Oracle Java remains the leading Java distribution, but its dominance in the ecosystem has diminished significantly over the past two years, according to New Relic’s 2022 State of the Java Ecosystem report. Based on data collected from millions of applications monitored by the company, Oracle Java’s market share has fallen from 75% in 2020 to just 34.48% in 2022. This marks a substantial shift in the preferences of Java developers and organizations toward alternative Java Development Kit (JDK) distributions.
One of the biggest beneficiaries of this shift has been Amazon, whose market share surged to 22.04% in 2022 from a mere 2.18% in 2020. Amazon’s adoption of a free and widely available JDK through its Amazon Corretto distribution has made it an attractive choice for developers seeking cost-effective and reliable alternatives. Meanwhile, other distributions, such as Eclipse Adoptium (11.48%), Azul Systems (8.17%), and Red Hat (6.05%), have also carved out notable shares of the Java ecosystem.
New Relic attributes much of this transition to Oracle’s decision to implement restrictive licensing for JDK 11, which created friction for users accustomed to free or low-cost access. While Oracle has since returned to a more open licensing model with the release of JDK 17 in September 2021, many organizations had already begun exploring alternatives during the licensing changes, leading to lasting shifts in distribution preferences.
The diversification of the Java ecosystem highlights a broader trend toward open-source and community-driven solutions. This shift has reduced reliance on a single vendor and given developers more flexibility to choose a JDK that aligns with their needs for cost, support, and long-term viability. With competing distributions continuing to gain traction, the Java landscape is becoming increasingly competitive, fostering innovation and choice within one of the most widely used programming platforms in the world.