javaws(1)

🌸 NAME 🌸

okay so this is javaws(1) from the General Commands Manual, and bestie, it is literally a Java Web Start client. The whole point? javaws is an implementation of a JNLP client, and it uses a JNLP (Java Network Launch Protocol) file to securely run a remote Java application or a Java applet. This implementation of javaws is from the IcedTea project and is based on the NetX project, periodt.

A JNLP file is an xml file that describes how to securely run a remote Java application or a Java applet. That's the whole vibe, no cap.

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

javaws [-run-options] jnlp file
javaws [-control-options]

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

javaws is an implementation of a JNLP client, fr fr. It uses a JNLP (Java Network Launch Protocol) file to securely run a remote Java application or a Java applet. This implementation of javaws is from the IcedTea project and is based on the NetX project. Iconic behavior.

A JNLP file is an xml file that describes how to securely run a remote Java application or a Java applet. That's it, that's the tea. 🫶

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🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

okay so here's the little rules moment: when specifying options, the name of the jnlp file can be after the command, the -jnlp option, an option with no arguments, or after an argument with an option that takes one argument. A html file that launches a jnlp can be specified after the -html option. The jnlp-file can either be a url or a local path. The JNLP file should only be specified once, whether as a main argument, after -jnlp or through an html file. Write that down, bestie. 💅

🎮 Control options

• -about — Shows a sample application. (No argument expected)
• -help — Prints out information about supported command and basic usage. (No argument expected)
• -license — Display the GPL license and exit. (No argument expected)
• -viewer — Shows the trusted certificate viewer. (No argument expected)
• -Xcacheids — List available IDs in cache, which you can use to delete individual applications. (Expected none or one argument)
• -Xclearcache — Clean the JNLP application cache. If you pass argument, only specified application is deleted. (Expected none or one argument)

🏃 Run options

• -allowredirect — Follows HTTP redirects. (No argument expected)
• -arg arg — Adds an application argument before launching. (Expected one or more arguments)
• -browser — Launch embeded browser. Use in great need only! (Expected one or more arguments)
• -headless — Disables download window, other UIs. (No argument expected)
• -html — Location of HTML file to launch (url or file). You can use parameter ALL or numbers (like 1 2 5) to select applets on page. However experimental, this switch should keep you still in safety. (Expected one or more arguments)
• -jnlp — Location of JNLP file to launch (url or file). (Exactly one argument expected)
• -nosecurity — Disables the secure runtime environment. You need also deployment.security.itw.ignorecertissues to workaround corrupted signatures (No argument expected)
• -noupdate — Disables checking for updates. (No argument expected)
• -param name=value — Adds an applet parameter before launching. (Expected one or more arguments)
• -property name=value — Sets a system property before launching. (Expected one or more arguments)
• -startuptracker — Enable startup time tracker (No argument expected)
• -strict — Enables strict checking of JNLP file format. (No argument expected)
• -update seconds — Check for updates. (Exactly one argument expected)
• -verbose — Enable verbose output. (No argument expected)
• -version — Print the IcedTea-Web version and exit. (No argument expected)
• -Xignoreheaders — Skip jar header verification. (No argument expected)
• -xml — Uses a strict XML parser to parse the JNLP file. (No argument expected)
• -Xnofork — Do not create another JVM. (No argument expected)
• -Xoffline — Prevent ITW network connection. Only cache will be used. Application can still connect. (No argument expected)
• -Xtrustnone — Instead of asking user, will foretold all answers as no. (No argument expected)

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🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

• javaws -about — Shows basic help and about informations. adorable.
• javaws -about -headless — Shows basic help and about informations in terminal only.
• The chaos-mode example:

javaws  -Xnofork -Xignoreheaders -allowredirect -Xoffline
http://mypage.web/dangerous.jnlp

Will start dangerous.jnlp application, originally from mypage.web, without downloading it, without headers check and in forced single VM. main character energy, honestly. 🔥

