Best Oracle Java Alternatives in 2026 Comparison of OpenJDK Distributions

Catherine Edelveis
Catherine Edelveis

 

Transcript:

There are plenty of OpenJDK distributions to choose from, but not all Java runtimes are the same once you look past the version number. So, let's compare the leading OpenJDK distributions and the features teams should pay attention to. This is not a ranking, only a comparison. The choice is yours.

We are starting with the raw base, the OpenJDK project itself. Raw OpenJDK can appeal to teams that want the upstream codebase with absolutely no vendor lock-in and a fully open source licensing model. Maximum freedom, no vendor coupling, but of course, no vendor accountability.

OpenJDK upstream is a development project. There's no official support and no lifecycle guarantees. Older builds do not include up-to-date fixes and security patches, and they are not recommended for production. So, upstream OpenJDK is not designed to behave like a long-term maintained enterprise runtime. It is not a good fit for production workloads.

If upstream OpenJDK represents the community baseline, Eclipse Temurin is the next step. It keeps the community-driven model but offers a more production-ready alternative.

Eclipse Temurin is a free, TCK-verified OpenJDK distribution maintained by the Adoptium project. LTS releases and current versions of Eclipse Temurin have broad platform support. Extras include Docker containers, Linux repositories, package manager distribution, and an Adoptium API for automated downloads. The regular quarterly releases are aligned with the OpenJDK schedule. The published roadmap provides at least four years of support for LTS releases.

However, Temurin's main limitation is the lack of direct support ownership. The project itself does not sell commercial support. Instead, Adoptium lists third-party providers. This makes Temurin less attractive for teams with procurement requirements for a single vendor for binaries and support.

Of course, Temurin addresses many practical concerns around upstream OpenJDK, but it remains a community distribution rather than a vendor-maintained runtime.

For other teams, the next step is a vendor-supported runtime that combines binaries, support, and long-term maintenance from a single vendor.

Liberica JDK is a TCK-verified, free-for-production-use OpenJDK distribution from BellSoft. It is used by default with Paketo Buildpacks and is recommended by VMware for use with the Spring Framework. The builds are available for a wide variety of platforms.

BellSoft publishes both LTS and non-LTS releases and offers support for LTS releases for up to eight and a half years. It also provides commercial support for Java 6 and 7.

For quarterly releases, BellSoft provides CPU releases with security patches only, and PCU releases with security patches plus non-critical fixes.

BellSoft is a Java-centric vendor. Its portfolio extends beyond the JDK itself into other tools for Java development. This includes Liberica JDK builds with JavaFX, OpenWebStart support, Liberica Mission Control, a GraalVM community-based Liberica Native Image Kit, Alpaquita Linux for containerized Java workloads, container images, hardened container images, and a product discovery API that can be useful for teams wanting a single vendor for the Java runtime, Linux, and containerized assets.

Azul Zulu is a free TCK-verified OpenJDK distribution provided by Azul. Azul publishes LTS and non-LTS binaries for a wide variety of platforms, offers commercial support for Java 6 and 7, and provides CPU and PCU updates. LTS releases are supported for eight years.

Azul is also a Java-focused vendor. It provides not only Zulu builds but additional tools for Java development, such as Azul Mission Control and JVM inventory and discovery tooling. Extras include OpenJFX builds, IcedTea-Web for Java Web Start use cases, a metadata discovery API, and commercial support for applets.

In addition to Zulu, Azul offers Azul Platform Prime. It is an alternative JVM to OpenJDK HotSpot with features that optimize performance, including C4 pauseless GC, ReadyNow warm-up accelerator, hyper-optimized Falcon JIT compiler, and a cloud-native compiler to offload JIT compilation.

Amazon Corretto is a free TCK-verified OpenJDK maintained by AWS. The builds are available for Linux, macOS, and Windows. AWS provides regular updates for LTS versions and current releases.

Extras include Docker images and the Amazon Corretto crypto provider optimized for AWS services. It improves performance for earlier Java versions. In addition, AWS developed AWS Lambda SnapStart, which reduces cold start latency for Java-based Lambda functions by up to 10 times.

From a vendor perspective, Java runtime is part of a much broader AWS portfolio and not its sole focus. Commercial assistance is not a separate Corretto support product; it is covered through AWS support plans. The support story is strongest for teams already operating on AWS, as they get a single vendor for cloud services and the Java runtime.

