AWS Previews OpenJDK Service for Java Development

Amazon Web Services Inc. (AWS), launched a preview service that was based on its Open Java Development Kit (OpenJDK) build.
AWS promised Java developers that their version of the popular open-source Java kit could be used in conjunction with long-term support by the company as a value-add for the new Amazon Corretto preview.
AWS will also use its institutional experience and developer resources to improve the core OpenJDK Build with patches that include security fixes, performance enhancements, garbage collection scheduling, and preventing out of memory situations. There are also other benefits like better monitoring, reporting, and thread management. OpenJDK is an open-source, free implementation of Java Platform Standard Edition (Java SE), supported by major development companies such as Oracle, Red Hat and IBM, Apple, and many more.
The Java ecosystem has been mired in legal disputes for a long time. OpenJDK’s GNU General Public License Version 2 licensing could make it a more attractive option for enterprise Java development. AWS is looking to make the offering even more appealing by adding support.
Arun Gupta, an AWS blogger, stated that Java is one of the most used languages by AWS customers. He also said that Java will be supported and kept free. “Many customers are concerned that they will have to pay for long-term Java support to run their workloads.
He mentioned that Java had been supported by AWS for its Amazon Linux distro before adding: “But, our customers and other Java users can run Java on a variety platforms, both on- and off-AWS.” We are pleased to announce the preview for Amazon Corretto, an Amazon-exclusive, multiplatform distribution of OpenJDK that is production-ready and free of cost.
Corretto is expected to be available in the first quarter next year. It will ship with Ubuntu Enterprise Linux and Red Hat Enterprise Linux platforms. The initial preview offering (Corretto 8 corresponding to OpenJDK 8) can run on-premises, in the cloud, or locally. Initial platform support includes Amazon Linux 2, Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Docker images.
AWS assured Java developers who use Corretto that they would receive free support for many years to come. “Amazon will distribute security upgrades to Corretto 8 at minimum June 2023 and to Corretto 11 at least August 2024. Corretto also includes targeted backports of newer releases as well as newly-developed enhancements by the OpenJDK Community. Releases are tested on thousands of Amazon services. This makes it possible to release fixes within days of discovering issues.
You can download the preview here.