The JDK Directory Structure

The JDK Directory Structure, in this tutorial we are going to explain you the correct directory structure of JDK.

Directory structure of JDK

Welcome to Java tutorial series. In this lesson, you will learn about the directory structure of Java Development Kit, JDK. Since JRE is also packaged with JDK, we will also discuss about its directory structure.

On your screen, you can see the directory structure of JDK as well as JRE also. If you install JRE explicitly, the directory structure is similar to the JRE, which comes with JDK.

Here is the video tutorial that explains you the directory structure of JDK. It's important to understand the directory structure of JDK. As a beginners you should understand the content of the JDK directory structure.

Components of the JDK directory structure

In this section, you will know about different components or sub-directories of JDK. Let's suppose that the JDK software is installed at D:\jdk1.6.0.

D:\jdk1.6.0

It is the root directory of JDK installation. It contains the Copyright, license, README files, src.zip, and the archive of source code for the Java platform.

D:\jdk1.6.0\bin (pronounce it as jdk1.6.0 slash bin)

Bin contains the executable (.exe) files for the development tools. This directory should contain by the PATH Environment variables.

D:\jdk1.6.0\lib

It contains the files, which is used by the development tools. It contains 'tool.jar', which have non-core classes for support of the tools and utilities in the jdk and 'dt.jar' file, which tell interactive development environments or IDEs how to display java components and how to let the developer customize them for an application.

D:\jdk1.6.0\jre

It is the root directory of the Java Runtime Environment. It is used by the JDK development tools. The JRE helps to run applets and applications written in the Java programming language by providing the libraries, JVM, and other components.

D:\jdk1.6.0\jre\bin

It contains the Executable files and DLLs for the tools and Java platform. The executable files available in \jdk1.6.0\jre\bin are identical to the file available in \jdk1.6.0\bin. There is no need to be a path of this directory in Environment Variables.

D:\jdk1.6.0\jre\bin\client

This directory contains the DLLs files, which are used by Java HotSpot Client Virtual Machine.

D:\jdk1.6.0\jre\bin\server

This directory contains the DLLs files, which are used by Java HotSpot Server Virtual Machines.

D:\jdk1.6.0\jre\lib

It contains the Code libraries, property settings, and resource files which are used by the Java runtime environment.

D:\jdk1.6.0\jre\lib\ext

It contains extensions of default installation directory for the Java platform.

D:\jdk1.6.0\jre\lib\security

It contains the files, which are used for security management. This includes the security policy and security properties files.

D:\jdk1.6.0\jre\lib\applet

Applets can be placed in this directory by the supporting classes, which are contained by jar files.

D:\jdk1.6.0\jre\lib\font

It contains the font files used by the Java platform.

Additional files and Directories

Additional directories include demos, java source code, and C header files. Structures of these directories are shown on your screen.

D:\jdk1.6.0\demo

This directory contains the Examples with Source code that shows how to create program for the Java platform.

D:\jdk1.6.0\include

It contains the 'C' language header files and it uses the Java Native Interface and the JVM Debugger Interface to support native-code programming.

D:\jdk1.6.0\src.zip

It contains the source code for the Java platform.

D:\jdk1.6.0\applets

It contains the applets that can be used on a web page.

D:\jdk1.6.0\jfc

It contains examples of Java 2D and JFC\SWING functionality.

D:\jdk1.6.0\jpda

Contains Examples of Java Platform Debugging Architecture and includes source code for the javadt and jdb utilities.

D:\jdk1.6.0\plugin

It contains the demos for how to use with the java plug-in product.

What next? Check all the Core Java programming video tutorials.