Is JDK 17 backward compatible?

In general Java is extremely backward compatible . There have been a few minor breaking changes from JDK 8 to JDK 17, but the worst ones have had command-line options to disable them.

The Oracle JDK is available free of charge for production use again – under the new “Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions” (NFTC) license. This move reverses a 2018 decision to charge for Oracle JDK production use and does not affect Oracle’s OpenJDK distribution.

Type “java -version” into the Command Prompt, then press Enter on your keyboard . After a moment, your screen should display the information your computer has about Java, including what version you have installed.

How to Download and Install OpenJDK 17

How To Install OpenJDK 17 On Windows

How To Install Java 17 On Windows