Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is required to run Java applications on Linux systems. It includes the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), core Java libraries, and other necessary components. You can install JRE from OpenJDK or Oracle, with OpenJDK being an open-source implementation of the Java SE platform and widely used on Linux distributions like CentOS, Red Hat, and Fedora.

To install JRE, you'll use the package manager yum or dnf, depending on your system. Multiple versions, including Java 8, Java 11, and Java 17, are available in the official repositories. It's important to choose the appropriate version of JRE for your specific needs, such as legacy applications requiring Java 8 or newer software requiring Java 11 or Java 17.

Once the JRE is installed, it may be necessary to verify the installation and configure the system to use a specific version by default. Switching between different versions is also possible if your applications need different JRE versions.

Steps to install Java Runtime Environment (JRE) on CentOS, Fedora and Red Hat:

  1. Open the terminal.
  2. Search for available JRE versions for your distribution and version.
    $ dnf search openjdk | grep Runtime
    Last metadata expiration check: 0:07:34 ago on Thu 26 Jan 2023 09:51:16 AM +08.
    java-1.8.0-openjdk.aarch64 : OpenJDK 8 Runtime Environment
    java-1.8.0-openjdk-headless.aarch64 : OpenJDK 8 Headless Runtime Environment
    java-11-openjdk.aarch64 : OpenJDK 11 Runtime Environment
    java-11-openjdk-headless.aarch64 : OpenJDK 11 Headless Runtime Environment
    java-17-openjdk.aarch64 : OpenJDK 17 Runtime Environment
    java-17-openjdk-headless.aarch64 : OpenJDK 17 Headless Runtime Environment
  3. Install the preferred version of OpenJDK JRE.
    $ sudo dnf install --assumeyes java-17-openjdk
    [sudo] password for user: 
    Last metadata expiration check: 1:58:16 ago on Thu 26 Jan 2023 10:27:45 AM +08.
    Dependencies resolved.
    ================================================================================
     Package                   Arch     Version                    Repository  Size
    ================================================================================
    Installing:
     java-17-openjdk           aarch64  1:17.0.6.0.9-0.3.ea.el9    appstream  430 k
    Installing dependencies:
     copy-jdk-configs          noarch   4.0-3.el9                  appstream   28 k
     java-17-openjdk-headless  aarch64  1:17.0.6.0.9-0.3.ea.el9    appstream   41 M
     javapackages-filesystem   noarch   6.0.0-3.el9                appstream   14 k
     lksctp-tools              aarch64  1.0.19-2.el9               baseos      93 k
     lua                       aarch64  5.4.2-7.el9                appstream  185 k
     lua-posix                 aarch64  35.0-8.el9                 appstream  149 k
     mkfontscale               aarch64  1.2.1-3.el9                appstream   32 k
     ttmkfdir                  aarch64  3.0.9-65.el9               appstream   51 k
     tzdata-java               noarch   2022g-2.el9                appstream  229 k
     xorg-x11-fonts-Type1      noarch   7.5-33.el9                 appstream  505 k
    
    Transaction Summary
    ================================================================================
    Install  11 Packages
    
    Total download size: 43 M
    Installed size: 200 M
    ##### snipped
  4. Verify the installed Java version.
    $ java --version
    openjdk 17.0.6-ea 2023-01-17 LTS
    OpenJDK Runtime Environment (Red_Hat-17.0.6.0.9-0.3.ea.el9) (build 17.0.6-ea+9-LTS)
    OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (Red_Hat-17.0.6.0.9-0.3.ea.el9) (build 17.0.6-ea+9-LTS, mixed mode, sharing)
  5. Install another version of JRE if required.
    $ sudo dnf install --assumeyes java-11-openjdk
    Last metadata expiration check: 2:00:49 ago on Thu 26 Jan 2023 10:27:45 AM +08.
    Dependencies resolved.
    ==========================================================================================================================================================================
     Package                                         Architecture                   Version                                            Repository                        Size
    ==========================================================================================================================================================================
    Installing:
     java-11-openjdk                                 aarch64                        1:11.0.18.0.9-0.3.ea.el9                           appstream                        436 k
    Installing dependencies:
     java-11-openjdk-headless                        aarch64                        1:11.0.18.0.9-0.3.ea.el9                           appstream                         39 M
    
    Transaction Summary
    ==========================================================================================================================================================================
    Install  2 Packages
    
    Total download size: 39 M
    Installed size: 176 M
    ##### snipped
  6. Change the default Java version if required.
    $ sudo alternatives --config java
    
    There are 2 programs which provide 'java'.
    
      Selection    Command
    -----------------------------------------------
       1           java-17-openjdk.aarch64 (/usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk-17.0.6.0.9-0.3.ea.el9.aarch64/bin/java)
    *+ 2           java-11-openjdk.aarch64 (/usr/lib/jvm/java-11-openjdk-11.0.18.0.9-0.3.ea.el9.aarch64/bin/java)
    
    Enter to keep the current selection[+], or type selection number: 1
  7. Confirm the current default JRE version.
    $ java --version
    openjdk 17.0.6-ea 2023-01-17 LTS
    OpenJDK Runtime Environment (Red_Hat-17.0.6.0.9-0.3.ea.el9) (build 17.0.6-ea+9-LTS)
    OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (Red_Hat-17.0.6.0.9-0.3.ea.el9) (build 17.0.6-ea+9-LTS, mixed mode, sharing)
Discuss the article:

Comment anonymously. Login not required.