Install JDK on macOS
This article will describe how to install the Java Development Kit (JDK) on macOS. Supporting multiple versions and switching between them will also be covered.
Download and Install
Go to AdoptOpenJDK. I prefer these prebuilt OpenJDK binaries as they are maintained with fixes to the JDK.
Download the release you need. I currently use the 11 LTS release. Now run the installer.
Where Is It?
The installer installs the JDK to /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/adoptopenjdk-11.jdk.
Run the java_home command to print the matching list of JVMs and architectures:
$ /usr/libexec/java_home -V
Matching Java Virtual Machines (2):
11.0.6, x86_64: "AdoptOpenJDK 11" /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/adoptopenjdk-11.jdk/Contents/Home
1.8.0_232, x86_64: "AdoptOpenJDK 8" /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/adoptopenjdk-8.jdk/Contents/Home
/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/adoptopenjdk-11.jdk/Contents/Home
Test It
Run java -version in a shell to see the version and vendor of the JDK.
$ java -version
openjdk 11.0.6 2020-01-14
OpenJDK Runtime Environment AdoptOpenJDK (build 11.0.6+10)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM AdoptOpenJDK (build 11.0.6+10, mixed mode)
Create a quick “hello world” Java source file to test the compiler:
$ cat > HelloWorld.java
class HelloWorld {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("hello world");
}
}
^Z
[1]+ Stopped cat > HelloWorld.java
Redirecting cat to a filename is a quick way to enter a small amount of text without leaving the shell. Press Ctrl+Z to quit editing and to save the text to the file.
Now run the file:
$ java HelloWorld.java
hello world
Note that newer versions of the JDK can compile and run with a single command as this example has shown.
JShell
Did you know that Java now has a REPL (read-eval-print-loop) shell? Run jshell in a terminal shell. Then write a line of “hello world” code.
$ jshell
| Welcome to JShell -- Version 11.0.6
| For an introduction type: /help intro
jshell> System.out.println("hello world");
hello world
Use /exit to exit jshell.
jshell> /exit
| Goodbye
JAVA_HOME
In this section we are going to configure the shell environment of macOS. JAVA_HOME is an environment variable set in the operating system that is a convention that many libraries and tools in the Java ecosystem need. It defines the home path for the installed JDK.
Put the following text into the file .bash_profile in your user directory (~ or /Users/<username>):
if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
source ~/.bashrc
fi
The .bash_profile is executed for login shells. The contents of this file sources the .bashrc file if it exists upon login.
Define the JAVA_HOME environment variable in the .bashrc file in your user directory as follows:
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/libexec/java_home
export PATH="$JAVA_HOME/bin:/usr/local/bin:$PATH"
The .bashrc file executes when an interactive shell is started. Set JAVA_HOME to /usr/libexec/java_home. This is a utility specific to macOS. Notice that $JAVA_HOME/bin is prepended to the PATH environment variable.
Switch Versions
Now that the environment variables are set we can manually switch between JDK versions.
For version 11 append -v 11 to the JAVA_HOME environment variable in the .bashrc file:
export JAVA_HOME=`/usr/libexec/java_home -v 11`
For version 8:
export JAVA_HOME=`/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.8`
After updating the .bashrc file you’ll need to source it:
$ source .bashrc
To see what version of the JDK is being used run the following command:
$ echo $JAVA_HOME
/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/adoptopenjdk-11.jdk/Contents/Home
Summary
This article describes a simple way to install the JDK with some environment configuration.