Install Java 17 On Linux in 2 Ways: Step-By-Step Guide

Hello guys, today in this tutorial, we will cover how to install the Java 17 JDK on your machine in two different ways, this installation guide covers the steps for all the Linux distros Fedora, Debian, or Ubuntu.

This tutorial is specifically for Java 17 - OpenJDK 17, I'll explain each command in brief, and provide the necessary information, so let's open your terminals and get started.

How to install Java 17?

let's start by checking if Java is installed already, as there might be multiple versions of Java but the default is set to some other version, so we will check what versions of Java are installed in the system already.

open the terminal and run the following command to list the installed Java versions

update-alternatives --config java

This will list the installed Java versions as shown in the screenshot below.

Screenshot of update-alternatives command

The 3rd entry in this screenshot is java 17 (*+ 3 /usr/lib/jvm/jdk-17-oracle-x64/bin/java). If this is the case for you, then java 17 is already installed on your machine, but not set as default. To make it default, just enter the number in front of the java 17 entry and its done, but if you don't find any such entries, then follow this guide.

For Fedora/Redhat-based Linux OS

• Download the JDK: run the following command in the terminal to download the latest Java 17 JDK

wget https://download.oracle.com/java/17/latest/jdk-17_linux-x64_bin.rpm

• Install the downloaded RPM binary: You might need the superuser rights to execute the following command

sudo rpm -Uvh jdk-17_linux-x64_bin.rpm

• Add/update the JAVA_HOME and PATH environment variables: The following command also needs superuser privileges, this command sets the JAVA_HOME variable and updates the PATH environment variable

cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/profile.d/jdk.sh
> export JAVA_HOME=/usr/java/default
> export PATH=\$PATH:\$JAVA_HOME/bin
> EOF

• Source the newly created jdk.sh: to ensure the environment variables are set properly

source /etc/profile.d/jdk.sh

• Update the default java: now run the following command again to verify the installation

update-alternatives --config java

type the number in front of the Java 17 entry and hit enter, in my case, it's 3 so I'll enter 3.

Screenshot of update-alternatives command

• Verify the Installation: Lastly, check the Java version by running the following command

java -version

Screenshot of java -version command output

Congratulations, you've installed Java 17 on your system.

For Ubuntu-based OS

• Update the packages repository: execute the following command to update the list of packages

sudo apt update

• Install Java 17 by OpenJDK you need superuser access to run the following command

sudo apt install openjdk-17-jdk

• Verify the Installation: Lastly, check the Java version by running the following command

java -version

Manual method - Non root

You can install Java 17 on your system, even without the root access, follow these steps to set up the Java 17 without superuser access in manual mode.

• Navigate to a directory with write access: switch to a path where you would like to have your Java 17 installed, e.g.

cd ~/Desktop/setups

• Download the Java 17 tarball

wget https://download.oracle.com/java/17/latest/jdk-17_linux-x64_bin.tar.gz

• Extract the tarball

tar -xvzf jdk-17_linux-x64_bin.tar.gz

• Set the environment variables: make sure to replace the ~/Desktop/setups with your actual JDK installation path

export JAVA_HOME=~/Desktop/setups/jdk-17_linux-x64_bin
export PATH=$PATH:$JAVA_HOME/bin

• Verify the Installation: At last, verify the Java version by running the following command

java -version

conclusion

Java 17 can be installed easily with or without superuser access by following this step-by-step guide on your Linux machines, also the default versions can be managed by using the update-alternatives command to easily switch between different java versions.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• How to install Java 17?

Java 17 can be installed by following this easy to understand tutorial, just follow the steps based on your system and install the OpenJDK 17 on your machine, you can also install the Java 17 without superuser access.

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howto, linux, cli, installation