https://github.com/steve-perkins/jlink-demo

A demo of using Java 9 modularization, and the JDK's new `jlink` tool, for zero-dependency deployments
https://github.com/steve-perkins/jlink-demo

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A demo of using Java 9 modularization, and the JDK's new `jlink` tool, for zero-dependency deployments

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/steve-perkins/jlink-demo
• Owner: steve-perkins
• Created: 2017-10-10T21:30:50.000Z (over 7 years ago)
• Default Branch: master
• Last Pushed: 2017-10-19T21:04:21.000Z (over 7 years ago)
• Last Synced: 2024-08-02T01:26:59.707Z (6 months ago)
• Language: Java
• Size: 75.2 KB
• Stars: 144
• Watchers: 12
• Forks: 10
• Open Issues: 1
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md

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README

        
Using `jlink` to deploy native(*) Java applications

===================================================

A demo of using Java 9 modularization, and the JDK's new `jlink` tool, for zero-dependency 

deployments.  That is, application bundles suitable for native(*) execution, with the Java runtime 

embedded.

Unlike [older](http://launch4j.sourceforge.net/) 

[approaches](https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/deploy/packager.html), 

which required embedding basically an entire JRE (around 200+ megs), the `jlink` tool allows you to 

strip down the embedded runtime to include only those portions of the standard library that are 

absolutely necessary.

> (*) No, this is not "native" in the C/C++ sense of AOT compilation.  There is still a Java Runtime 

 Environment executing the code.  However, the code is packaged up into a deployable bundle, with a 

 JRE and launch script native to the specific target platform (i.e. UNIX shell or Windows batch).  No 

 other software needs to be installed, and the end user experience is no different from an application 

 shipping with Qt or GTK shared libs.

Results

-------

This repository contains a Gradle multi-project setup, with two sub-projects.  One is a basic "Hello 

World" command-line application, and the other a JavaFX app.  These are the resulting sizes of the 

native application bundles that are generated, both raw as well as after being compressed with 7-zip, 

on a 64-bit Windows system (with Electron for comparison):

App   | Compressed with 7-zip | Raw Size when deployed

----- | --------------------- | ----------------------

`cli` (command-line application) | 10.8 MB | 21.7 MB               

`gui` (JavaFX desktop application) | 29.1 MB | 45.8 MB

[electron-quick-start](https://github.com/electron/electron-quick-start) example | 32.8 MB | 131 MB

How to Build

------------

To run these Gradle commands, your system must have a `JAVA_HOME` environment variable pointing to a 

Java 9+ location (the JDK subdirectory, not the JRE one).

`gradlew linkAll` 

To build the command-line version or the JavaFX version separately, use:

`gradlew cli:link`

`gradlew gui:link`

You can find the output under the `cli/build/dist` and/or `gui/build/dist` subdirectories.  

Each bundle will have a `/bin` subdirectory, containing UNIX shell scripts or Windows batch files with 

the same name as the subproject (e.g. `cli`, `gui.bat`).

The contents of either `dist` subdirectory can be copied and run anywhere (assuming the same platform 

type as the machine on which the bundle was made).  You could also use any installer tool of your 

choice to make a one-click installer artifact.