Java license change: Why analyze Java deployments

Java license change has made the question ‘Why Analyze Java deployments?’ irrelevant. In fact, it should no longer a question in the minds of most CIOs. But we thought it will be useful to explain the reasons for this

The most important Java License Change(s)

• In 2019, Oracle upended the Java license landscape by changing the policy from ‘java is free’ to ‘java is not free for commercial use’.
• If this was not enough, in January 2023, Oracle once again stirred the waters of Java pricing with the introduction of a new pricing model for Java SE Subscriptions.

These are indeed seismic shifts that are still reverberating throughout the Java user and development communities.

Java License change leads to increased costs

Oracle’s modifications to its Java licensing model have elicited apprehension and heightened scrutiny from large enterprises because of the sudden increase in costs.

• From Java being ‘free’ till January 2019, customers who use Java for commercial purposes must pay for Java.
• The license metric change to ‘employee’ increases the cost of Java by 14 times compared to the 2019 prices (this is for companies with approximately 10,000 employees; for larger companies the increase in price can be even much larger)

What are the options for companies regarding Java?

Customers have the option of either:

• Agreeing to the price ask from Oracle OR
• Conduct your internal due diligence and collect the needed data points to take a well thought out decision.

We believe, in the light of the changes to Oracle’s Java licensing model, having visibility and insights into where Oracle Java is installed has become more important than ever before. This is why Java License Analysis becomes very important.

You can use the Java License Analyzer to collect data points for better decision-making:

Click here if you want to know the features of the Java License Analyzer

Click here if you want to download our guide on ‘How to analyze and license Oracle Java’