Java

Java is a high-level, object-oriented programming language first released by Sun Microsystems in 1995.

Its aim is to have as few implementation dependencies as possible, making it a versatile and widely-used language.

Java is available for Arm Linux. In this guide, you’ll learn different ways to install Java on Arm Linux distributions. This includes both the Java runtime environment (JRE), which is used to run Java applications, and the Java Development Kit (JDK), which is used to create Java applications.

The following are some of the common methods that you can use to install Java.

Install Java using the Linux package manager

The installation commands depend on your Linux distribution:

    

        
        

sudo apt update
sudo apt install default-jre -y
sudo apt install default-jdk -y
  

    

    

        
        

sudo dnf install java-latest-openjdk
  

    

    

        
        

sudo pacman -S jdk-openjdk
sudo pacman -S jre-openjdk
  

    

Install Java using Snap

For Linux distributions using snap, you can install Java using the following command:

    

        
        
sudo snap install openjdk

    

Install Amazon Corretto

Amazon Corretto is a no-cost distribution of the Open Java Development Kit (OpenJDK). It is maintained and supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

You can install Corretto using apt with the following commands:

    

        
        
wget -O - https://apt.corretto.aws/corretto.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/corretto-keyring.gpg && \
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/corretto-keyring.gpg] https://apt.corretto.aws stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/corretto.list
sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install -y java-21-amazon-corretto-jdk

    

For more information about installation options for Corretto, see the Amazon Corretto 21 Guide for Linux .

Install the Microsoft Build of OpenJDK

The Microsoft Build of OpenJDK is a no-cost, open source distribution of OpenJDK. It includes Long-Term Support (LTS) binaries for Java 11 and Java 17 and runs on Arm Linux.

You can download a tar.gz file from Download the Microsoft Build of OpenJDK

For example:

    

        
        
wget https://aka.ms/download-jdk/microsoft-jdk-25.0.2-linux-aarch64.tar.gz

    

Extract the contents of the file:

    

        
        
tar xvf microsoft-jdk-25.0.2-linux-aarch64.tar.gz

    

Move the contents to a directory of your choice:

    

        
        
sudo mv  jdk-25.0.2+10/ /usr/local

    

Set up environment variables to locate your installation:

    

        
        
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/local/jdk-25.0.2+10
export PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH

    

Add the environment variables to your ~/.bashrc file to set them permanently.

For more information about the available versions and supported platforms, see About the Microsoft Build of OpenJDK .

Install Eclipse Temurin from the Adoptium Working Group

The Adoptium Working Group promotes and supports high-quality, TCK-certified runtimes and associated technology for use across the Java ecosystem.

Eclipse Temurin is the name of the OpenJDK distribution from Adoptium.

To install Temurin on Ubuntu, run:

    

        
        
sudo apt install -y wget apt-transport-https gpg
wget -qO - https://packages.adoptium.net/artifactory/api/gpg/key/public | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/adoptium.gpg > /dev/null
echo "deb https://packages.adoptium.net/artifactory/deb $(awk -F= '/^VERSION_CODENAME/{print$2}' /etc/os-release) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/adoptium.list
sudo apt update 
sudo apt install temurin-17-jdk -y

    

For more information about the available versions and supported platforms, see the Temurin documentation .

Install Java from Oracle

You can download Java from the Oracle website and install it manually. Look for the files with ARM64 in the description.

Download a tar.gz file from the website.

Extract the contents of the file:

    

        
        
tar xvf jdk-25_linux-aarch64_bin.tar.gz

    

Move the contents to a directory of your choice:

    

        
        
sudo mv jdk-25.0.3 /usr/local/

    

Set up environment variables to locate your installation:

    

        
        
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/local/jdk-25.0.3
export PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH

    

Add the environment variables to your ~/.bashrc file to set them permanently.