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🦋 FILES 🦋

• $JAVA_HOME/lib/deployment.config — java-global deployment properties file. May be affected by deployment.jre.dir.
• $JAVA_HOME/lib/security/cacerts — Contains various system java-wide stored certificates. Controlled by deployment.system.security.cacerts
• $JAVA_HOME/lib/security/jssecacerts — Contains various system java-wide stored certificates. Controlled by deployment.system.security.jssecacerts
• $JAVA_HOME/lib/security/trusted.certs — Contains various system java-wide stored certificates. Controlled by deployment.system.security.trusted.certs
• $JAVA_HOME/lib/security/trusted.clientcerts — Contains various system java-wide stored certificates. Controlled by deployment.system.security.trusted.clientautcerts
• $JAVA_HOME/lib/security/trusted.jssecerts — Contains various system java-wide stored certificates. Controlled by deployment.system.security.trusted.jssecerts
• $TMP/$USER/netx/locks — Location of netx locks. Controlled by deployment.user.locksdir
• $TMP/$USER/netx/locks/netx_running — Location of netx main lock. Controlled by deployment.user.runningfile
• $XDG_CACHE_HOME/icedtea-web/cache — Contains cached runtime entries. Controlled by deployment.user.cachedir
• $XDG_CACHE_HOME/icedtea-web/cache/recently_used — Additional information about items in cache
• $XDG_CACHE_HOME/icedtea-web/pcache — Contains saved application data. Controlled by deployment.user.pcachedir
• $XDG_CACHE_HOME/icedtea-web/tmp — Contains temporary runtime files. Controlled by deployment.user.tmp
• $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icedtea-web/.appletTrustSettings — File responsible for various actions on applets and apps based on their codebase based on users actions.
• $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icedtea-web/deployment.properties — Users main deployment properties file.
• $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icedtea-web/icons — Location where icons of javaws applications desktop/menu launchers icons are stored
• $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icedtea-web/log — contains file-log files (if enabled), itw-cplugin-date_time.log for native part of plugin, itw-javantx-date_time.log for everything else. Controlled by deployment.user.logdir
• $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icedtea-web/security/java.policy — Contains granted permissions for selected unsigned apps. Controlled by deployment.user.security.policy
• $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icedtea-web/security/trusted.cacerts — Contains various users stored certificates. Controlled by deployment.user.security.trusted.cacerts
• $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icedtea-web/security/trusted.certs — Contains various users stored certificates. Controlled by deployment.user.security.trusted.certs
• $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icedtea-web/security/trusted.clientcerts — Contains various users stored certificates. Controlled by deployment.user.security.trusted.clientauthcerts
• $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icedtea-web/security/trusted.jssecacerts — Contains various users stored certificates. Controlled by deployment.user.security.trusted.jssecacerts
• $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icedtea-web/security/trusted.jssecerts — Contains various users stored certificates. Controlled by deployment.user.security.trusted.jssecerts
• $XDG_DATA_HOME/applications/javaws — Subdirectory in users menus space, for placing custom menu shortcuts.
• {%WINDIR/Sun/Java or /etc/.java}/deployment/.appletTrustSettings — File responsible for various actions on applets and apps based on their codebase based on admins actions.
• {%WINDIR/Sun/Java or /etc/.java}/deployment/deployment.config — Global deployment config file.

Where $XDG_CONFIG_DIR, $XDG_CACHE_DIR and $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR are set as ~/.config, ~/.cache and /tmp or /var/tmp if not set. iykyk. 🧚

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💀 BUGS 💀

There aren't any known bugs. If you come across one, please file it at:

• http://icedtea.classpath.org/wiki/IcedTea-Web#Filing_bugs
• http://icedtea.classpath.org/bugzilla

Please run in debug (-verbose switch or itw-settings setting or ICEDTEAPLUGIN_DEBUG variable set to true) mode and include that output (best is from java console) with URL to jnlp or html file (or the jnlp/html file or application itself) when filing out the bug report. That part matters, bestie. 🫶

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👑 AUTHOR 👑

The following people have made contibutions to this project. Please keep this list in alphabetical order.

