| Feature | Zulu (Azul) | Oracle JDK | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | GNU GPLv2 + Classpath Exception (free forever) | Oracle No-Fee Terms (free for development, but commercial restrictions post-Java 17) | | Update frequency | Regular quarterly security updates + backports | Strictly every 6 months (LTS) or 3 months (non-LTS) | | Platforms | x64, ARM (Linux, Windows, macOS), PowerPC, SPARC, Alpine Linux (musl libc) | Mostly x64, ARM, Windows/Linux/macOS | | Containers | Industry-leading container awareness – detects cgroup limits (CPU/memory) natively; no XX:+UseContainerSupport flag needed | Requires flags or newer versions for proper container limits | | Commercial support | Available from Azul | Available from Oracle | | Backported fixes | Patches for older LTS versions (e.g., Java 8, 11, 17) for years | Stricter end-of-life; you must upgrade |
java -version
Zulu Platform x64 is a specific, certified build of OpenJDK (the open-source implementation of the Java Platform) for 64-bit Windows, Linux, or macOS systems, packaged and supported by Azul Systems . In plain English: It is a free, ready-to-run version of Java (specifically the Java Runtime Environment or Java Development Kit) designed for modern 64-bit processors. what is zulu platform x64