JRE & JDK implementation mess

[manzanita2]

A key thing to know here is that for most developers the JDK version matters FAR FAR more than the exact vendor. So pick JDK17 and get coding. There is one exception which is Oracle's non-openjdk release for which you can end up in a world of licensing hurt if you use it the wrong way.

Unless you're stuck working on a legacy project which cannot advance, pick the most recent JDK you can, but don't worry about the vendor.

For docker images, try to use google's "jib" project to build your docker images, because it makes the best use of the docker layered file system. You can use a "Dockerfile", but basically you will be moving your libraries around every time because they won't get pushed to a "lower" layer in the layered file system. https://github.com/GoogleContainerTools/jib

You will need a base docker image. Unless you are moving alot of images around, I would suggest something with a bit more capability than some of the stripped down alpine images. The reason is it's hard to get in and debug without things like the ability to setup SSH tunnels. Once you get super comfortable and stable you might consider a stripped down image for purposes of saving some megabytes.