How To Install Java (JRE or JDK) on Ubuntu 16.04

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install and configuration of java JRE or JDK on your Ubuntu 16.04 server. Many programs and scripts require java to run, but usually, Java is not installed by default on VPS or Dedicated Server.

This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS.  The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of JRE (Java Runtime Environment) and JDK (Java Development Kit) on Ubuntu 16.04.

Prerequisites

• A server running one of the following operating systems: Ubuntu 16.04, and any other Debian-based distribution.
• It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
• SSH access to the server (or just open Terminal if you’re on a desktop).
• A non-root sudo user or access to the root user. We recommend acting as a non-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.

Install Java (JRE or JDK) on Ubuntu 16.04

Step 1. First, make sure that all your system packages are up-to-date by running the following apt-get commands in the terminal.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

After your server has been fully updated, verify if Java is installed or not:

java -version

If there is no java package installed ye, the output will be something like:

The program 'java' can be found in the following packages:
* default-jre
* gcj-4.9-jre-headless
* gcj-5-jre-headless
* openjdk-7-jre-headless
* gcj-4.8-jre-headless
* openjdk-6-jre-headless
* openjdk-8-jre-headless
* openjdk-9-jre-headless
Try: apt install <selected package>

Step 2. Installing Java (JRE or JDK).

Once you have verified if Java is installed or not, choose the type of Java installation that you want with one of the following:

sudo apt-get install openjdk-7-jre
sudo apt-get install openjdk-7-jdk

Another alternative Java install is with Oracle JRE and JDK. However, we would need to install additional repositories for proper installation:

sudo apt-get install python-software-properties
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/java

Then, you will need to fully update the system with the following command and install it:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install oracle-java8-installer

Step 3. Verify Installed Java Version.

java -version

Result:

java version "1.8.0_74"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_74-b02)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.74-b02, mixed mode)

Step 4. Setup JAVA_HOME on Ubuntu 16.04.

Since many programs nowadays need a JAVA_HOME environment variable to work properly. We will need to find the appropriate path to make these changes. With the following command, you can view your installs and their path:

sudo update-alternatives --config java
sudo nano /etc/profile

Now that you are in the user profile file, add the following code, along with the Path of your installation from the previous step, to the bottom. ( Example: JAVA_HOME=” YOUR_PATH”):

export JAVA_HOME="/usr/lib/jvm/java-1.8.0-openjdk-1.8.0.51-1.b16.el7_1.x86_64"

Reload the file so all your changes could take effect with the following command:

source /etc/profile

Verify that your implementations are correct with the following command:

echo $JAVA_HOME

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Java. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing Oracle Java (JRE or JDK) on Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial Xerus system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official Java website.

Save