# Amazon Corretto 21 Installation Instructions for Amazon Linux 2023
Installing on Amazon Linux

 This topic describes how to install and uninstall Amazon Corretto 21 on a host or container running the Amazon Linux 2023 operating systems. 

## Option 1: Install using the yum Package Manager on Amazon Linux


 Amazon Corretto 21 has a 'headless' variant available. This variant omits runtime dependencies that are typically associated with GUI applications such as X11 and ALSA and is worth considering for server-oriented workloads. The 'headful' variant adds support for X11 and ALSA. There is also a 'devel' package which contains the JDK development tools, as well as a 'jmods' package that contains the Amazon Corretto 21 JMods used to create custom runtime images. 

Option 1: Install the headless Amazon Corretto 21:

**Example**  

```
sudo yum install java-21-amazon-corretto-headless
```

Option 2: Install the headful Amazon Corretto 21:

**Example**  

```
sudo yum install java-21-amazon-corretto
```

Option 3: Install the JDK for Amazon Corretto 21:

**Example**  

```
sudo yum install java-21-amazon-corretto-devel
```

Option 4: Install the JMods for Amazon Corretto 21:

**Example**  

```
sudo yum install java-21-amazon-corretto-jmods
```

 The installation location is `/usr/lib/jvm/java-21-amazon-corretto.<cpu_arch>`. 

 While it is recommended to use `/usr/lib/jvm/java-21-amazon-corretto.<cpu_arch>` location, installation may also add alternative links making installation location accessible via `/etc/alternatives/jre`, `/etc/alternatives/jre_21` and `/etc/alternatives/jre_21_openjdk` for JRE and `/etc/alternatives/java_sdk`, `/etc/alternatives/java_sdk_21` and `/etc/alternatives/java_sdk_21_openjdk` for JDK. The paths under `/etc/alternatives/` may point to another JDK depending on the packages installed and system configuration. 

## Option 2: Download and Install RPMs Manually


1.  Download RPMs from the [Downloads](downloads-list.md) page for your CPU architecture. To install the JDK, you will need to download the RPMs for both the JDK and the JRE. 

1.  Install using `yum localinstall`.   
**Example**  

   ```
   sudo yum localinstall java-21-amazon-corretto*.rpm
   ```

## Verify Your Installation


 In the terminal, run the following command to verify the installation. 

**Example**  

```
java -version
```
Expected output for 21.0.10:   

```
openjdk version "21.0.10" 2026-01-20 LTS
OpenJDK Runtime Environment Corretto-21.0.10.7.1 (build 21.0.10+7-LTS)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Corretto-21.0.10.7.1 (build 21.0.10+7-LTS, mixed mode, sharing)
```

 If you see a version string that doesn't mention `Corretto`, run the following command to change the default `java` or `javac` providers. 

**Example**  

```
sudo alternatives --config java
```
If using the JDK you should also run:  

```
sudo alternatives --config javac
```

## Uninstall Amazon Corretto 21


You can uninstall Amazon Corretto 21 with the following commands.

Uninstall headless:

**Example**  

```
sudo yum remove java-21-amazon-corretto-headless
```

Uninstall headful:

**Example**  

```
sudo yum remove java-21-amazon-corretto
```

Uninstall devel:

**Example**  

```
sudo yum remove java-21-amazon-corretto-devel
```

Uninstall jmods:

**Example**  

```
sudo yum remove java-21-amazon-corretto-jmods
```