Where Does Jabba Install JDKs?
Jabba installs every JDK under ~/.jabba in your home folder, with one jdk subfolder per version.
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Jabba keeps all JDKs inside .jabba in your home directory. Each installed release gets its own folder under the jdk subfolder. Selecting a version rewrites the links your shell and JAVA_HOME follow.
Nothing lands in system Java paths. Uninstalling means deleting a folder under .jabba/jdk. Project pin files stay tiny because the bytes live in the shared store. Exact inner filenames have shifted across Jabba releases, so trust jabba ls over memory.
Where Jabba stores this, by platform
~/.jabba
One folder per JDK under jdk. jabba ls reads this tree. Keep the manager on PATH and let it set JAVA_HOME per shell.
~/.jabba
Same home folder store on Mac. Apple Silicon JDKs install as arm64 builds when available. IDEs can point at a version folder directly.
C:\Users\[username]\.jabba
Same store under your profile on Windows builds that support it. Exact Windows support has varied by release, so confirm with jabba ls on your machine.
Frequently asked questions
How do I list Jabba Java versions?
Run jabba ls to list installed releases and jabba ls-remote for installable ones. Each install is a folder under .jabba/jdk. Switch with jabba use for the shell or link a version into your IDE.
Can I mix Java 8 and 21 with Jabba?
Yes. Install each release you need, then set defaults per project with a .jabbarc file or direnv. CI images can bake one version and skip the manager. Keep JAVA_HOME pointed at the active link.
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