Now in beta, Dragonwell8 JDK works only on 64-bit x86 Linux systems Credit: Thinkstock Make room, Oracle, SAP, and other Java distributors. E-commerce vendor Alibaba now has its own Java distribution too, the open source Dragonwell8 Java Development Kit (JDK). The beta Alibaba Dragonwell8 is based on OpenJDK and Java SE (Standard Edition) 8. It is similar to the Amazon Corretto Java build and the Azul Zulu Java platform. Currently, Allibaba only works with Intel x86-64 Linux systems, with a focus on stability and enhancements for large-scale Java applications in data centers. A Dragonwell release is planned for every quarter. Dragonwell 11, based on Java SE 11, is due by 2020. Dragonwell8’s features include: CMS (-XX:+UseConcMarkSweep) serves as the default garbage collector. Java Flight Recorder, backported from JDK 11. Servicing capabilities, including the ArrayAllocationWarningSize option for printing the calling stack of an array allocation. JWarmup pre-compiliation. Like SAP’s SapMachine Java variant, Dragonwell is described by Alibaba as a “friendly fork,” offered under the same terms as OpenJDK. Dragonwell was derived from the Alibaba/Alipay JDK, which supports the company’s Taobao website, Ant Financial financial services, and Cainiao logistics. Alibaba is contributing technology developed for Dragonwell back to OpenJDK at large, including a preview of Java Flight Recorder and JWarmup. Where to download Dragonwell8 You can download Dragonwell8 from GitHub. Java