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Using jlink to customize Java runtime environment

Red Hat build of OpenJDK 11

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Abstract

Red Hat build of OpenJDK 11 is a Red Hat offering on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux platform. The Using jlink to customize Java runtime images guide provides an overview of Jlink, and explains how to create and use customize Java runtime image using jlink.

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Procedure

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Red Hat is committed to replacing problematic language in our code, documentation, and web properties. We are beginning with these four terms: master, slave, blacklist, and whitelist. Because of the enormity of this endeavor, these changes will be implemented gradually over several upcoming releases. For more details, see our CTO Chris Wright’s message.

You can create a custom Java runtime environment (JRE) from a non-modular application using the jlink tool.

Prerequisites

Procedure

  1. Create a simple Hello World application using Logger class.

    1. You have the base Red Hat build of OpenJDK 11 available in the jdk-11 folder: 

      $ ls jdk-11
bin  conf  demo  include  jmods  legal  lib  man  NEWS  release
$ ./jdk-11/bin/java -version
openjdk version "11.0.10" 2021-01-19 LTS
OpenJDK Runtime Environment 18.9 (build 11.0.10+9-LTS)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM 18.9 (build 11.0.10+9-LTS, mixed mode)

    2. Create a directory for your application: 

      $ mkdir -p hello-example/sample

    3. Create hello-example/sample/HelloWorld.java file with the following content: 

      package sample;

import java.util.logging.Logger;

public class HelloWorld {
    private static final Logger LOG = Logger.getLogger(HelloWorld.class.getName());
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LOG.info("Hello World!");
    }
}

    4. Compile your application: 

      $ ./jdk-11/bin/javac -d . $(find hello-example -name \*.java)

    5. Run your application without a custom JRE: 

      $ ./jdk-11/bin/java sample.HelloWorld
Mar 09, 2021 10:48:59 AM sample.HelloWorld main
INFO: Hello World!

      In this case, the base Red Hat build of OpenJDK takes 311 MB to run a single class.

    6. (Optional) You can inspect the Red Hat build of OpenJDK and see many non-required modules for your application: 

      $ du -sh jdk-11/
313M	jdk-11/
       
      $ ./jdk-11/bin/java --list-modules
java.base@11.0.10
java.compiler@11.0.10
java.datatransfer@11.0.10
java.desktop@11.0.10
java.instrument@11.0.10
java.logging@11.0.10
java.management@11.0.10
java.management.rmi@11.0.10
java.naming@11.0.10
java.net.http@11.0.10
java.prefs@11.0.10
java.rmi@11.0.10
java.scripting@11.0.10
java.se@11.0.10
java.security.jgss@11.0.10
java.security.sasl@11.0.10
java.smartcardio@11.0.10
java.sql@11.0.10
java.sql.rowset@11.0.10
java.transaction.xa@11.0.10
java.xml@11.0.10
java.xml.crypto@11.0.10
jdk.accessibility@11.0.10
jdk.aot@11.0.10
jdk.attach@11.0.10
jdk.charsets@11.0.10
jdk.compiler@11.0.10
jdk.crypto.cryptoki@11.0.10
jdk.crypto.ec@11.0.10
jdk.dynalink@11.0.10
jdk.editpad@11.0.10
jdk.hotspot.agent@11.0.10
jdk.httpserver@11.0.10
jdk.internal.ed@11.0.10
jdk.internal.jvmstat@11.0.10
jdk.internal.le@11.0.10
jdk.internal.opt@11.0.10
jdk.internal.vm.ci@11.0.10
jdk.internal.vm.compiler@11.0.10
jdk.internal.vm.compiler.management@11.0.10
jdk.jartool@11.0.10
jdk.javadoc@11.0.10
jdk.jcmd@11.0.10
jdk.jconsole@11.0.10
jdk.jdeps@11.0.10
jdk.jdi@11.0.10
jdk.jdwp.agent@11.0.10
jdk.jfr@11.0.10
jdk.jlink@11.0.10
jdk.jshell@11.0.10
jdk.jsobject@11.0.10
jdk.jstatd@11.0.10
jdk.localedata@11.0.10
jdk.management@11.0.10
jdk.management.agent@11.0.10
jdk.management.jfr@11.0.10
jdk.naming.dns@11.0.10
jdk.naming.ldap@11.0.10
jdk.naming.rmi@11.0.10
jdk.net@11.0.10
jdk.pack@11.0.10
jdk.rmic@11.0.10
jdk.scripting.nashorn@11.0.10
jdk.scripting.nashorn.shell@11.0.10
jdk.sctp@11.0.10
jdk.security.auth@11.0.10
jdk.security.jgss@11.0.10
jdk.unsupported@11.0.10
jdk.unsupported.desktop@11.0.10
jdk.xml.dom@11.0.10
jdk.zipfs@11.0.10

