Difference between Temurin JDK and Oracle JDK

Temurin JDK (provided by the Eclipse Adoptium project), Oracle JDK, and the now-discontinued Sun JDK (acquired by Oracle) are all implementations of the Java Development Kit (JDK). However, they differ in terms of licensing, support, features, and other aspects. Here's a comparison to help understand the differences:

Oracle JDK

1. Licensing:

   • Oracle JDK is available under the Oracle Binary Code License Agreement, which is free for personal use, development, and testing, but requires a commercial license for production use.
   • As of JDK 11, Oracle also offers an open-source version of their JDK under the GNU General Public License, version 2, with the Classpath Exception (GPLv2+CE).

2. Support:

   • Oracle provides commercial support and long-term support (LTS) for their JDK.
   • Paid support includes security updates, bug fixes, and performance improvements.

3. Features:

   • Oracle JDK includes some commercial features and tools not found in OpenJDK builds, such as Java Mission Control and Flight Recorder (though these have been open-sourced in later versions).

4. Updates:

   • Oracle JDK receives regular updates, including security patches and bug fixes.
   • For non-LTS versions, updates are provided only for six months until the next release.

Temurin JDK (Eclipse Adoptium)

1. Licensing:

   • Temurin JDK is available under the GNU General Public License, version 2, with the Classpath Exception (GPLv2+CE), which makes it free to use in any environment, including commercial settings.

2. Support:

   • Adoptium provides community-driven support.
   • Commercial support is available through various vendors who certify and support Adoptium binaries.

3. Features:

   • Temurin JDK is a straightforward build of OpenJDK without additional commercial features.
   • It focuses on being a high-quality, TCK-compliant, and production-ready JDK.

4. Updates:

   • Temurin JDK is regularly updated with security patches and bug fixes.
   • It follows the same update and release cycle as OpenJDK.

Sun JDK

1. Licensing:

   • Sun JDK was initially available under the Sun Community Source License (SCSL) and later under the GPLv2+CE when parts of it were open-sourced as OpenJDK.
   • After Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems in 2010, Sun JDK was discontinued in favor of Oracle JDK.

2. Support:

   • Sun provided support and updates for the JDK, which was continued by Oracle after the acquisition.
   • No longer available or supported as it has been succeeded by Oracle JDK.

3. Features:

   • Sun JDK was the original implementation of the JDK by Sun Microsystems.
   • It included the standard set of tools and features for Java development at the time.

4. Updates:

   • Sun JDK received regular updates and patches until Oracle took over.
   • Post-acquisition, updates are provided through Oracle JDK.

Key Differences

1. Licensing and Cost:

   • Oracle JDK requires a commercial license for production use, while Temurin JDK is free to use in any environment.
   • Licensing terms are a significant factor for organizations when choosing between these JDKs.

2. Support and Updates:

   • Oracle JDK offers paid, long-term support and regular updates, especially for LTS versions.
   • Temurin JDK relies on community support, with optional commercial support from third parties.

3. Features:

   • Oracle JDK includes some proprietary tools and features that are not available in Temurin JDK.
   • Temurin JDK is a pure open-source implementation of the OpenJDK, focused on compatibility and stability.

4. Community and Ecosystem:

   • Temurin JDK is part of the Eclipse Foundation's Adoptium project, which aims to provide high-quality, open-source Java binaries.
   • Oracle JDK is backed by Oracle, which has a large enterprise customer base and resources for providing extensive support.