Error: Could not find or load main class .library.path=

Question

I am trying to run DynamoDB locally, with the instructions here:

http://docs.aws.amazon.com/amazondynamodb/latest/developerguide/DynamoDBLocal.html

I've downloaded the zip file, and unzipped everything into a folder.

I'm on Windows 10.

In Powershell, in that directory when I run:
java -Djava.library.path=./DynamoDBLocal_lib -jar DynamoDBLocal.jar -sharedDb

I get:

Error: Could not find or load main class .library.path=..DynamoDBLocal_lib

I've read this which is very similar - closest I could find but it didn't help: java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: no sqljdbc_auth in java.library.path

I don't think the issue is that it cannot find the class, it is that it doesn't know what library.path means.

I have java installed:
C:\Dynamo> java -version java version "1.8.0_91" Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_91-b15) Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 25.91-b15, mixed mode)

In my PATH I have C:\ProgramData\Oracle\Java\javapath which I think is correct.

Do I need the JDK? not just JRE? Am I doing something else wrong?

I think that the path in the example may not be correct for windows, but I don't think that is the problem, I have tried dozens of different paths, but they all say the same thing.

Crisp

Answer 1

We found that PowerShell misinterprets the -Djava.library.path parameter. Enclosing either the parameter name or the entire name & value fixed the issue in our case.

java -D"java.library.path"=./DynamoDBLocal_lib -jar DynamoDBLocal.jar -sharedDb

or

java "-Djava.library.path=./DynamoDBLocal_lib" -jar DynamoDBLocal.jar -sharedDb

The answers to this question also helped How to pass Properties to jar from Powershell?

Psychro

Answer 2

Tried one last time before posting the question, this time with just a normal command prompt rather than powershell and it works. The path in the example worked fine.

Crisp

Thank you so much for your question and answer! this is exactly the same issue i was having and ur answer helped me find the solution. – Quartis

Please see @Mike's answer. His answer provides a solution rather than a workaround. – Astonishment

Answer 3

If you are using window powershell please use the following command

java -D"java.library.path"=./DynamoDBLocal_lib -jar DynamoDBLocal.jar -sharedDb

Assort