IBM Semeru runtimes are available in two editions: an open edition under GPL version 2 with a classpath exception, and a certified edition under the IBM license. IBM also sells IBM Runtimes for Business as a commercial support offering for Semeru.

Semeru is distinctive because it is built around OpenJ9, an alternative to the HotSpot JVM. It may appeal specifically to teams interested in OpenJ9 characteristics, but it is not the most standard choice on the list.

IBM provides quarterly releases for LTS versions and current releases. IBM is not a Java-only company; Java is part of a broader enterprise portfolio. This may appeal to teams already using IBM infrastructure and wanting Java as part of a unified offering.

Semeru supports a wide range of enterprise platforms, including IBM Z, Power, AIX, and z/OS environments.

Red Hat provides its own build of OpenJDK. It is positioned for enterprise use across Red Hat Enterprise Linux, OpenShift, middleware, and related environments. The binaries are supported on Windows and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Red Hat supports all LTS versions of Java. OpenJDK entitlements are included in the RHEL subscription, but if the retirement date of the underlying RHEL version precedes that of the JDK, support for the JDK will cease.

One important note: Red Hat's policy states that OpenJDK builds for Java 8 provided after July 1st, 2025 are no longer TCK-verified. Other versions continue to be TCK-tested.

Red Hat is not a Java-only vendor. Java is part of its broader Enterprise Linux, middleware, and container platform strategy. This can be a strength for teams already standardized on Red Hat infrastructure, where JDK support aligns naturally with the rest of the stack.

SAP Machine is SAP's free, TCK-verified OpenJDK distribution. It serves as the default runtime for many SAP applications and services. The company provides all LTS OpenJDK builds except for Java 8, as well as the current version of the JDK.

The builds are available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. All releases, including quarterly updates, are aligned with the OpenJDK schedule. SAP documents support for LTS releases for at least four years.

Commercial support for SAP Machine is available for SAP customers within SAP-supported products. SAP Machine is best suited for organizations already invested in SAP.

SAP is a large enterprise software vendor, not a Java specialist company. SAP Machine is tied to its broader ecosystem. The company provides the SAP Business Technology Platform, which runs on SAP Machine with supported features and patched components for SAP products.

SAP contributes many patches upstream, but if they are not accepted, they may still be included in SAP Machine. This means migration to another JDK in the future might be more complex.

In addition, SAP develops its own SAP JVM with additional features. The distribution can still be used for non-SAP workloads, but the support story and feature set are more limited in that context.

Microsoft Build of OpenJDK is a free and open source distribution. Microsoft publishes quarterly updates for LTS Java versions except for Java 8. The binaries are available for Linux, Windows, and macOS.

The binaries may contain fixes not yet integrated upstream but deemed necessary by Microsoft. There is no guarantee these fixes will be integrated into the upstream project, so migration to another JDK distribution in the future, similar to SAP Machine, might be more difficult.

Microsoft's Java distribution is part of its broader cloud and development platform strategy. Java matters to Microsoft, but it is only one part of a wider portfolio.

Practical extras include platform-specific installers and package manager installation methods. There are also Alpine-compatible binaries for some releases.

Commercial support is available only for Azure customers with an active Azure support plan and only for workloads deployed on Azure-related services.

To briefly summarize: if you want a community-led runtime with broad adoption, Eclipse Temurin is a solid choice, but support comes from third-party vendors, not the project itself.

If you want a vendor whose business is heavily centered on Java itself, BellSoft and Azul are the clearest fits.

If you are already standardized on a larger platform such as Red Hat, SAP, IBM, or Microsoft, you may prefer their offerings to align Java with the rest of your stack.

The description includes a link to a comparative table with a more detailed overview of the mentioned JDK runtimes.

If this video was useful to you, don't forget to like it, subscribe to our channel, and until next time.

 

Summary

This video compares major OpenJDK distributions, including Temurin, Liberica, Zulu, Corretto, Semeru, and vendor-specific builds from Red Hat, SAP, and Microsoft. It explains that upstream OpenJDK is not intended for production due to the lack of support and lifecycle guarantees. Community-driven options like Eclipse Temurin offer strong compatibility, while vendor-backed runtimes provide clearer support and maintenance guarantees. Java-focused vendors such as BellSoft and Azul emphasize long-term support and ecosystem tooling, while cloud and enterprise vendors integrate Java into broader platforms. The best choice depends on whether teams prioritize independence, dedicated Java support, or alignment with an existing enterprise stack.