      Sample Hello World application has very few dependencies. You can use jlink to create custom runtime images for your application. These images help you run your application with only required Red Hat build of OpenJDK dependencies.

  2. Determine module dependencies of your application using jdeps command: 

    $ ./jdk-11/bin/jdeps -s ./sample/HelloWorld.class
HelloWorld.class -> java.base
HelloWorld.class -> java.logging

  3. Build a custom java runtime image for your application: 

    $ ./jdk-11/bin/jlink --add-modules java.base,java.logging --output custom-runtime
$ du -sh custom-runtime
50M	custom-runtime/
$ ./custom-runtime/bin/java --list-modules
java.base@11.0.10
java.logging@11.0.10
    Note

    The size of your custom java runtime image is being reduced to 50M runtime image from 313M runtime image.

  4. You can verify the reduced runtime of your application: 

    $ ./custom-runtime/bin/java sample.HelloWorld
Jan 14, 2021 12:13:26 PM HelloWorld main
INFO: Hello World!

    The generated JRE with your sample application does not have any other dependencies.

    You can distribute your application together with your custom runtime for deployment.

Note

Rebuild the custom java runtime images for your application with every security update of your base Red Hat build of OpenJDK.

You can create a custom Java runtime environment from a modular application using the jlink tool.

Prerequisites

Procedure

  1. Create a simple Hello World application using Logger class.

    1. You have the base Red Hat build of OpenJDK 11 available in the jdk-11 folder: 

      $ ls jdk-11
bin  conf  demo  include  jmods  legal  lib  man  NEWS  release
$ ./jdk-11/bin/java -version
openjdk version "11.0.10" 2021-01-19 LTS
OpenJDK Runtime Environment 18.9 (build 11.0.10+9-LTS)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM 18.9 (build 11.0.10+9-LTS, mixed mode)

    2. Create a directory for your application: 

      $ mkdir -p hello-example/sample

    3. Create hello-example/sample/HelloWorld.java file with the following content: 

      package sample;

import java.util.logging.Logger;

public class HelloWorld {
    private static final Logger LOG = Logger.getLogger(HelloWorld.class.getName());
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LOG.info("Hello World!");
    }
}

    4. Create hello-example/module-info.java file with the following content: 

      module sample
{
    requires java.logging;
}

    5. Compile your application: 

      $ ./jdk-11/bin/javac -d example $(find hello-example -name \*.java)

    6. Run your application without a custom JRE: 

      $ ./jdk-11/bin/java -cp example sample.HelloWorld
Mar 09, 2021 10:48:59 AM sample.HelloWorld main
INFO: Hello World!

      In this case, the base Red Hat build of OpenJDK takes 311 MB to run a single class.

