Internal version is continuous from previous ones (1.5 after 1.4), but the external version has a big jump (5.0 for 1.5).

From versions 1.5, Sun introduces internal and external versions.

From versions 1.2 to 1.4, the platform is named as J2SE (Java 2 Standard Edition).

Versions 1.0 and 1.1 are named as JDK (Java Development Kit).

If you want to run a specific version you have to specify the environment variable $JAVA_HOME pointing to the path of the version you want to use.From the table above we can see that the naming and the version number have been changing over times:

However, you can instruct it to use a specific version. Instead, it behaves like a proxy binary by default - it finds the latest installed JDK and uses that when executing. Note: /usr/bin/java is not just a symbolic link to a Virtual Machines /bin/java binary. So starting e.g./gradlew app:assembleRelease from the terminal will use the Java JDK that is currently set. Running java from the terminal runs by default the latest installed version.

From time to time you may need a specific version for different projects. If you have read my post about installing and managing updates of your JDK versions with Android Studio you have found an option to install and update the JDK(s) separate from the Android Studio embedded one.

Gradle version 7 and above requires JDK version 11 - which is bundled with Android Studio 2020.3.1 Arctic Fox. Manage multiple Java JDK versions on a MacĪs an Android developer, you will most likely have come into contact with Java and its JDK (Java Development Kit).

Current jdk version