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This article states that OpenJDK7 is the official reference implementation for Java SE7.

Can somebody confirm that this is also the case for Java 8? That Open JDK8 is the reference implementation for Java SE8?

There is a partial answer at this link, however my question is about Java 8 specifically.

Greg Dubicki
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aruuuuu
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1 Answers1

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Yes, open JDK8 is reference implementation for JAVA SE8.

The official Reference Implementations for Java SE 8 (JSR 337) are based solely upon open-source code available from the JDK 8 Project in the OpenJDK Community. Binaries are provided for both the Linux x64 and Windows i586 platforms and Compact Profiles for Linux i586.

The binaries are available under two different licenses: The GNU General Public License version 2, with the Classpath Exception and the Oracle Binary Code License . For a given platform the binaries under different licenses are built from exactly the same source code and are functionally equivalent; the only real difference is the license itself. Which license you choose will depend upon your particular business and legal requirements.

Source: http://jdk.java.net/java-se-ri/8

Greg Dubicki
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Sachin Godara
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    Ok, as this is the accepted answer here an after question. Does this means, that the differences cited in https://stackoverflow.com/questions/17360011/technically-what-is-the-main-difference-between-oracle-jdk-and-open-jdk are not valid anymore? – Asturio Nov 04 '15 at 13:48
  • What is meant by reference implementation? – Lealo Oct 01 '17 at 15:26
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    @Lealo The Java language by itself is just a specification (more like a document) and you need tools (more specifically compilers `javac` and runtimes `java`) that _implement_ that specification... Now, since the Java specification is open source and freely available, anyone competent enough can create an implementation of it... OpenJDK is one such implementation, albeit from the creator of the spec itself... and is considered to be the _goto reference_ for others implementing the spec. – riyaz-ali Aug 22 '18 at 04:59
  • @Asturio : the question in the title originally asked about "Differences between Oracle JDK 8 and OpenJDK 8" which is a different question that is in the body and that is answered above. I have just edited the question title to make it the same as the rest. For answer to question about differences you need to look elsewhere, sorry. – Greg Dubicki Dec 22 '18 at 17:39
  • For **Java 11** the most useful answer to question about differences between Oracle JDK and OpenJDK seems to be here: https://stackoverflow.com/a/53749226/2693875 – Greg Dubicki Dec 22 '18 at 17:55
  • For **Java 7** the best answer seems to be this one: https://stackoverflow.com/a/22358234/2693875 – Greg Dubicki Dec 22 '18 at 18:04
  • ..and finally I have found the best answer for **Java 8**: https://stackoverflow.com/a/45078661/2693875 – Greg Dubicki Dec 22 '18 at 18:15