Java™ SE Development Kit 21, Update 21.0.12.1 (JDK 21.0.12.1)

Release date: August 18, 2026

The full version string for this update release is 21.0.12.1+1 (where "+" means "build"). The version number is 21.0.12.1. This JDK conforms to version 21 of the Java SE Specification (JSR 396 2023-09-19).

IANA TZ Data 2026b

For more information, refer to Timezone Data Versions in the JRE Software.

Security Baselines

The security baselines for the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) at the time of the release of JDK 21.0.12.1 are specified in the following table:

Keeping the JDK up to Date

Oracle recommends that the JDK is updated with each Critical Patch Update. In order to determine if a release is the latest, the Security Baseline page can be used to determine which is the latest version for each release family.

Critical patch updates, which contain security vulnerability fixes, are announced one year in advance on Critical Patch Updates, Security Alerts and Bulletins. It is not recommended that this JDK (version 21.0.12.1) be used after the next critical patch update scheduled for October 20, 2026.

Java Management Service, available to all users, can help you find vulnerable Java versions in your systems. Java SE Subscribers and customers running in Oracle Cloud can use Java Management Service to update Java Runtimes and to do further security reviews like identifying potentially vulnerable third party libraries used by your Java programs. Existing Java Management Service user click here to log in to your dashboard. The Java Management Service Documentation provides a list of features available to everyone and those available only to customers. Learn more about using Java Management Service to monitor and secure your Java Installations.

Availability of Oracle JDK 21 under NFTC

Oracle JDK 21 LTS, released in September 2023, has been permissively licensed under the free Java license and will continue to be so until one year after the subsequent LTS release. Oracle designated Oracle JDK 25, released in September of 2025, as a Long Term Support (LTS) release. Therefore, update releases of Oracle JDK 21 after September of 2026 will switch to the Java SE OTN license, the same license under which we offer updates to Java 8, 11, and 17. Users wishing to receive updates of the Oracle JDK under the free Java license should migrate to Oracle JDK 25.

A similar licensing change will take effect for JavaFX 21 updates released after September 2026.

Fixes