WhichJDK has a nice summary: > The OpenJDK is the open source reference implementation of the Java SE Specification, but it is only the source code. Binary dis

WhichJDK has a nice summary: > The OpenJDK is the open source reference implementation of the Java SE Specification, but it is only the source code. Binary distributions are provided by different vendors for a number of supported platforms. The OpenJDK project itself is managed on openjdk.java.net where you can find specifications, source code, and mailing lists, but there are no builds that you can download. You need to choose a distribution. Oracle itself provides builds of OpenJDK[2], but they aren't maintained: > Oracle provides OpenJDK builds for Linux, macOS and windows in a compressed archive format. These builds will only be updated for a 6-month period. Updates and security patches will not be available after this short period. This also applies for LTS versions! e.g., the latest OpenJDK 11 build was 11.0.2+9 while the current OpenJDK version is 11.0.12+7. Then there is the Oracle Java SE SDK[3]. This is the one with the terrible license: > Oracle provides a commercial version of the OpenJDK, which are based on the exactly same sources of the OpenJDK: The Oracle Java SE Development Kit (JDK). Oracle provides updates regular updates and security patches for these builds. The main issue with these builds is Oracle’s licensing policy. [1]: https://whichjdk.com/ https://whichjdk.com/ [2]: https://whichjdk.com/#openjdk-builds-by-oracle-jdkjavanet https://whichjdk.com/#openjdk-builds-by-oracle-jdkjavanet [3]: https://whichjdk.com/#oracle-java-se-development-kit-jdk https://whichjdk.com/#oracle-java-se-development-kit-jdk