Now that CF2025 has come out, supporting Java 21--and as ColdFusion and Java versions continue to evolve--you may wonder which version(s) of Java you can use with your current (or a given) version of ColdFusion.

You can't just use "any" jvm version with CF: it depends on first on what version of CF you are using, and then may even depend on what CF update has been applied to that CF version. (You also can't use Java from any vendor: Adobe supports only use of Java, and the license it for our use, I discuss later.) And to be clear, currently ONLY CF2025 supports Java 21.

So in this post, I offer a table that clarifies things, listing the various recent CF versions (even those no longer supported) and what (LTS) Java versions they supported, including if some CF update of a version changes the Java version supported.

FWIW, I originally offered this table within a longer 2019 CF Portal post about new Java updates which were released then (in Apr 2019), and then I pulled the table out to stand on its own in a later CF portal post.

I have decided to bring the post here to my own blog, to make it easier to keep it updated as information changes.

The table of Java versions supported by given CF versions

The info below is current as of Mar 2025. Find your cf version, and see what Java version(s) it may support:

	Java 21	Java 17	Java 11	Java 8	Java 7	Java 6
CF2025	Yes	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
CF2023	Not yet	Yes	NO	NO	NO	NO
CF2021	Not yet	Not yet	Yes	NO	NO	NO
CF2018	NO	NO	Yes (if CF2018 update 2 or later. Supported Java 10 initially)	NO	NO	NO
CF2016	NO	NO	Yes (if CF2016 update 8 or later)	Yes	NO	NO
CF11 (2014)	NO	NO	NO	Yes (if CF11 update 3 or later)	Yes	NO
CF10 (2012)	NO	NO	NO	Yes (if CF10 update 14 or later)	Yes (if CF10 update 8 or later)	Yes

Again, I will update this post as things change over time.

As for Java versions between these, note that the releases above are considered by Oracle and the Java community to be LTS or "long-term support" releases, and Adobe supports only those--and again, Adobe formally supports only use of Oracle Java with CF, and Adobe licenses Oracle Java for our use with CF (and only with CF).

As for downloading the latest Java installer or archives, Adobe also offers those for us. See the Adobe CF "downloads" page (which is not for downloading CF, but things related to CF), and specifically the list of Java installers/a> that current CF versions support.

How do I know what JVM version I am currently running?

I mentioned already that I have done a past post (and plan future posts) with more details, but this topic is worth pulling out here: naturally you may wonder, "well, what JVM version am I running now?" There are at least two ways.

The easiest may be to go into your CF Admin, and view either the Settings>Settings Summary page or the "System Information" page (the "i" icon in the top right of the admin). On those pages, about 10-20 lines from the top is a section on JVM details, and it will report what JVM version you are currently using.

If you don't have access to the CF Admin, I have a post on how you can also determine CF's Java version from within CFML code.

Finally, if you're still running anything less than CF2021?

Finally, if you are running any version less than CF2021 in 2025, you should know that you are running on a CF version that is no longer updated by Adobe (Cf2018 updates ended in Jul 2023, and CF2021 updates will end in Nov 2025).

Conclusion

Finally, if you may have still other questions related to CF and Java versions (such as about Adobe's licensing of Oracle Java for us, or how Adobe does NOT support JVMs other than those from Oracle, and more), see my post, Several things to consider when applying updates to Java (aka the JVM, JDK, JRE).

I welcome comments and feedback, and if you need direct help with implementing any aspect of JVM updates, I'm a available for consulting help, often able to help even challenging problems in less than an hour.

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