Oracle Java SE Support Roadmap

(Updated April 15, 2019)

Oracle provides this Oracle Java SE Support Roadmap, to help you understand maintenance and support options and related timelines. If you are looking for the latest free JDK release from Oracle under an open source license, please see jdk.java.net.  We recommend you take some time to understand the new Java SE release cadence and OpenJDK builds from Oracle so that you can make the best decisions for your corporate and personal use. 
   
In this roadmap:

Oracle Customers are those Oracle customers with an active (1) Java SE Subscription and/or Java SE Desktop Subscription, (2) support contract for Oracle Java SE Advanced, Oracle Java SE Advanced Desktop, Oracle Java SE Suite, and/or Java SE Support, or (3) Java SE support entitlement for use of Java SE solely with another Oracle product (Visit My.Oracle.Support Note 1557737.1 - Support Entitlement for Java SE When Used As Part of Another Oracle Product – Requires Support Login).

Personal, Development and other Users are those who use Java SE under one of the permitted uses at no cost under the Oracle Technology Network License Agreement for Java SE.  This includes individuals who use Java SE for free on personal desktops or laptops, or those who use Java SE for development use.  Please see the Oracle Technology Network License Agreement for Java SE FAQ for more information.
 

Oracle JDK and OpenJDK builds from Oracle

Since September 2017, Oracle provides JDK releases under a free open source license (similar to that of Linux).  Beginning with Java SE 11 (September 2018, LTS), not only does Oracle provide releases for free for all users under an open source license, but Oracle also provides releases which are commercially supported and included for use with Oracle products. For more information, see "Oracle JDK Releases for Java 11 and Later". 

Dates listed below apply only to the commercially supported Oracle JDK releases included in Oracle Java SE binary products. Availability and community support of OpenJDK releases provided by Oracle is listed separately on jdk.java.net.
 

End of Public Updates of Java SE 8

Java SE 8 has gone through the End of Public Updates process for legacy releases.  Oracle will continue to provide free public updates and auto updates of Java SE 8 from Oracle at java.com, until at least the end of December 2020 for Personal, Development and other Users. Developers can find Oracle Java SE updates, including Oracle Java SE 8, 11 and current releases, free for development on OTN. As of the April 16, 2019 quarterly critical patch update, Oracle Customers should access updates to Java SE 8 for commercial use from Oracle through My Oracle Support and via auto update where applicable (Visit My.Oracle Support Note 1439822.1 - All Java SE Downloads on MOS – Requires Support Login).

Oracle does not plan to migrate desktops from Java SE 8 to later versions via the auto update feature. This includes the Java Plugin and Java Web Start. Instead of relying on a browser-accessible system JRE, we encourage application developers to use the packaging options introduced with Java SE 9 to repackage and deliver their Java applications as stand-alone applications that include their own custom runtimes.
 

Oracle Java SE Product Releases

Oracle provides Customers with Oracle Premier Support on Oracle Java SE products as described in the Oracle Lifetime Support Policy. For product releases after Java SE 8, Oracle will designate a release, every three years, as a Long-Term-Support (LTS) release. Java SE 11 is an LTS release. For the purposes of Oracle Premier Support, non‑LTS releases are considered a cumulative set of implementation enhancements of the most recent LTS release. Once a new feature release is made available, any previous non‑LTS release will be considered superseded. For example, Java SE 9 was a non‑LTS release and immediately superseded by Java SE 10 (also non‑LTS), Java SE 10 in turn is immediately superseded by Java SE 11. Java SE 11 however is an LTS release, and therefore Oracle Customers will receive Oracle Premier Support and periodic update releases, even though Java SE 12 was released.

Examples of some key product dates for Oracle Java SE product offerings include:

Web Deployment Technology and JavaFX

The Web Deployment Technology bundled with the Oracle JRE, consisting of the Java Plugin and Java Web Start has a shorter support lifecycle: only five years of Premier Support. The deployment stack was marked as deprecated and flagged for removal in Java SE 9 and Java SE 10. Oracle Java SE 11 and later versions do not include the Deployment Stack. As Java SE 8 will be the sunset release for the Deployment Stack Oracle extended support of Java Web Start on Java SE 8 until the end of Java SE 8 Extended Support (March 2025). The Java Plugin (Java Applets) remains updated in Java 8, but may be removed at any time in a future release.  Oracle Customers can find more information at My.Oracle.Support Note 251148.1 - Java SE 8 End of Java Plugin Support (requires login).

Java SE 8 is the recommended and only supported version of the deployment stack. The Java SE 8 deployment stack may be used to run Java SE 7, or Java SE 8 applications on Windows platforms. The Java deployment technology will not be supported beyond Java SE 8. See the Oracle Lifetime Support Policy for details.

JavaFX has been open sourced and redesigned to be available as a stand-alone library rather than being included with the JDK. Starting with Java SE 11, JavaFX is not be included in the Oracle JDK. Support for JavaFX on Java SE 8 will continue through the Premier Support term (until March 2022).