SDKs
A Software Development Kit, or an SDK, is a collection of tools that you need to develop an application for a specific software framework. For example, to develop applications in Java, you need a Java SDK (JDK). SDKs contain binaries, source code for the binaries, and documentation for the source code. JDK builds also contain annotations.
Generally, SDKs are global. It means that one SDK can be used in multiple projects and modules. After you create a new project and define an SDK for it, you can configure modules in this project to inherit its SDK. You can also specify an SDK for each module individually. For more information, refer to Change module SDK.
Supported SDKs:
Define an SDK
To define an SDK means to let IntelliJ IDEA know in which folder on your computer the necessary SDK version is installed. This folder is called an SDK home directory.
Configure global SDKs
From the main menu, select
.-
To add an SDK, click , select the necessary SDK and specify its home directory in the dialog that opens.
Only for JDKs: if you don't have the necessary JDK on your computer, select Download JDK. In the next dialog, specify the JDK vendor, version, change the installation path if required, and click Download.
Set up a project SDK
From the main menu, select
.-
If the necessary SDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the Project SDK list.
If the SDK is installed on your computer, but not defined in the IDE, select
, and specify the path to the SDK home directory.Only for JDKs: If you don't have the necessary JDK on your computer, select . In the next dialog, specify the JDK vendor, version, change the installation path if required, and click Download.
Set up a module SDK
From the main menu, select
.Select the module for which you want to set an SDK and click Dependencies.
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If the necessary SDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the Module SDK list.
If the SDK is installed on your computer, but not defined in the IDE, select
, and specify the path to the SDK home directory.Only for JDKs: If you don't have the necessary JDK on your computer, select . In the next dialog, specify the JDK vendor, version, change the installation path if required, and click Download.
Java Development Kit (JDK)
To develop applications in IntelliJ IDEA, you need a Java SDK (JDK). A JDK is a software package that contains libraries, tools for developing and testing Java applications (development tools), and tools for running applications on the Java platform (Java Runtime Environment — JRE).
The JRE can be obtained separately from the JDK, but it's not suitable for application development, as it doesn't have essential components such as compilers and debuggers.
In IntelliJ IDEA, you can download a JDK package right from the IDE, or you can manually download the necessary JDK distribution and define it in the IDE.
For a manual download, use any available distribution that you like, for example:
Set up the project JDK
From the main menu, select
.-
If the necessary JDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the Project SDK list.
If the JDK is installed on your computer, but not defined in the IDE, select /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk-12.0.1.jdk).
, and specify the path to the JDK home directory (for example,If you don't have the necessary JDK on your computer, select . In the next dialog, specify the JDK vendor, version, change the installation path if required, and click Download.
Apply the changes and close the dialog.