Short answer

NFTC lets you use certain Oracle JDK releases free in production; OTN allows only personal, development and a few other uses without a paid license; BCL covered Java 8 up to 8u202. OpenJDK builds such as Temurin and Corretto are free. Oracle's paid Java SE Universal Subscription is priced per employee.

Short definitions of the terms that come up when working out which Java installs are free and which need an Oracle subscription. Each links to the page it comes from. For how they fit together, start with Is OpenJDK free for commercial use?

NFTC (Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions)

NFTC is the Oracle license that allows free use of certain Oracle JDK releases, including in commercial and production use, and redistribution as long as it is not for a fee. It covers Oracle JDK 17 to 17.0.12, Oracle JDK 21 updates released through September 2026, and Oracle JDK 25 (planned until September 2028).16 A build released under NFTC keeps that license after later updates move to OTN.12

OTN (Oracle Technology Network License Agreement for Oracle Java SE)

The OTN license allows Oracle JDK to be used free of charge only for personal use, development and testing, Oracle-approved products and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure; other use, including commercial production use, needs a license from Oracle. It applies to Oracle JDK 8u211 and later, all Oracle JDK 11 to 16 releases, 17.0.13 and later, and is planned for Oracle JDK 21 updates from the October 2026 Critical Patch Update.26

BCL (Oracle Binary Code License)

The BCL is the license Oracle used for Java SE 8 up to 8u202 and for JDK 9 and 10, allowing free use on general-purpose desktops and servers but requiring a separate license for Commercial Features. Oracle's FAQ says releases before April 16, 2019 are the only ones under the BCL.312

CPU (Critical Patch Update)

A Critical Patch Update is Oracle's scheduled quarterly security release, published on the third Tuesday of January, April, July and October; Oracle JDK updates ship with it. The next CPU is October 20, 2026.4 Since 2026 Oracle also publishes monthly Critical Security Patch Updates (CSPUs) in the months between CPUs, such as September 15, 2026.5

LTS (long-term support release)

An LTS release is a Java version that vendors support with updates for several years, unlike six-month feature releases; Java 8, 11, 17, 21 and 25 are LTS releases. Support length depends on the vendor. Oracle's roadmap lists its own dates and license terms per release.6

OpenJDK

OpenJDK is the open-source project and code base where Java SE is developed, licensed under the GNU GPL version 2 with the Classpath Exception; vendors compile it into the builds people install. The Classpath Exception lets your own code link to the Java class library without becoming subject to the GPL.7 Oracle publishes GPL OpenJDK builds on jdk.java.net, separate from Oracle JDK.13

Eclipse Temurin

Eclipse Temurin is the OpenJDK build published by the Eclipse Adoptium project, provided at no cost to use, including in production, under GPLv2 with the Classpath Exception. Adoptium describes Temurin as provided at no cost to use, forever.8

Amazon Corretto

Amazon Corretto is Amazon's OpenJDK build, distributed at no cost under GPLv2 with the Classpath Exception, with long-term security updates published by Amazon. Amazon lists Corretto 8 support until December 2030 and Corretto 21 until October 2030.9

Java SE Universal Subscription

The Java SE Universal Subscription is Oracle's paid subscription for commercial use of Oracle Java SE, priced per employee per month rather than per server or per user. Oracle's FAQ says pricing starts at $15 per employee per month, with published tiers as low as $5.25.10

Employee metric

The employee metric is how Oracle counts the Java SE Universal Subscription: all of a customer's full-time, part-time and temporary employees, plus those of its agents, contractors, outsourcers and consultants that support internal operations. It counts people in the organization, not the people who use Java or the number of installs.11

  • Oracle JDK: Oracle's commercial build of Java SE, under the BCL, OTN or NFTC depending on the version.
  • Oracle OpenJDK build: Oracle's GPL-licensed build on jdk.java.net, updated for about six months per release.12
  • release file: the plain-text file in a Java home that records JAVA_VERSION, IMPLEMENTOR and other keys; see how to find Oracle Java installations.

Sources

  1. Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions (NFTC) Checked 2026-09-11.
  2. Oracle Technology Network License Agreement for Oracle Java SE (OTN) Checked 2026-09-11.
  3. Oracle Binary Code License Agreement for the Java SE Platform Products (BCL) Checked 2026-09-11.
  4. Oracle Critical Patch Updates, Security Alerts and Bulletins (CPU dates) Checked 2026-09-11.
  5. Oracle Critical Security Patch Update, August 2026 Checked 2026-09-11.
  6. Oracle Java SE Support Roadmap Checked 2026-09-11.
  7. OpenJDK: GNU General Public License v2 with the Classpath Exception Checked 2026-09-11.
  8. Eclipse Adoptium FAQprovided at no cost to you by Adoptium to use, forever Checked 2026-09-11.
  9. Amazon Corretto FAQs (license, no cost, Corretto 8 support until December 2030) Checked 2026-09-11.
  10. Oracle Java SE Subscription FAQ Checked 2026-09-11.
  11. Oracle Java SE Universal Subscription global price list (PDF) Checked 2026-09-11.
  12. Oracle JDK License General FAQs Checked 2026-09-11.
  13. jdk.java.net: Oracle's OpenJDK builds Checked 2026-09-11.