YKYH Picks
☰ Menu
Home›Developer Tools›openjdk
CLI Open source 26,315 installs/mo

openjdk for Mac

Development kit for the Java programming language

Quick answer: openjdk is a developer tool for macOS. Install it with brew install openjdk. It is distributed under the GPL-2.0-only WITH Classpath-exception-2.0 licence. It has 26,315 Homebrew installs in the last 30 days.

What openjdk is

openjdk is a developer tool for macOS: development kit for the Java programming language.

It is distributed as a Homebrew formula, which builds or pours a binary and puts it on your PATH. It is distributed under the GPL-2.0-only WITH Classpath-exception-2.0 licence.

How to install openjdk

  1. Open Terminal (press ⌘ + Space and type “Terminal”).
  2. If Homebrew is not installed yet, run the installer below once.
  3. Run brew install openjdk.

Homebrew installer, if you need it:

Prefer a graphical installer? Download it from the official site. MacPicks never hosts or mirrors binaries — the Homebrew command always pulls from the vendor's own release.

Similar apps in Developer Tools

Closest apps in the same category, ordered by description similarity and install base. These are related tools, not confirmed substitutes; the comparison pages cover hand-picked head-to-head matchups.

openjdk@17Development kit for the Java programming languageCLIOpen source22,965/moopenjdk@21Development kit for the Java programming languageCLIOpen source21,795/mopython@3.11Interpreted, interactive, object-oriented programming languageCLIOpen source34,436/mopython@3.15Interpreted, interactive, object-oriented programming languageCLIOpen source16,877/mopython@3.13Interpreted, interactive, object-oriented programming languageCLIOpen source41,161/moluaPowerful, lightweight programming languageCLIOpen source14,172/mo

Frequently asked questions

How do I install openjdk on Mac?

Run brew install openjdk in Terminal. This requires Homebrew; if you do not have it, install it first with the command below.

Is openjdk open source?

Yes — Homebrew distributes it under the GPL-2.0-only WITH Classpath-exception-2.0 licence.

Does openjdk run on Apple silicon?

Homebrew publishes this formula for macOS. If upstream does not ship an Apple silicon build, Rosetta 2 handles the Intel binary.

How popular is openjdk?

It was installed 26,315 times in the last 30 days according to Homebrew analytics, ranking #74 in this catalogue.

What version of openjdk is current?

The latest packaged version is 27.0.1.0.3.