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brunoborges merged 2 commits into from
Jun 22, 2026
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Clarify README version syntax and migration guidance #1038

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Clarify README version guidance
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Expand Up @@ -25,13 +25,6 @@ This action allows you to work with Java and Scala projects.

For more details, see the full release notes on the [releases page](https://github.com/actions/setup-java/releases/tag/v5.0.0)

## V2 vs V1

- V2 supports custom distributions and provides support for Azul Zulu OpenJDK, Eclipse Temurin and AdoptOpenJDK out of the box. V1 supports only Azul Zulu OpenJDK.
- V2 requires you to specify distribution along with the version. V1 defaults to Azul Zulu OpenJDK, only version input is required. Follow [the migration guide](docs/switching-to-v2.md) to switch from V1 to V2.

For information about the latest releases, recent updates, and newly supported distributions, please refer to the `setup-java` [Releases](https://github.com/actions/setup-java/releases).

## Usage

- `java-version`: The Java version that is going to be set up. Takes a whole or [semver](#supported-version-syntax) Java version. If not specified, the action will expect `java-version-file` input to be specified.
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -98,8 +91,8 @@ steps:
```

#### Supported version syntax
The `java-version` input supports an exact version or a version range using [SemVer](https://semver.org/) notation:
- major versions: `8`, `11`, `16`, `17`, `21`, `25`
The `java-version` input supports an exact version or a version range using [SemVer](https://semver.org/) notation. The values below are examples, not an exhaustive list:
- major versions, such as: `8`, `11`, `16`, `17`, `21`, `25`
- more specific versions: `8.0.282+8`, `8.0.232`, `11.0`, `11.0.4`, `17.0`
- early access (EA) versions: `15-ea`, `15.0.0-ea`

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -292,6 +285,15 @@ In the example above multiple JDKs are installed for the same job. The result af
- [Modifying Maven Toolchains](docs/advanced-usage.md#Modifying-Maven-Toolchains)
- [Java Version File](docs/advanced-usage.md#Java-version-file)

## V2 vs V1

Examples in this README use `actions/setup-java@v5`, but the main migration note from V1 still applies to all later major versions (`v2`, `v3`, `v4`, and `v5`):

- Starting with V2, the action supports custom distributions. V1 supports only Azul Zulu OpenJDK.
- Starting with V2, you must specify distribution along with the version. V1 defaults to Azul Zulu OpenJDK, so only version input is required. Follow [the migration guide](docs/switching-to-v2.md) to switch from V1 to V2.

For information about the latest releases, recent updates, and newly supported distributions, please refer to the `setup-java` [Releases](https://github.com/actions/setup-java/releases).

## Recommended permissions

When using the `setup-java` action in your GitHub Actions workflow, it is recommended to set the following permissions to ensure proper functionality:
Expand Down