 download apk
Download java 17 rpm
Java 17 download android
Download java 17 exe
Java 17 download tar.gz
Download java 17 deb
Java 17 download dmg
Download java 17 source code
Java 17 download github
Download java 17 documentation
Java 17 download pdf
Download java 17 tutorial
Java 17 download iso
Download java 17 docker image
Java 17 download graalvm
Download java 17 spring boot
Java 17 download quarkus
Download java 17 kotlin
Java 17 download scala
Download java 17 groovy
Java 17 download clojure
Download java 17 javafx
Java 17 download swing
Download java 17 awt
Java 17 download servlets
Java 17 download jsp
Java 17 download jdbc
Java 17 download jpa
Java 17 download hibernate
Java 17 download jax-rs
Java 17 download jax-ws
Java 17 download jms
Java 17 download jni
Java 17 download jna
Java 17 download jshell
Java 17 download junit.
When choosing a Java distribution, you should consider factors such as:
The platform that you are using (Windows, Linux, macOS, etc.)
The type of application that you are developing (desktop, web, mobile, etc.)
The features that you need (security, performance, compatibility, etc.)
The license that you agree with (GPL, Oracle Binary Code License, etc.)
The support that you require (updates, patches, bug fixes, etc.)
For this article, we will use the OpenJDK 17 distribution for Windows 64-bit as an example. You can download it from https://download.java.net/java/GA/jdk17/0d483333a00540d886896bac774ff48b/35/GPL/openjdk-17_windows-x64_bin.zip. You can also use other distributions that suit your needs.
Installing Java 17
After downloading the Java distribution of your choice, you need to install it on your system. The installation process may vary depending on the platform and the distribution that you are using, but in general, it involves extracting the downloaded file to a location of your choice, and setting some environment variables to make Java accessible from the command line and other applications.
For Windows, you can follow these steps to install Java 17:
Extract the downloaded zip file to a folder of your choice, such as C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-17.
Open the Control Panel and go to System and Security > System > Advanced system settings.
Click on the Environment Variables button at the bottom of the System Properties window.
In the System variables section, click on the New button to create a new variable called JAVA_HOME with the value of the folder where you extracted Java 17, such as C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-17.
In the same section, find the variable called Path and click on the Edit button. Add a new entry at the end with the value of %JAVA_HOME%\bin. This will append the Java bin folder to the system path.
Click OK on all the windows to save the changes.
For Linux or macOS, you can follow these steps to install Java 17:
Extract the downloaded tar.gz file to a folder of your choice, such as /opt/java/jdk-17.
Open a terminal and edit your shell profile file, such as .bashrc or .zshrc, depending on your shell.
Add these lines at the end of the file to set the JAVA_HOME and PATH variables:
export JAVA_HOME=/opt/java/jdk-17 export PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH
Save the file and reload it by running source /.bashrc or source /.zshrc, depending on your shell.
Verifying Java 17 Installation
To verify that Java 17 is installed correctly on your system, you can use the java and javac commands from the command line. The java command is used to run Java applications, and the javac command is used to compile Java source files. Both commands should display information about the version and vendor of Java that you are using.
For example, on Windows, you can open a Command Prompt and run these commands:
> java --version openjdk 17 2021-09-14 OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 17+35) OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 17+35, mixed mode, sharing) > javac --version javac 17
On Linux or macOS, you can open a terminal and run these commands:
$ java --version openjdk 17 2021-09-14 OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 17+35) OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 17+35, mixed mode, sharing) $ javac --version javac 17
If you see similar output as above, it means that Java 17 is installed correctly on your system. If you see an error message or a different version of Java, it means that something went wrong with the installation or the environment variables. You should check your settings and try again.
Using Java 17 Features
Now that you have installed Java 17 on your system, you can start using some of the new features that it offers. In this section, we will show you some examples of how to use some of the new language features and APIs in Java 17. You can also refer to the official documentation and tutorials for more details and examples.
Pattern Matching for Switch
This feature allows you to use patterns in switch expressions and statements, which can simplify your code and make it more readable. Patterns can match on the type, structure, or properties of an expression, and bind variables to parts of it. For example:
// // A method that takes an object and prints its type and value public static void printObject(Object obj) switch (obj) case Integer i -> System.out.println("Integer: " + i); case String s && s.length() > 5 -> System.out.println("Long string: " + s); case null -> System.out.println("Null"); default -> System.out.println("Other: " + obj); // A method that takes a shape and returns its area public static double area(Shape shape) return switch (shape) case Circle c -> Math.PI * c.radius() * c.radius(); case Rectangle r -> r.width() * r.height(); default -> 0; ;
As you can see, the switch expressions and statements can use patterns to match on the type and structure of the object, and bind variables to its parts. This can eliminate the need for instanceof checks, casts, or nested if-else statements.
