Do I need Java JDK for using Android Studio?

Solution 1:

This is what Google says on https://developer.android.com/studio/intro/studio-config.html:

A copy of the latest OpenJDK comes bundled with Android Studio 2.2 and higher, and this is the JDK version we recommend you use for your Android projects.

So if you are using the newest version, you won't need any additional JDK. Furthermore, the official installation instructions don't include anymore any hints towards the JDK, compared to June 2016.

Solution 2:

Android Studio version 2.2 and higher comes with the latest OpenJDK embedded in order to have a low barrier to entry for beginners.

It is, however, recommended to have the JDK installed on your own as you are then able to update it independent of Android Studio.

If you are working with an Android API < 24, then you'll need to compile the project with Java 7 or do some extra steps to enable Java 8 features. (Note: Java 8 support is relatively new).

Android Studio 3.0 and later supports all Java 7 language features and a subset of Java 8 language features

Solution 3:

On the Mac, the path for Android Studio's Java environment can be set with this export command:

export JAVA_HOME=/Applications/Android\ Studio.app/Contents/jre/jdk/Contents/Home/

This uses the JAVA (OpenJDK) that comes with Android Studio.

Solution 4:

You used to need to install a JDK; hence the videos telling you how to do it. Recent versions include a built-in JDK. Note that Android Studio has evolved rapidly, and tutorials quickly become obsolete.

Note that installing Android Studio doesn't automatically configure the built-in JDK command line tools. This matters if you want to use the Android SDK command line tools. To fix this, find the bin directory within the Android Studio installation that contains the java command (the native command that actually runs the Java Virtual Machine), and add it to your path. (Another thing that might change, so I won't add specific directories to this answer.) This file is java.exe on Windows; on every other platform it's called java and has executable permission.

(You'll also need to add the directories containing the SDK tools themselves.)

There are actually two such directories, because the JDK, like all Java applications, contains a Java Runtime Environment (JRE). If you just want to run the SDK tools, then it doesn't matter which bin directory you choose. But if you want to compile and run Java code outside Android Studio, then you need to use the bin containing the javac command, among other essential JDK development tools.

Or you can just install the latest JDK. No real reason not to.