Change the default Java version if multiple versions are installed

To change the default version of Java for systems with apt, use:

    

        
        
sudo update-alternatives --config java

    

You’ll be given the option to select a new version. The options are dependent on the software currently installed on your computer.

    

        
        There are 3 choices for the alternative java (providing /usr/bin/java).

  Selection    Path                                           Priority   Status
------------------------------------------------------------
* 0            /usr/lib/jvm/java-21-amazon-corretto/bin/java   12100004  auto mode
  1            /usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk-arm64/bin/java     1711      manual mode
  2            /usr/lib/jvm/java-21-amazon-corretto/bin/java   12100004  manual mode
  3            /usr/lib/jvm/java-21-openjdk-arm64/bin/java     2111      manual mode

Press <enter> to keep the current choice[*], or type selection number:

        
    

In this example, if you select option 1, Java 17 becomes the default.

Verify Java installation by printing Java version

To print the version of the Java runtime, run:

    

        
        
java -version

    

The output will be similar to:

    

        
        openjdk version "25.0.2" 2026-01-20 LTS
OpenJDK Runtime Environment Microsoft-13053556 (build 25.0.2+10-LTS)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Microsoft-13053556 (build 25.0.2+10-LTS, mixed mode, sharing)

        
    

Print the version of the Java compiler:

    

        
        
javac -version

    

The output will be similar to:

    

        
        javac 25.0.2

        
    

Flags available for tuning the Java Virtual Machine

The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) includes a number of flags which are available to tune performance and aid in debugging. Some of the flags are general-purpose and some are Arm architecture-specific.

To print the final values of the flags after the JVM has been initialized, run:

    

        
        
java -XX:+PrintFlagsFinal -version

    

Generally, the biggest performance improvements from JVM flags can be obtained from heap and garbage collection (GC) tuning.

Default initial heap size is 1/64th of RAM and default maximum heap size is 1/4th of RAM. If you know your memory requirements, you should set both of these flags to the same value (e.g. -Xms12g and -Xmx12g for an application that uses at most 12 GB). Setting both flags to the same value will prevent the JVM from having to periodically allocate additional memory. Additionally, for cloud workloads max heap size is often set to 75%-85% of RAM, much higher than the default setting.

If you are deploying in a cloud scenario where you might be deploying the same stack to systems that have varying amounts of RAM, you can use -XX:MaxRAMPercentage instead of -Xmx. With this flag, you can specify a percentage of max RAM rather than a fixed max heap size. This setting can also be helpful in containerized workloads.

Garbage collector choice will depend on the workload pattern for which you’re optimizing.

• If your workload is a straightforward serial single-core load with no multithreading, you should set the UseSerialGC flag to true.
• For multi-core small heap batch jobs (<4GB), you should set the UseParallelGC flag to true.
• The G1 garbage collector (UseG1GC flag) is better for medium to large heaps (>4GB). This is the most commonly used GC for large parallel workloads, and is the default for high-core environments. Use this garbage collector to optimize throughput.
• The ZGC (UseZGC flag) has low pause times, which can drastically improve tail latencies. If you want to prioritize response time at a small cost to throughput, use ZGC.
• The Shenandoah GC (UseShenandoahGC flag) is still fairly niche. It has ultra low pause times and concurrent evacuation, making it ideal for low-latency applications, at the cost of increased CPU use.

(Optional) Install other common tools for Java projects

There are a number of Java-related tools you might like to install.

Apache Maven

Apache Maven is a powerful build automation tool primarily used for Java projects. It simplifies the build process by providing a uniform build system, with dependency and project management capabilities.

You can install it from the apt package manager:

    

        
        
sudo apt-get install -y maven

    

Print the version:

    

        
        
mvn -v

    

The output is similar to:

    

        
        Apache Maven 3.8.7
Maven home: /usr/share/maven
Java version: 22.0.2, vendor: Oracle Corporation, runtime: /usr/local/jdk-22.0.2
Default locale: en, platform encoding: UTF-8
OS name: "linux", version: "6.8.0-41-generic", arch: "aarch64", family: "unix"

        
    

Gradle

Gradle is another build automation tool that is widely used for Java projects.

