Java’s September 2026 Cliff: Nine Runtime Lines Reach End of Life in One Month

By Scott Bissett Published: August 20, 2026 First deadline: September 1, 2026
Sep 30, 2026
Oracle JDK 17 Premier Support ends
days remaining

September 2026 is the busiest month on the Java lifecycle calendar in years. Nine runtime lines from seven vendors reach end of life within thirty days of each other. Six of those are routine — the non-LTS 26 series ending as JDK 27 ships. Three are not: SapMachine 17 (September 1), Oracle GraalVM for JDK 17 and Oracle JDK 17 Premier Support (both September 30). JDK 17 is one of the most deployed Java versions in production, and for Oracle-distribution users its free-update era ends this September.

Key Dates at a Glance

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The full September table

Runtime lineEOL dateLTS?What it means
SapMachine 172026-09-01YesSAP’s five-year window closes. SAP workloads move to SapMachine 21 (supported to 2028-09-01).
Eclipse Temurin 262026-09-15NoRoutine — ends at JDK 27 GA. Move to 27 or step onto an LTS.
BellSoft Liberica 262026-09-18NoRoutine.
Oracle OpenJDK 26 builds2026-09-18NoRoutine.
Oracle JDK 262026-09-18NoRoutine.
Azul Zulu 262026-09-30NoRoutine.
Oracle GraalVM for JDK 172026-09-30YesNative-image workloads on 17 need GraalVM for JDK 21 (to 2028-09-30) or later.
Oracle JDK 17 (Premier Support)2026-09-30YesThe big one. Free public updates from Oracle end; Extended Support is paid. See the escape routes below.
IBM Semeru 262026-09-30NoRoutine.

If you are on JDK 17: four exits, three of them free

JDK 17 itself is not dying in September — Oracle’s free support for it is. The OpenJDK 17 codebase keeps receiving updates, and several TCK-verified distributions ship them at no cost for years yet. Verified against each vendor’s lifecycle data:

OptionPatched untilCost
Upgrade to JDK 21 or 25 (LTS)21: into 2028–2030 by distro; 25: into 2030–2033Free
Switch to Eclipse Temurin 17Temurin 17: end of life 2027-10-31Free
Switch to Amazon Corretto 17Corretto 17: end of life 2029-10-31Free
Switch to Azul Zulu 17 / Microsoft OpenJDK 17Zulu 17: 2029-09-30 free builds; Microsoft: 2027-09-30Free (paid support optional)
Stay on Oracle JDK 17 with Extended SupportInto 2029 per Oracle’s roadmapPaid — Oracle Java SE subscription

For server-side workloads, switching OpenJDK distributions is normally a drop-in replacement: same bytecode, same class libraries, TCK-verified compatibility. The migration cost is testing, not rewriting. Which distribution fits depends on how long you intend to stay on 17 — our Java EOL dates by vendor reference compares every distribution’s window side by side.

Why so many at once?

Two independent clocks happen to strike together. The six-month OpenJDK cadence retires every vendor’s non-LTS 26 build as JDK 27 ships mid-September — that accounts for six of the nine lines and is business as usual. The LTS clock is the meaningful one: Oracle’s Premier Support policy gives each LTS five years, and JDK 17 (September 2021) hits that wall on 2026-09-30. SAP’s five-year SapMachine window lands on 2026-09-01 for the same underlying reason. When the most deployed LTS of its generation ages out of free vendor support at multiple vendors in the same month, the migration traffic jam is real — plan for load on your own teams, not just the date.

Which of your JVMs hit a wall in September?

Check every Java runtime you run — by distribution and version, with risk scores and verified dates.

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Frequently asked questions

Does Oracle JDK 17 reach end of life in September 2026?
Oracle JDK 17's Premier Support window ends 2026-09-30. After that, updates for Oracle's own JDK 17 require an Extended Support contract (available into 2029 at additional cost). The OpenJDK 17 codebase continues to receive free updates through other distributions: Eclipse Temurin 17 until 2027-10-31, Amazon Corretto 17 until 2029-10-31, and Azul Zulu 17 until 2029-09-30.
Which Java versions reach end of life in September 2026?
Nine runtime lines: SapMachine 17 (2026-09-01), Eclipse Temurin 26 (2026-09-15), BellSoft Liberica 26 and Oracle's JDK 26 / OpenJDK 26 builds (2026-09-18), and Azul Zulu 26, Oracle GraalVM 17, Oracle JDK 17 Premier Support and IBM Semeru 26 (all 2026-09-30). The 26-series dates are routine — non-LTS releases end when JDK 27 ships. The 17-series dates are the ones that strand production workloads.
Can I stay on Java 17 for free after September 2026?
Yes. JDK 17 is an LTS release and several vendors patch it for free well past Oracle's Premier Support end: Eclipse Temurin until 2027-10-31, Microsoft Build of OpenJDK until 2027-09-30, Amazon Corretto until 2029-10-31, and Azul Zulu until 2029-09-30. Switching distribution is usually a drop-in replacement for server workloads — same class libraries, same bytecode, TCK-verified.
What happens to Java 26 in September 2026?
JDK 26 is a non-LTS release, so every vendor's 26 build ends when JDK 27 ships in September 2026. That is the normal six-month cadence, not an abandonment. If you run non-LTS releases in production you are expected to move to 27 immediately — or step onto an LTS release (21 or 25) and stay patched for years.
Is Oracle GraalVM 17 still supported after September 2026?
Oracle GraalVM for JDK 17's support window ends 2026-09-30 per Oracle's lifecycle data. GraalVM native-image workloads pinned to 17 need to move to GraalVM for JDK 21 (supported until 2028-09-30) or later, or to GraalVM Community Edition builds, which follow a different policy.

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