    7. (Optional) You can inspect the Red Hat build of OpenJDK and see many non-required modules for your application: 

      $ du -sh jdk-11/
313M	jdk-11/
       
      $ ./jdk-11/bin/java --list-modules
java.base@11.0.10
java.compiler@11.0.10
java.datatransfer@11.0.10
java.desktop@11.0.10
java.instrument@11.0.10
java.logging@11.0.10
java.management@11.0.10
java.management.rmi@11.0.10
java.naming@11.0.10
java.net.http@11.0.10
java.prefs@11.0.10
java.rmi@11.0.10
java.scripting@11.0.10
java.se@11.0.10
java.security.jgss@11.0.10
java.security.sasl@11.0.10
java.smartcardio@11.0.10
java.sql@11.0.10
java.sql.rowset@11.0.10
java.transaction.xa@11.0.10
java.xml@11.0.10
java.xml.crypto@11.0.10
jdk.accessibility@11.0.10
jdk.aot@11.0.10
jdk.attach@11.0.10
jdk.charsets@11.0.10
jdk.compiler@11.0.10
jdk.crypto.cryptoki@11.0.10
jdk.crypto.ec@11.0.10
jdk.dynalink@11.0.10
jdk.editpad@11.0.10
jdk.hotspot.agent@11.0.10
jdk.httpserver@11.0.10
jdk.internal.ed@11.0.10
jdk.internal.jvmstat@11.0.10
jdk.internal.le@11.0.10
jdk.internal.opt@11.0.10
jdk.internal.vm.ci@11.0.10
jdk.internal.vm.compiler@11.0.10
jdk.internal.vm.compiler.management@11.0.10
jdk.jartool@11.0.10
jdk.javadoc@11.0.10
jdk.jcmd@11.0.10
jdk.jconsole@11.0.10
jdk.jdeps@11.0.10
jdk.jdi@11.0.10
jdk.jdwp.agent@11.0.10
jdk.jfr@11.0.10
jdk.jlink@11.0.10
jdk.jshell@11.0.10
jdk.jsobject@11.0.10
jdk.jstatd@11.0.10
jdk.localedata@11.0.10
jdk.management@11.0.10
jdk.management.agent@11.0.10
jdk.management.jfr@11.0.10
jdk.naming.dns@11.0.10
jdk.naming.ldap@11.0.10
jdk.naming.rmi@11.0.10
jdk.net@11.0.10
jdk.pack@11.0.10
jdk.rmic@11.0.10
jdk.scripting.nashorn@11.0.10
jdk.scripting.nashorn.shell@11.0.10
jdk.sctp@11.0.10
jdk.security.auth@11.0.10
jdk.security.jgss@11.0.10
jdk.unsupported@11.0.10
jdk.unsupported.desktop@11.0.10
jdk.xml.dom@11.0.10
jdk.zipfs@11.0.10

      Sample Hello World application has very few dependencies. You can use jlink to create custom runtime images for your application. These images help you run your application with only required Red Hat build of OpenJDK dependencies.

  2. Create your application module: 

    $ mkdir sample-module
$ ./jdk-11/bin/jmod create --class-path example/ --main-class sample.HelloWorld --module-version 1.0.0 -p example sample-module/hello.jmod

  3. Create a custom JRE with the required modules and a custom application launcher for your application. 

    $ ./jdk-11/bin/jlink --launcher hello=sample/sample.HelloWorld --module-path sample-module --add-modules sample --output custom-runtime

  4. List the modules of the produced custom JRE.

    Observe that only a fraction of the original Red Hat build of OpenJDK remains. 

    $ du -sh custom-runtime
50M	custom-runtime/
$ ./custom-runtime/bin/java --list-modules
java.base@11.0.10
java.logging@11.0.10
sample@1.0.0
    Note

    The size of your custom java runtime image is being reduced to 50M runtime image from 313M runtime image.

  5. Launch the application using the hello launcher. 

    $ ./custom-runtime/bin/hello
Jan 14, 2021 12:13:26 PM HelloWorld main
INFO: Hello World!

    The generated JRE with your sample application does not have any other dependencies other than java.base, java.logging, and sample module.

    You can distribute your application bundled with the custom runtime in custom-runtime. It includes your application.

Note

Rebuild the custom java runtime images for your application with every security update of your base Red Hat build of OpenJDK.

Revised on 2024-05-09 16:48:50 UTC

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