About Catherine

Java developer passionate about Spring Boot. Writer. Developer Advocate at BellSoft

Social Media

Tags

DevelopmentBellSoft products
Videos
card image
Mar 26, 2026
Java Developer Roadmap 2026: From Basics to Production

Most Java roadmaps teach tools. This one teaches order — the only thing that actually gets you to production. You don’t need to learn everything. You need to learn the right things, in the right sequence. In this video, we break down a practical Java developer roadmap for 2026 — from syntax and OOP to Spring, databases, testing, and deployment. Structured into 8 levels, it shows how real engineers grow from fundamentals to production-ready systems. We cover what to learn and what to ignore: core Java, collections, streams, build tools, Git, SQL and JDBC before Hibernate, the Spring ecosystem, testing with JUnit, and deployment with Docker and CI/CD. You’ll also understand why most developers get stuck — jumping into frameworks too early, skipping SQL, or treating tools as knowledge. This roadmap gives you a clear path into real-world Java development — with priorities, trade-offs, and production context.

Watch Now
Videos
card image
Mar 19, 2026
TOP-5 Lightweight Linux Distributions for Containers

In this video, we compare five lightweight Linux distributions commonly used as base images: Alpine, Alpaquita, Chiseled Ubuntu, RHEL UBI Micro, and Wolfi. There are no rankings or recommendations — just a structured look at how these distros differ so you can evaluate them in your own context.

Watch Now

Further watching

Videos
card image
Apr 30, 2026
Java Flight Recorder Tutorial: How to Profile Java Applications

High CPU, GC spikes, or slow startup are common production issues, but logs and metrics don’t always reveal what the JVM is actually doing. Java Flight Recorder (JFR) provides a precise, low-overhead view of JVM behavior, safe for use even in production environments. In this video, you’ll learn how to use JFR to identify real bottlenecks such as CPU hotspots, memory allocation pressure, thread contention, and I/O stalls. We walk through the full workflow, including starting recordings with JVM flags, controlling them via jcmd, running JFR inside Docker containers, and attaching to live systems using ephemeral containers. Then we analyze a real Spring Boot recording in JDK Mission Control, breaking down GC behavior, allocation patterns, thread states, and method-level hotspots. If you want to move from symptoms to root cause with more confidence, this approach will help. Full article with commands and examples: [https://bell-sw.com/blog/how-to-profile-java-applications-with-jfr-beginner-s-guide/](https://bell-sw.com/blog/how-to-profile-java-applications-with-jfr-beginner-s-guide/)

Watch Now
Videos
card image
Apr 22, 2026
Dynamic SQL Queries with Spring Data JPA in 6 Minutes

If your repository layer has multiple queries for different filter combinations, your data access logic is already getting harder to maintain. In this video, we implement dynamic SQL queries in Spring Data JPA using Specifications — a composable approach that helps avoid query duplication and keeps your filtering logic clean. We build a flexible filtering system with optional parameters (category, language, format, price) and show how Specification.unrestricted() skips empty filters, while Specification.allOf(...) combines them into a single query. We also address a common issue: string-based field access. It’s fragile and can break at runtime when your model changes. Using the JPA Static Metamodel, we move to compile-time safety. The result is a cleaner, more maintainable way to implement dynamic filtering in Spring-based applications.

Watch Now
Videos
card image
Apr 2, 2026
Java Memory Options You Need in Production

JVM memory tuning can be tricky. Teams increase -Xmx and assume the problem is solved. Then the app still hits OOM. Because maximum heap size is not the only thing that affects memory footprint. The JVM uses RAM for much more than heap: metaspace, thread stacks, JIT/code cache, direct buffers, and native allocations. That’s why your process can run out of memory while heap still looks “fine”. In this video, we break down how JVM memory actually works and how to control it with a minimal, production-safe set of flags. We cover heap sizing (-Xms, -Xmx), dynamic resizing, direct memory (-XX:MaxDirectMemorySize), and total RAM limits (-XX:MaxRAMPercentage) — especially in containerized environments like Docker and Kubernetes. We also explain GC choices such as G1, ZGC, and Shenandoah, when defaults are enough, and why GC logging (-Xlog:gc*) is mandatory before tuning. Finally, we show how to diagnose failures with heap dumps and OOM hooks. This is not about adding more flags. It’s about understanding what actually consumes memory — and making decisions you can justify in production.

Watch Now