How should I bundle Java with my Windows application?

I have a Windows application based on Java, that I should like to install with Java bundled. The installation framework is NSIS. The application executable should be guaranteed to invoke the bundled Java, so there's no clash with other Javas installed in the system.

What's the best way to achieve my goal? I haven't tried to solve this kind of problem before, and have little experience with Ja开发者_运维百科va, so I don't know which solutions are out there. I think I'd prefer Java to be embedded in the application's executable, if feasible, otherwise I guess Java could be installed along with it (with the executable pointing to said Java).

Edit: This project already generates an executable (.exe), via NSIS. The executable will by default use the system Java, but apparently it'll prefer a JRE in the same directory (i.e. bundled) if present.

Edit 2: The scenario that made me want to bundle Java with this application was that I received an executable for it built with 32-bit Java, which failed (silently) on my system which has 64-bit Java.

Are you absolutely sure you don't want to use the computer JRE? In most cases it's preferable. You can see here (and the included link) some examples with installers that check JRE number and install it (globally) if necessary.

If you really prefer to include your own JRE in the installer and always use it - what prevents you from doing it? It's just a matter of your main program point having some way of konwing the JRE location and forcing to use it. That depends on how you pack/invoke your Java program. Normally, it would be feasible, perhaps with a simple .bat file - perhaps to be created at installation time.

The solution we used(A few years ago, but still I think the best way).

Find a program which can generate an exe file from a jar file(Google is your friend, I can't remember the name). Note that this .exe file will still need a jre. It is just a smart way to make an exe which contain your .jar file, and which start the java process automatic. (This also allows you to set a custom icon on your .exe file).

The java sdk which you use to develop/compile your java application, also contains a folder called jre, which contain a copy of the jre.

Include this folder with the installer, so the jre folder is located in the same folder as the .exe file. Then the .exe file will use the included jre, and the jre will not be installed on the computer, so you prevent any problems.

Well one extremely simple solution that works actually quite nice if you don't have to get an executable, is just using a simple Windows Batch file that starts the jar and having a shortcut to it so you get your preferred icon on it. For the average user there's no real difference - after all the default is to suppress known extensions on Windows (horrible default but well) - and for people who do know what an exe is, the solution should be quite apparent anyways.

That way you can also easily start the included java or better yet offer both versions and just change a variable in an ini file, which really is much nicer - nobody wants or needs X different JRE versions that are outdated and are nothing more than security problems. Still can't harm to offer a version that includes the JRE for people without a java install to make it as simple as possible for them.

One example for this behavior would be weka..

launch4j seems to offer to bundle an embedded JRE.