Reference: Jenkins Users :: Jenkins on Windows: Java + JRE (version) confusion
Which Java version should I run Jenkins with (on Windows)? Should I use the included JRE of the Windows master? Should I use the last 1.6 release? Should I just run it on a current 1.7 version? (Note that I'm running the stand-alone version.)
All I could find on the Jenkins pages was: To run Jenkins, minimally you need to have JRE 1.5 or later.
Aside: My Windows server(s) are still 32bit 2k3, but what do you run Jenkins with on 64 bit platform? 32bit or 64bit JVM?
Note that this question is only about the JRE (or JDK) I use to run the Jenkins instance(s) with. I'm not concerned with the JDK used to build Java programs.
Best Answer
Update 2017: After "Jenkins Upgrades To Java 8 (January)" and PR 2802, JDK 8 will be mandatory for Jenkins 2.54 or more (April 2017).
You can use any jdk (
1.5+1.7+ for 1.608+) you want for Jenkins: this is separate from the JDK that a job would use (either a job running on the master, or on a slave).So it doesn't really matter: using one JDK for running Jenkins won't prevent you to use any other JDK for your jobs.
Update 2015: Jenkins just said good by to JDK6 (2015-04-06)