Installation & Configuration
Quick Install (recommended)
Most users do not need to build TornadoVM from source. Prebuilt SDKs (OpenCL, CUDA, Metal, or a full bundle) are available from the official website:
Via SDKMAN!:
sdk install tornadovm # default: latest version, JDK 21, OpenCL backend
sdk install tornadovm <version>-<jdk-version>-<backend>
# e.g.:
sdk install tornadovm 5.2.1-jdk21-cuda
sdk install tornadovm 5.2.1-jdk22plus-metal
sdk install tornadovm 5.2.1-jdk22plus-opencl
To install a specific JDK and/or backend combination, pass the candidate version as <version>-<jdk-version>-<backend> (<backend> is opencl, cuda, metal, or full for all backends). Run sdk list tornadovm to see all available combinations.
There are two SDK families, and <jdk-version> selects between them:
|
Runs on |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
JDK 21 only |
Compiled with |
|
JDK 22 and newer |
One SDK for every JDK from 22 up, including 27. No preview features, so the class files stay forward compatible. |
Only the JDK 21 SDK is tied to a single JDK. The jdk22plus SDK is built once and runs unchanged on any JDK from 22 onwards — switching JDK needs no reinstall and no rebuild, only tornado --generate-argfile if you launch via the argfile rather than the tornado command.
The TornadoVM API is also published on Maven Central, so you can add it directly to an existing Java project without installing the SDK at all. The artifact version’s suffix must match the SDK family you run on: -jdk21 or -jdk22plus.
<!-- JDK 21 -->
<dependency>
<groupId>io.github.beehive-lab</groupId>
<artifactId>tornado-api</artifactId>
<version>5.2.1-jdk21</version>
</dependency>
<!-- JDK 22 and newer, including 27 -->
<dependency>
<groupId>io.github.beehive-lab</groupId>
<artifactId>tornado-api</artifactId>
<version>5.2.1-jdk22plus</version>
</dependency>
Docker images and cloud (AWS) images are also available; see Docker Containers and Cloud Deployments.
If you want to build TornadoVM from source — to contribute to the project, run the latest develop branch, or build a custom backend combination — see Building from Source in the Developer Guidelines.