• Lillian Angel <langel@redhat.com>
• Andrew Azores <aazores@redhat.com>
• Deepak Bhole <dbhole@redhat.com>
• Laurent Bourgès <bourges.laurent@gmail.com>
• Adam Buchta <adbuch7@gmail.com>
• Ricardo Martín Camarero <rickyepoderi@yahoo.es>
• Marcin Cieslak <marcin.cieslak@gmail.com>
• Danesh Dadachanji <ddadacha@redhat.com>
• Adam Domurad <adomurad@redhat.com>
• Lukasz Dracz <ldracz@redhat.com>
• Thomas Fitzsimmons <fitzsim@redhat.com>
• Olesya Gerasimenko <gammaray@basealt.ru>
• Michał Górny <mgorny@gentoo.org>
• Mark Greenwood <mark@dcs.shef.ac.uk>
• Tereza Hlavackova <hlavackova.tereza@gmail.com>
• Lars Herschke <lhersch@dssgmbh.de>
• Peter Hatina <phatina@redhat.com>
• Andrew John Hughes <ahughes@redhat.com>
• Jie Kang <jkang@redhat.com>
• Alex Kashchenko <akashche@redhat.com>
• Matthias Klose <doko@ubuntu.com>
• Alexandr Kolouch <skolnag@gmail.com>
• Jan Kmetko <jan.kmetko.ml@gmail.com>
• Francis Kung <fkung@redhat.com>
• Denis Lila <dlila@redhat.com>
• DJ Lucas <dj@lucasit.com>
• Omair Majid <omajid@redhat.com>
• Jon A. Maxwell <jmaxwell@users.sourceforge.net>
• Thomas Meyer <thomas@m3y3r.de>
• Kurt Miller <kurt@intricatesoftware.com>
• Saad Mohammad <smohammad@redhat.com>
• Martin Olsson <martin@minimum.se>
• Stefan Ring <stefan@complang.tuwien.ac.at>
• Ville Skyttä <ville.skytta@iki.fi>
• Fridrich Strba <fridrich.strba@suse.com>
• Andrew Su <asu@redhat.com>
• Joshua Sumali <jsumali@redhat.com>
• Joel Tesdall <jtesdall@mapcon.com>
• Michal Vala <mvala@redhat.com>
• Jiri Vanek <jvanek@redhat.com>
• Tomáš Votava <tomcacolca@gmail.com>
• Mark Wielaard <mark@klomp.org>
• Jacob Wisor <gitne@excite.co.jp>
• Man Lung Wong <mwong@redhat.com>

This project also includes code from the following projects:

• OpenJDK <http://openjdk.java.net/>
• Netx <http://jnlp.sourceforge.net/netx/>

🔗 SEE ALSO 🔗

okay bestie, you're at the end of the page and you still want more reading?? iconic of you honestly, that's main character energy fr fr. here's the whole squad of related man pages you can go bother next 💖

• icedtea-web(1)
• javaws(1) — hey wait that's literally this one, you're already here bestie, full circle moment ✨
• icedtea-web-plugin(1)
• itweb-settings(1)
• policyeditor(1)
• policytool(1)
• java(1)

and if you're the kind of girlie who loves a little light web browsing at 2am (same), there's also these links, copied exactly, no cap:

http://icedtea.classpath.org/wiki/IcedTea-Web
http://icedtea.classpath.org/hg/icedtea-web

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🌸 and that's the whole page, you made it to the very end, I'm so proud of you 🫶

this little masterpiece is from icedtea-web — build fedora-8.el9-x86_64 — and it was dated 2 May 2025. screenshot it, cite it, love it. periodt 💅🎀