OpenJRE

OpenJRE is the open-source Java Runtime Environment, the runtime portion of the Java Platform, Standard Edition derived from the OpenJDK project. It provides the Java Virtual Machine, the core standard libraries, and other runtime components needed to run Java applications, without additional development tools.

In practice, OpenJRE is not always distributed as a separate project. OpenJDK builds commonly offer a standalone runtime package labeled OpenJRE or include runtime components within a JDK package. Since newer OpenJDK releases have merged most runtime and development tooling, the distinction between a JRE and a JDK may be blurred in some distributions.

OpenJRE comprises the platform-agnostic Java class libraries, the JVM, and native code bindings appropriate for the target operating system and architecture. The default JVM in most OpenJRE builds is HotSpot, though some distributions offer alternate virtual machines such as Eclipse OpenJ9.

License and governance: OpenJRE is released under the GNU General Public License version 2 with the Classpath Exception, as part of the OpenJDK project. It is maintained by the OpenJDK community with contributions from major vendors and individual developers.

Impact and use: OpenJRE is widely used by Linux distributions, cloud platforms, and developers who seek a free, open-source runtime for running Java applications. It receives security and performance updates aligned with OpenJDK releases and serves as the reference runtime in many environments.