Patchmageddon

Oracle Java Licensing & OpenJDK Migration

Quantify your Oracle Java SE exposure, then move every install that doesn't need Oracle onto a free, drop-in OpenJDK build, with evidence you can take to an audit or renewal.

Why this is urgent

Since January 2023, Oracle has sold Java SE through the Java SE Universal Subscription, which is priced per employee rather than per installation. The count covers full-time, part-time and temporary staff, plus contractors who support internal operations, however few machines actually run Oracle Java.

So a handful of forgotten Oracle JDK installs can put your whole headcount in scope. For example, an organization of 5,000 employees running Oracle Java on 40 servers can face a list-price bill of around $630,000 a year.

The free window is closing too. Oracle's No-Fee Terms and Conditions (NFTC) cover each LTS release only until one year after the next LTS ships. For Oracle JDK 21, that window closed on September 16, 2026. Continuing to patch it now requires a paid subscription.

We are not lawyers, and nothing here is legal advice. Licensing terms and prices change; check them against Oracle's current price list and your own agreements. Where a formal licensing position is needed, we work alongside independent licensing specialists.

What we do

1. Quantify the exposure

Using the discovery inventory, we identify every Oracle JDK and JRE, how it got there, and whether it is covered by another product's license. Then we put a number on what it costs you.

2. Decide, install by install

Most Oracle installs have no reason to be Oracle. A few do: vendor certification requirements or specific support needs. We make that call explicitly for each install instead of by default.

3. Migrate

OpenJDK builds from Eclipse Adoptium (Temurin), Amazon (Corretto), Azul (Zulu), Red Hat and Microsoft are TCK-tested and free to use in production. For same-version swaps, migration is usually low risk, but not zero risk. We check for the known differences: truststore contents, installer paths and registry keys, fonts, and old commercial-feature flags. Then we roll out progressively.

4. Prove it

Uninstalling is not the same as re-pointing JAVA_HOME. We verify that Oracle binaries are actually gone and keep the evidence, which you will want if Oracle ever asks.

Further reading

Further reading

Oracle Java Licensing

Oracle JDK 21's free update window has closed. Here's what that means.

Oracle JDK 21 updates released after September 2026 are no longer free for production use. Your options: pay, stop patching, or migrate to OpenJDK.
6 min read
Oracle Java Licensing

How Oracle's employee-based Java metric works, and why a few installs can price your whole company

Oracle's Java SE Universal Subscription is priced per employee, not per install. How the metric works, a worked example, and why your inventory drives the cost.
5 min read

JVM Discovery & Estate Assessment

Find every JVM in your estate, including the ones bundled inside vendor products and containers, and turn the findings into a prioritized, costed remediation plan.

Rapid Patch

Patch the long tail of non-business-critical Java apps in days, not quarters, by replacing full regression testing with progressive rollout, fast detection and rehearsed rollback.