Sealed Classes
This feature allows you to restrict which classes or interfaces can extend or implement your class or interface. This can help you define a fixed set of possible subtypes for your type, which can improve encapsulation and security. For example:
// A sealed class that represents a shape public sealed class Shape permits Circle, Rectangle // common fields and methods // A final class that represents a circle public final class Circle extends Shape // specific fields and methods // A non-sealed class that represents a rectangle public non-sealed class Rectangle extends Shape // specific fields and methods
As you can see, the sealed class Shape specifies which classes can extend it using the permits clause. The final class Circle is a direct subclass of Shape, and it cannot be further extended. The non-sealed class Rectangle is also a direct subclass of Shape, but it can be extended by other classes. Any other class that tries to extend Shape will cause a compile-time error.
Text Blocks
This feature allows you to write multi-line strings without using escape sequences or concatenation operators. Text blocks can preserve indentation and formatting, which can make your code more readable and maintainable. For example:
// A text block that represents an HTML document String html = """ <html> <body> <p>Hello, world</p> </body> </html> """; // A text block that represents a SQL query String query = """ SELECT name, age, address FROM customers WHERE age > 30 ORDER BY name """;
As you can see, the text blocks use triple quotes to delimit the multi-line strings, and they preserve the indentation and formatting of the text. This can eliminate the need for escape sequences or concatenation operators, which can make your code more concise and clear.
Conclusion
In this article, we have learned how to download and install Java 17 on your system, and how to use some of the new features that it offers. Java 17 is the latest long-term support release of the Java platform, and it provides many benefits for developers, such as new language features, improved performance, enhanced security, and better compatibility.
If you have existing Java applications that use an older version of Java, you may want to update them to Java 17 to take advantage of these benefits. However, before you do so, you should check the compatibility guide and the migration guide to make sure that your applications will work properly with Java 17. You may need to make some changes to your code or configuration to avoid potential issues or errors.
If you want to learn more about Java 17 and its features, you can refer to the official documentation and tutorials for more details and examples. You can also join the Java developer community and participate in forums, blogs, podcasts, webinars, events, and more. You can also contribute to the development of Java by joining the OpenJDK Community or the Java Community Process, where you can propose ideas, provide feedback, report bugs, or submit patches.
We hope that this article has helped you understand how to download and install Java 17 on your system, and how to use some of the new features that it offers. We encourage you to try out Java 17 and explore its possibilities for your Java applications.
FAQs
Q: What is the difference between JDK and JRE?
A: JDK stands for Java Development Kit, and it is a software package that contains the tools and libraries that you need to develop Java applications. JRE stands for Java Runtime Environment, and it is a software package that contains the components that you need to run Java applications. The JDK includes the JRE, but the JRE does not include the JDK. You need the JDK if you want to create Java applications, and you need the JRE if you want to run Java applications.
Q: How can I update my Java version?
A: You can update your Java version by downloading and installing the latest Java distribution from Oracle or OpenJDK, or from other vendors that offer their own builds of OpenJDK. You should also uninstall or disable any older versions of Java that you have on your system, to avoid conflicts or security risks. You can check your current Java version by running the java --version command from the command line.
Q: How can I switch between different Java versions on my system?
A: You can switch between different Java versions on your system by changing the JAVA_HOME and PATH environment variables to point to the folder where the desired Java version is installed. You can also use tools such as SDKMAN or jEnv to manage multiple Java versions on your system.
Q: How can I compile and run a Java application using Java 17?
A: You can compile and run a Java application using Java 17 by using the javac and java commands from the command line. For example, if you have a Java source file called HelloWorld.java that contains a simple Hello World program, you can compile it by running javac HelloWorld.java, which will produce a class file called HelloWorld.class. You can then run it by running java HelloWorld, which will print Hello, world to the standard output.
Q: How can I learn more about Java 17 and its features?
A: You can learn more about Java 17 and its features by referring to the official documentation and tutorials for more details and examples. You can also join the Java developer community and participate in forums, blogs, podcasts, webinars, events, and more. You can also contribute to the development of Java by joining the OpenJDK Community or the Java Community Process, where you can propose ideas, provide feedback