Setting Up Your Environment

Before writing Java code, you need a Java Development Kit (JDK) and a way to edit, compile, and run programs. This lesson walks through installation, choosing an IDE, and running your first Java application.

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Step 1 — Install the JDK

You need the JDK (not just the JRE). The JDK includes the compiler (javac), the runtime (java), and developer tools.

Recommended Distributions

Distribution	Vendor	Notes
Oracle JDK	Oracle	Free for development; commercial licence for production
Eclipse Temurin	Adoptium	Free, open-source, community-driven
Amazon Corretto	Amazon	Free, long-term support, production ready
Azul Zulu	Azul	Free Community Edition available
GraalVM	Oracle	JDK + ahead-of-time compilation and polyglot support

Tip: For beginners, Eclipse Temurin (Adoptium) is the easiest choice — it is free, open-source, and has simple installers for every platform.

Installation on Each Platform

macOS (Homebrew):

brew install --cask temurin

Windows (winget):

winget install EclipseAdoptium.Temurin.21.JDK

Linux (apt — Debian/Ubuntu):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install temurin-21-jdk

Verify the Installation