It is designed to be highly customizable and flexible, making it suitable for a wide range of projects.

You can install it from the apt package manager:

    

        
        
sudo apt install gradle -y

    

You can also install specific versions by downloading and extracting a zip file:

    

        
        
wget https://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-9.4.1-bin.zip -O gradle-9.4.1-bin.zip
unzip gradle-9.4.1-bin.zip
sudo mv gradle-9.4.1 /opt/gradle
sudo ln -s /opt/gradle/bin/gradle /usr/local/bin/gradle

    

Print the version:

    

        
        
gradle -v

    

The output is similar to:

    

        
        Welcome to Gradle 9.4.1!

Here are the highlights of this release:
 - Java 26 support
 - Non-class-based JVM tests
 - Enhanced console progress bar

For further information, see https://docs.gradle.org/9.4.1/release-notes.html.


------------------------------------------------------------
Gradle 9.4.1
------------------------------------------------------------

Build time:    2026-03-19 08:46:28 UTC
Revision:      2d6327017519d23b96af35865dc997fcb544fb40

Kotlin:        2.3.0
Groovy:        4.0.29
Ant:           Apache Ant(TM) version 1.10.15 compiled on August 25 2024
Launcher JVM:  22.0.2 (Oracle Corporation 22.0.2+9-70)
Daemon JVM:    /usr/local/jdk-22.0.2 (no JDK specified, using current Java home)
OS:            Linux 6.8.0-41-generic aarch64

        
    

Apache Ant

Apache Ant is a Java-based build tool used to automate the build process for Java projects. It is similar to Make but is designed specifically for Java projects.

Ant uses XML to describe the build process and dependencies.

You can install it from the apt package manager:

    

        
        
sudo apt install ant -y

    

You can also install specific versions by downloading and extracting a zip file:

    

        
        
wget https://downloads.apache.org/ant/binaries/apache-ant-1.10.17-bin.zip -O apache-ant-1.10.17-bin.zip
unzip apache-ant-1.10.17-bin.zip
sudo mv apache-ant-1.10.17 /opt/ant
sudo ln -s /opt/ant/bin/ant /usr/local/bin/ant

    

Print the version:

    

        
        
ant -version

    

The output is similar to:

    

        
        Apache Ant(TM) version 1.10.17 compiled on April 6 2026

        
    

Apache JMeter

JMeter is an open-source tool designed for performance and load testing Java applications.

You can install it using:

    

        
        
wget https://downloads.apache.org/jmeter/binaries/apache-jmeter-5.6.3.tgz
tar xzf apache-jmeter-5.6.3.tgz
sudo mv apache-jmeter-5.6.3 /opt/jmeter
sudo ln -s /opt/jmeter/bin/jmeter /usr/local/bin/jmeter

    

Print the version:

    

        
        
jmeter --version

    

The output is similar to:

    

        
        Aug 27, 2024 9:01:58 PM java.util.prefs.FileSystemPreferences$1 run
INFO: Created user preferences directory.
    _    ____   _    ____ _   _ _____       _ __  __ _____ _____ _____ ____
   / \  |  _ \ / \  / ___| | | | ____|     | |  \/  | ____|_   _| ____|  _ \
  / _ \ | |_) / _ \| |   | |_| |  _|    _  | | |\/| |  _|   | | |  _| | |_) |
 / ___ \|  __/ ___ \ |___|  _  | |___  | |_| | |  | | |___  | | | |___|  _ <
/_/   \_\_| /_/   \_\____|_| |_|_____|  \___/|_|  |_|_____| |_| |_____|_| \_\ 5.6.3

Copyright (c) 1999-2024 The Apache Software Foundation

        
    

You are now ready to use Java on your Arm Linux system.