archlinux-java

Switch between installed Java environments on Arch Linux

TLDR

List installed Java environments

$ archlinux-java status

Get current default Java environment

$ archlinux-java get

Set default Java environment

$ archlinux-java set java-17-openjdk

Unset default Java environment

$ archlinux-java unset

Fix an invalid or broken default Java configuration

$ archlinux-java fix

SYNOPSIS

archlinux-java command [arguments]

archlinux-java is an Arch Linux utility for switching between installed Java environments. It manages symbolic links at /usr/lib/jvm/default and /usr/lib/jvm/default-runtime to set the default Java version system-wide. It is provided by the java-runtime-common package.

PARAMETERS

status

List all installed Java environments and show which is default

get

Return the short name of the current default Java environment

set JAVA_ENV

Set the specified Java environment as default

unset

Remove the default Java environment setting

fix

Fix an invalid or broken default Java environment configuration. If no default is set, looks for valid environments and sets one automatically, preferring OpenJDK.

CAVEATS

Requires root privileges for set, unset, and fix commands. Java environments are installed in /usr/lib/jvm/. Changes take effect for new shell sessions. The JAVA_ENV argument for set must match the directory name under /usr/lib/jvm/ (e.g., java-17-openjdk, java-21-openjdk).

HISTORY

archlinux-java is an Arch Linux-specific tool for managing multiple Java installations, similar to update-alternatives on Debian-based systems.