Guides · checked against Oracle's published pages
Oracle Java licensing guides for the people who run the servers
Plain explanations of which Oracle JDK builds fall under which license, with the source for every claim and the date it was last verified. Not legal advice.
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How to find Oracle Java installations on Linux, macOS and Windows
Commands to list every Java install on Linux, macOS and Windows, then tell Oracle JDK apart from OpenJDK builds using the release file and java -version.
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Is OpenJDK free for commercial use? Oracle JDK vs OpenJDK builds
Yes: OpenJDK builds from Adoptium, Amazon, Azul, Microsoft, Red Hat and Oracle's jdk.java.net are free in production. Oracle JDK under OTN is the exception.
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Java 8u202: the last free Oracle JDK 8 update, and what changed with 8u211
Oracle JDK 8u202 was the last Java 8 update under the BCL; 8u211 and later are under OTN. What that means, why 8u202 is unsafe, and how to find 8u211+.
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Oracle Java licensing glossary: NFTC, OTN, BCL, CPU, LTS and more
Plain definitions of Oracle Java licensing terms: NFTC, OTN, BCL, CPU, LTS, OpenJDK, Temurin, Corretto, the Java SE Universal Subscription and employee metric.
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Oracle JDK 21 license change in October 2026, explained
Oracle JDK 21 updates released after September 2026 are planned under the OTN license. What changes on October 20, 2026, what doesn't, and what to check.
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setup-java with distribution: oracle: licensing and how to switch
What actions/setup-java downloads with distribution: oracle, what changes for a floating JDK 21 in October 2026, and YAML to pin, move to 25 or switch.
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What an Oracle Java license review asks for, and how to prepare an inventory
What Oracle Java audit letters ask for (employee counts, deployments by version, install lists) and how to build your own inventory first. Not legal advice.