jdkman 0.2.9

A command-line tool for installing and managing OpenJDK distributions.

jdkman

A command-line tool for installing and managing OpenJDK distributions.

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Why jdkman?

How often do you actually need to pick between 21.0.3 and 21.0.5? Probably never. "The latest Zulu 21" is almost always good enough.

jdkman manages JDKs at exactly that level — no more, no less.

• jdk install zulu-21 — just pick a vendor and a major version
• jdk upgrade zulu-21 — updates to the latest patch automatically
• One installation per vendor + major version, always

No scrolling through minor version lists. No patch versions piling up.

On macOS, JDKs are installed under ~/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/ — the standard path where Gradle, IntelliJ, and most other tools automatically look for JDKs. No extra configuration needed.

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Installation

Homebrew (recommended):

brew install xunyss/tap/jdkman

pip:

pip install jdkman

Quick Start

# Browse available JDK distributions
jdk remote

# Install a distribution
jdk install zulu-21

# List installed distributions
jdk list

# Check for outdated installations
jdk outdated

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Commands

jdk remote [DISTRO]

Browse JDK distributions available for download.

By default, shows only stable JDK builds. Use flags to include additional build types.

jdk remote                    # List all stable JDK builds
jdk remote zulu               # Filter by vendor prefix
jdk remote --version 21       # Filter by major version
jdk remote --all              # Include JRE and feature builds
jdk remote --with-jre         # Include JRE builds
jdk remote --with-feat        # Include feature builds (e.g. JavaFX, CRaC)
jdk remote --all zulu         # Combined: all build types, zulu only

Options:

Option	Short	Description
--version	-v	Filter by major version number
--all	-a	Include all build types
--with-jre	-R	Include JRE builds
--with-feat	-F	Include feature builds

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jdk install <DISTRO>

Download and install a JDK distribution.

jdk install zulu-21
jdk install temurin-17
jdk install zulu-jre-21          # JRE variant
jdk install zulu-javafx-21       # With JavaFX
jdk install zulu-crac-21         # With CRaC
jdk install zulu-javafx-jre-21   # JRE + JavaFX

The DISTRO name follows this pattern:

{vendor}[-{feature}][-jre]-{major_version}

Use jdk remote to find the exact distribution name.

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jdk list

Show all installed JDK distributions managed by jdkman.

jdk list
jdk ls      # alias

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jdk uninstall <DISTRO>

Remove an installed JDK distribution.

jdk uninstall zulu-21
jdk remove zulu-21    # alias
jdk rm zulu-21        # alias

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jdk upgrade <DISTRO>

Upgrade an installed distribution to the latest patch version.

jdk upgrade zulu-21
jdk update zulu-21    # alias

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jdk outdated

List installed distributions that have newer versions available.

jdk outdated

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jdk vendors

List all available JDK vendors.

jdk vendors
jdk vendor    # alias

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jdk cleanup

Remove cached data (downloaded archives and catalog cache).

jdk cleanup
jdk clean     # alias
jdk clear     # alias

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jdk home (macOS only)

Show Java home paths for JVMs registered with the system.

jdk home           # List registered Java installations
jdk home --json    # Show detailed info in JSON format

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jdk version

Show the jdkman version.

jdk version
jdk --version
jdk -v

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License

MIT