# javac

5 Hacker News commenters recommended javac and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Free standard Java compiler that people praise for fast batch compiles and predictable behavior. Critics note it is slower than some compilers and weak for live tooling.

## Why people recommend it

- Fast compiling of many files (2 comments): "Use javac directly, in a recent JDK, to compile lots of files at once" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47420911)) "javac itself is indeed fast" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47422623))
- Predictable, no surprise file deletion (1 comments): "when I call "javac" it won't decide randomly to delete my home directory" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46724771))
- Runs on alternative JVM implementations (1 comments): "you can run OpenJDK's javac with OpenLDK" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46062961))

## What people warn about

- Slower than some other compilers (1 comments): "javac was at least two orders of magnitude slower at compiling than my preferred java compiler" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46193740))
- Poor base for live tooling (1 comments): "javac is a poor foundation for any kind of live tooling like LSPs" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49020945))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [GCC](https://hackerapproved.com/p/gcc.md): 138 recommend
- [Clang](https://hackerapproved.com/p/clang.md): 74 recommend
- [Free Pascal compiler](https://hackerapproved.com/p/free-pascal.md): 38 recommend
- [GraalVM Native Image](https://hackerapproved.com/p/graalvm-native-image.md): 31 recommend
- [.NET Native AOT](https://hackerapproved.com/p/net-native-aot.md): 26 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "javac", https://hackerapproved.com/p/javac/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).