Approved Product Use in Oracle Java

The short answer: Oracle products that include Java are licensed to use that Java for that product only. Under the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) license for Java SE, this is called Oracle Approved Product Use. It lets you run the listed Oracle products, and software built with listed Oracle tools, without buying Java separately. It does not let you use the same Java for your own applications.

Oracle products that let you use Java without a separate purchase

The details below come from the Oracle Technology Network License Agreement for Oracle Java SE, which you can read on Oracle’s license page. We refer to it as the OTN for Java license.

What the OTN for Java license allows

The agreement states:

Oracle grants you a nonexclusive, nontransferable, limited license to use the Programs, subject to the restrictions stated in this Agreement and Program Documentation, only for: (i) Personal Use, (ii) Development Use, (iii) Oracle Approved Product Use, and/or (iv) Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Use.

Production use outside these four uses needs a Java SE subscription. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure customers are entitled to Java SE on OCI.

What is Oracle Approved Product Use?

The agreement defines it this way:

Oracle Approved Product Use refers to Your internal use of the Programs only to run: (a) the product(s) identified as Schedule A Products at java.com/oaa; and/or (b) software Applications developed using the products identified as Schedule B Products at java.com/oaa by an Oracle authorized licensee of such Schedule B Products. If you are unsure whether the Application you intend to run using the Programs is developed using a Schedule B Product, please contact your Application provider.

In plain words, the Java that comes with an Oracle product is for that product. If you also run your own applications on it, you need a license for that use.

The list of approved products

The image shows the list as of April 2024. Oracle updates the list, so check the current version at java.com/oaa.

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Why this matters in an audit or a ULA

A bundled Java install can look like a license gap in a scan, and it can also hide real use outside the product. We separate the two in our Java license review. For the price of a subscription where you need one, see our Java license cost article.

Questions we are asked about approved product use

Can I use the Java that ships with an Oracle product for my own code?

No. Oracle licenses that Java for the product only. Your own applications need a Java SE subscription or another runtime.

Does the Java bundled in an Oracle product count in a ULA?

It is covered for that product. How it is counted at certification depends on your contract, so review the terms.