Develop Reference

Downloaded JDK 17 but project is using Java 11?

I am new to Java and am a bit confused about how this is working/how I should be working. I am using intellij and a project that I am working on its pom.xml has:
<java.version>11</java.version>
<maven.compiler.source>$(java.version)</maven.compiler.source>
<maven.compiler.target>$(java.version)</maven.compiler.target>
When I go into the project structure on intellij the module is using language level 11.
on my computer I just downloaded the newest JDK (17)?
Does this cause issues working like this? Should I only be using a JDK that is associated with the version I am working?
I have not had any issues... but I am afraid my dependencies might be different than the ones I should be using...or the the build will be different if someone else is using another jdk.

The JDK version specified in the pom.xml specifies what source and target version is passed to javac. This specifies what system libraries and language features can be used.
The language level from IntelliJ matches this.
The installed JDK is the program (or set of programs) used for compiling and running the application.
Java allows to use a newer JDK to compile programs for older (source/target/release) versions.
The produced class files (bytecode) should be the same no matter what JDK version you use as long as the target/release version (specified in the pom.xml/language level in IntelliJ) is the same.
Furthermore, Java is (almost completely) backwards compatible. When writing code for an old Java version, it will likely also work in newer Java versions.

Release 6 is not found in the system - Creating a Project

I have now a little experience in Java, so I wanted to take the next step to an IDE, so I installed the Eclipse IDE. (If it matters, I am using mac.)
But this does not seem to work right, as soon as I create a new class, the error occurs:
The project was not built due to "release 6 is not found in the
system". Fix the problem, then try refreshing this project and
building it since it may be inconsistent HelloWorld
I already tried to change some of the properties in the class or selecting different settings, right now I use the execution environment JRE: J2SE-1.5.
Thank you for taking your time!

Well it is basically telling you that you don't have the right version of Java JDK installed. THIS page seems to imply the current version of eclipse needs 1.8 - not the 1.6 you're talking about. I am unsure though how you could have specified one that isn't installed. Maybe you only have the JRE (java runtime environment). You will definitely need the JDK (java development kit) because that is what has the java compiler in it.
It's been a long time since I used eclipse but when you created the project you should have been prompted to specify the java version. Now try right clicking on the project and choose Build Path... Configure Build Path. On the Java Compiler tab (left side) you should be able to change the configured Java to whatever you have installed.

I got this error when the selected version under Preferences > Java > Compiler > Compiler compliance level was higher than the selected version under Preferences > Java > JREs > Installed JREs. There was a small (very small) warning at the top of the JREs page warning me that there was an incompatibility with the compiler compliance level.
The options for compiler compliance level includes all versions up to the version that Eclipse itself is using, even if you don't have a specific JDK with that version, so you can get warnings for JDK releases that you definitely don't have.
I updated the compiler compliance level to be the correct version for my project and that got rid of the problem.

does eclipse have it's own JDK? or it uses the JDK on my computer?

I'm new to java programming and I haven't used any java IDE,
I intalled Java JDK 8 on my computer and been doing some coding through Notepad++ and compiling it via cmd commands.
Since now that i'm comfortable coding manually, I wanna try to use IDE and decided to get the latest "Eclipse IDE for Java Developers". what I got is actually a .zip file no installation or something which is odd.
My question is does the eclipse uses the JDK I installed on my computer or it has it's own? if so how would I know which version of java does my eclipse run?
and if does use the JDK on my computer, if I want to update the JDK intalled on my computer do I have to uninstall the old one or I can just overwrite it with the new JDK build??
Thanks,
CC

Eclipse uses externally installed JDKs to run itself (it's written in Java, after all) and to provide the core libraries for the code you write (such as the java.* packages). By default, Eclipse will use its own compiler, ECJ, that has deep integrations with the IDE to provide features such as detailed error reporting and sometimes even partial compilation of invalid classes.
It's possible to override the compiler via some plugin (for example, you can explicitly specify a compiler in a POM via m2eclipse, though the default there still uses ECJ), but that's uncommon if you're still compiling Java code.
Eclipse has support for using multiple JDKs, for example for different versions (maybe you have backwards compatibility with 1.6) or different vendors. Depending on how your OS is set up, if your main JAVA_HOME is set through a symlink, you may not need to update Eclipse at all if you perform a minor upgrade. In the case of a major upgrade, though, you will probably need to go to "Installed JREs" and add or modify an entry.

1.the jdk you installed in your computor is global situation. it can effect anywhere if you have configured the environment variables.
2.configured the environment variables,run cmd like this,the java version will be show,enter image description here
3.generally, one JDK , one computor is enough.if you want to update jdk, just download new jdk and override the old jdk .

Update Maven Keeps Reverting Back to JavaSE -1.8 in Eclipse from Java JDK 1.8

How do I stop maven from constantly updating my Java System Library from JDK 1.8 back to Java SE 1.8? I have configured the build path and I even set my Java_Home Variable to the JDK path. I have also have updated the build configuration. Can someone please specify how to do this with some specific instructions as I am a novice. I also noticed this keeps changing back as well. FYI I am using Eclipse Mars if that matters.
In Regards to the comments below I have shared the Eclipse M2e Plugin screenshot. Even when selected I am not able to proceed to next. I also have shown what's already installed just in case another plugin is hindering me from using the m2e

You need to understand what an Execution Environment (EE) is in Eclipse. The concept of EE is an abstraction over JREs, allowing projects to be configured without absolute paths to JRE locations. From the wiki page:
Execution environments (EEs) are symbolic representations of JREs. For example, rather than talking about a specific JRE, with a specific name at a specific location on your disk, you can talk about the J2SE-1.4 execution environment. The system can then be configured to use a specific JRE to implement that execution environment.
In general, it's not advisable to configure a project to use "Workspace default" as its JRE System Library, because that makes the project inconsistent when loaded into different workspaces. Think about this: what if the project is being developed targeting Java 7, but I pull it into my workspace which has JDK 8; that could be a big problem. By using an EE, the project is configured such that it doesn't know (or care) where I actually have a matching JRE on my system.
I said all that to set up the answer for you, so you understand what Maven is doing and these instructions are doing. m2e, the Maven integration plugin for Eclipse, is (rightly) setting the project configuration to use an EE instead of "workspace default". From your screen shot I can see that you have both JDK and JRE 1.8 set up in your workspace, so ideally you should remove one (the JRE). Got to Preferences > Java > Installed JREs. There you'll see both the JRE and JDK listed. I suggest removing the JRE*.
Then go into the "Execution Environments" preferences section, select JavaSE-1.8 and make sure that your JDK is checked as the default implementation.
Now when m2e configures your projects to use an EE, that EE will be pointing to the JDK you have installed. And if someone else imports the project, it will point to wherever they have a matching JDK installed.
*By the way, it's perfectly acceptable and normal to have different versions of Java there; I often work on different projects that target different Java versions.

Eclipse Design Tab detects wrong Java

When I click on the design tab I get this error:
Incompatible Java Versions
Eclipse is running under 1.7, but this Java project has a 1.8 Java compliance level, so WindowBuilder will not be able to load classes from this project. Use a lower level of Java for the project, or run Eclipse using a newer Java version.
I've checked in window>preferences that:
>java>compiler is set to 1.8
>java>installed JREs has a 1.8 JDK as the default
Have I missed something?

looks like JAVA_HOME is set to the java 7 one, will this require a restart?
You're actually executing eclipse with Java 7, you can update JAVA_HOME to point to Java 8, and then restart eclipse (not your computer).