JDK Tools and Utilities
General
- General Information (file structure, classpath, how classes are found, changes)
- Enhancements
Standard JDK Tools and Utilities
- Basic Tools (appletviewer, extcheck, jar, java, javac, javadoc, javah, javap, jdb, jdeps)
- Security Tools (keytool, jarsigner, policytool, kinit, klist, ktab)
- Internationalization Tools (native2ascii)
- Remote Method Invocation (RMI) Tools (rmic, rmiregistry, rmid, serialver)
- Java IDL and RMI-IIOP Tools (tnameserv, idlj, orbd, servertool)
- Java Deployment Tools (javapackager, pack200, unpack200)
- Java Web Start Tools (javaws)
- Java Troubleshooting, Profiling, Monitoring and Management Tools (jcmd, jconsole, jmc, jvisualvm)
- Java Web Services Tools (schemagen, wsgen, wsimport, xjc)
Experimental JDK Tools and Utilities
NOTE - The tools described in this section are unsupported and experimental in nature and should be used with that in mind. They might not be available in future JDK versions.
- Monitoring Tools (jps, jstat, jstatd)
- Troubleshooting Tools (jinfo, jhat, jmap, jsadebugd, jstack)
- Scripting Tools (jrunscript)
Troubleshooting Documentation
- Java™ SE Troubleshooting web site (tools, options, and other items for use in analyzing problems)
NOTE - The Windows and Solaris, Linux, and OS X references pages for some tools have minor differences in configuration and usage -- for example, the character used to specify directory separators may be different.
General Information
The following documents contain important information you will need to know to get the most out of the JDK tools.
| Document Type | Platform |
|---|---|
| JDK File Structure | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| Setting the Classpath | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| How Classes are Found | [All supported platforms] |
Enhancements
The man page for each tool reflects the latest behavior for that tool, but the following page details the tools changes specific to a release.
Basic Tools
These tools are the foundation of the JDK. They are the tools you use to create and build applications.
| Tool Name | Brief Description | Links to Reference Pages |
|---|---|---|
| appletviewer | Run and debug applets without a web browser. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| extcheck | Utility to detect Jar conflicts. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| jar | Create and manage Java Archive (JAR) files. See Java Archive Files page for the JAR specification. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| java | The launcher for Java applications. In this release, a single launcher is used both for development and deployment. The old deployment launcher, jre, is no longer provided. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| javac | The compiler for the Java programming language. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| javadoc | API documentation generator. See Javadoc Tool page for doclet and taglet APIs. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| javah | C header and stub generator. Used to write native methods. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| javap | Class file disassembler | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| jdb | The Java Debugger. See JPDA for the debugger architecture specifications. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| jdeps | Java class dependency analyzer | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
Security Tools
These security tools help you set security policies on your system and create applications that can work within the scope of security policies set at remote sites.| Tool Name | Brief Description | Links to Reference Pages |
|---|---|---|
| keytool | Manage keystores and certificates. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| jarsigner | Generate and verify JAR signatures. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| policytool | GUI tool for managing policy files. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
These security tools help you obtain, list, and manage Kerberos tickets.
| Tool Name | Brief Description | Links to Reference Pages |
|---|---|---|
| kinit | Tool for obtaining Kerberos v5 tickets. Equivalent functionality is available on the Solaris operating system via the kinit tool. For example, for Solaris 11, see the kinit reference page. | [Windows] |
| klist | Command-line tool to list entries in credential cache and key tab. Equivalent functionality is available on the Solaris operating system via the klist tool. For example, for Solaris 11, see the klist reference page. | [Windows] |
| ktab | Command-line tool to help the user manage entries in the key table. Equivalent functionality is available on the Solaris operating system via the kadmin tool. For example, for Solaris 11, see the kadmin reference page. | [Windows] |
Internationalization Tools
This tool helps to create localizable applications.| Tool Name | Brief Description | Links to Reference Pages |
|---|---|---|
| native2ascii | Convert text to Unicode Latin-1. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
Remote Method Invocation (RMI) Tools
These tools help to create applications that interact over the Web or other network.| Tool Name | Brief Description | Links to Reference Pages |
|---|---|---|
| rmic | Generate stubs and skeletons for remote objects. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| rmiregistry | Remote object registry service. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| rmid | RMI activation system daemon. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| serialver | Return class serialVersionUID. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
Java IDL and RMI-IIOP Tools
These tools are used when creating applications that use OMG-standard IDL and CORBA/IIOP.| Tool Name | Brief Description | Links to Reference Pages |
|---|---|---|
| tnameserv | Provides access to the naming service. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| idlj | Generates .java files that map an OMG IDL interface and enable an application written in the Java programming language to use CORBA functionality. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| orbd | Provides support for clients to transparently locate and invoke persistent objects on servers in the CORBA environment. ORBD is used instead of the Transient Naming Service, tnameserv. ORBD includes both a Transient Naming Service and a Persistent Naming Service. The orbd tool incorporates the functionality of a Server Manager, an Interoperable Naming Service, and a Bootstrap Name Server. When used in conjunction with the servertool, the Server Manager locates, registers, and activates a server when a client wants to access the server. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| servertool | Provides ease-of-use interface for the application programmers to register, unregister, startup, and shutdown a server. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
Java Deployment Tools
Utilities for use in conjunction with deployment of java applications and applets on the web.| Tool Name | Brief Description | Links to Reference Pages |
|---|---|---|
| javapackager | Performs tasks related to packaging and signing Java and JavaFX applications. | [Linux and OS X] [Windows] |
| pack200 | Transforms a JAR file into a compressed pack200 file using the Java gzip compressor. The compressed packed files are highly compressed JARs, which can be directly deployed, saving bandwidth and reducing download time. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
| unpack200 | Transforms a packed file produced by pack200 into a JAR file. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |
Java Web Start Tools
Utilities for use in conjunction with Java Web Start.| Tool Name | Brief Description | Links to Reference Pages |
|---|---|---|
| javaws | Command line tool for launching Java Web Start and setting various options. See Java Web Start Guide for more information. | [Solaris, Linux, and OS X] [Windows] |