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Does Java Web Start download an application after the first time the application is run?

April 26, 2017application download Java run time web

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Does Java Web Start download an application after the first time the application is run?

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Java Web Start will always launch the application from the cache, if possible, and it will simultaneously perform a background check with the server for updates. If updates are available, then it will notify the user, and launch the updated version the next time. This approach ensures fast startup time in the common case where there is no update, and ensures that an application can be launched offline. For the 1.0 release, you can override this behavior by adding the line javaws.cfg.forceUpdate=true in a client’s javaws.cfg file. This will force Java Web Start to check for an update the first time. Unfortunately though, setting this flag will cause offline mode to not work properly. In a future release of Java Web Start, we expect to change the behavior of the update checking to immediately launch the newer version of the application, if an update is available, while still preserving offline launching.