The White Rabbit

If you don't get the requirements right, it doesn't matter how well you do anything else. (Karl Wiegers)

Published on Tuesday, 2 March 2021

Tags: java3 jdk1 openjdk1 gradle1

Setting up a Java development environment in 3 steps on Windows

Set up a Java development (tested here on Windows 10) using Chocolately, JDK and Gradle and an IDE of your choice.


Table of Content

  • Step Zero: Install Chocolatey
  • Step One: Install JDK + Gradle
  • Step Two: Choose an IDE!
  • Step Zero: Install Chocolatey

    Chocolatey is a package manager, a command line tool for Windows used to install programs. It manages (adds, updates, uninstalls) software without requiring much user interation.

    To install Chocolatey:

    • Run the Windows Power Shell as Administrator
    • Go to Chocolatey install page, copy the command for Individual use and paste it into your Power Shell.
    Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

    Step One: Install JDK + Gradle

    In the Power Shell, these Chocolatey commands to install the Java Development Kit (which includes Java Runtime and development tools like the Java compiler) and Gradle (a build automation tool):

    choco install openjdk11
    refreshenv
    choco install gradle

    Note: to use the most up-to-date Chocolatey command, search any package on the official package search tool

    Step Two: Choose an IDE!

    The last step is to choose an Integrated Development Enviroment, like Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA (the Community Edition is free) or VS Code.

    If you are undecided about what IDE to use, read this interesting reviews: