Java Buzz Forum - Difference between JDK and JRE in Java Platform

Java Platform offers JRE and JDK to run Java programs. JRE stands for Java runtime environment and JDK stands for Java development kit. JRE is meant for normal users, who wants to run Java program in there computer. JRE is normally used to run Java programs downloaded over internet e.g. Java Applets and Java Desktop application built using AWT and Swing. Main difference between JRE and JDK, comes from the fact that they are different tools. JDK is created for Java programmers, and contains tools required for Java programming, e.g. javac for compiling Java source files to .class files. Without JDK, you can not create Java applications and programs. By the way JDK comes with it's own JRE, but when you run Java program using java command, the JRE which comes first in System PATH is used for execution. One of the important thing to know is that, you can not run Java program from your machine if you don't have either JRE or JDK. You can also consider JDK as super set, which also contains JRE. For a normal user, installing JDK is overkill. They needs JRE only and any browser will assist them for installing JRE, as browser plugin. By the way, beware with any security issue, while installing JRE. JRE releases sometimes has security flaws which can compromise your computer, that's the reason recently many browser has by default disabled Java. Any way, in next section we will see some more difference between JRE and JDK in Java.


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