Pre-requisite: Java Tutorials
This article is about the support of Java on browsers.
Why we need the support of Java on a browser?
If you learned or have some knowledge or have worked in Java then it is likely that you must have come across this concept of Java Applet. So, an Applet is nothing but a Java program but the only difference is that it cannot directly run on a standalone machine. It needs a web browser to run. It is easily embedded within an HTML page and is a client-side concept i.e. runs on client-side.
So, to run Applet, we need a Java-enabled browser. Browsers come with a Java plugin that allows the execution of an Applet on it. And so, the browsers that come to Java enabled, can run Applet without any hassle.
So, now that we know why we need browser support for Java, let’s start with the list of browsers that support it today.
Browser that supports Java:
Browsers require Java plugin which depends on NPAPI (Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface). Today, the majority of the well-known browsers have dropped the support for that.
Here are browsers that do not support Java Applet any more:
- Google Chrome
- Firefox
- Safari
- Microsoft Edge
- Opera
So, as you can see that all these browsers not longer support Applet. Even the newer versions of Oracle’s JDK does not come with the support of the Java browser plugin.
The reason for dropping the support was because of security issues and risks that were found.
But there is Internet Explorer that still has the support for Java Applet. So, today Internet Explorer is the only browser that supports Java Applet.
How to enable Java in Internet Explorer?
Following are the steps to enable Java on Internet Explorer:
- Click on the ‘Tools’ icon on the top right corner of the window or press Alt+X, if on windows.
- Then for the menu select ‘Internet Options’.
- Then in ‘Security’ tab, click on ‘Custom level’.
- Now, In the pop-up, scroll down and search for ‘Scripting of Java applet’ and make sure it is enabled and click OK.
Note: There is another way if you still want to run Applet and security is not a concern and if you don’t want to use Internet Explorer, then you download an older version of any browser that did support Java Applet.
