docs: note jdkfile approach for Early Access / unreleased JDK builds (#1058)

brunoborges · Copilot · Copilot · web-flow · commit fa2c6508d103 · 2026-06-23T13:23:45.000-04:00
* docs: note jdkfile approach for Early Access / unreleased JDK builds Clarify in advanced-usage that the existing 'jdkfile' distribution can be used to install Early Access (EA) or other unreleased JDK builds not provided directly by setup-java, by downloading the archive in a prior step and pointing jdkFile at it. Adds a concrete EA example. Addresses #612. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> * Potential fix for pull request finding Co-authored-by: Copilot Autofix powered by AI <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> * Apply suggestions from code review Co-authored-by: Copilot Autofix powered by AI <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> --------- Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Copilot Autofix powered by AI <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
diff --git a/docs/advanced-usage.md b/docs/advanced-usage.md
@@ -286,6 +286,9 @@ steps:
 ## Installing Java from local file
 If your use-case requires a custom distribution or a version that is not provided by setup-java, you can download it manually and setup-java will take care of the installation and caching on the VM:
 
+> [!NOTE]
+> This approach also lets you use builds that setup-java does not provide directly, such as **Early Access (EA)** or other unreleased JDK builds (for example, an upcoming feature release or a Loom/Valhalla preview build). Download the desired archive in a prior step and point `jdkFile` at it; setup-java will extract, install, and cache it just like a supported distribution. When targeting multiple architectures, select the correct binary per architecture in your workflow (for example, with a build matrix).
+
 ```yaml
 steps:
 - run: |
@@ -301,6 +304,23 @@ steps:
 - run: java --version
 ```
 
+For example, to use an **Early Access** build from [jdk.java.net](https://jdk.java.net/), download the archive for your runner OS/architecture and install it via `distribution: 'jdkfile'` (example below assumes Linux x64):
+
+```yaml
+steps:
+- run: |
+    download_url="https://download.java.net/java/early_access/jdk25/36/GPL/openjdk-25-ea+36_linux-x64_bin.tar.gz"
+    wget -O $RUNNER_TEMP/java_package.tar.gz $download_url
+- uses: actions/setup-java@v5
+  with:
+    distribution: 'jdkfile'
+    jdkFile: ${{ runner.temp }}/java_package.tar.gz
+    java-version: '25.0.0-ea.36'
+    architecture: x64
+
+- run: java --version
+```
+
 If your use-case requires a custom distribution (in the example, alpine-linux is used) or a version that is not provided by setup-java and you want to always install the latest version during runtime, then you can use the following code to auto-download the latest JDK, determine the semver needed for setup-java, and setup-java will take care of the installation and caching on the VM:
 
 ```yaml
