As 2025 comes to a close, it's a great moment to reflect on what we’ve achieved together as the Jakarta EE community. From major platform updates to refreshing the website and growing developer engagement, this year has been full of meaningful progress.
Celebrating Jakarta EE 11
One of our biggest milestones this year was Jakarta EE 11. This time we did the release in a different way: we released as soon as the profile or platforms were ready! The Core Profile was available in December 2024 and Web Profile in March 2025, and Jakarta EE Platform finalised in June 2025, reflecting the steady progress of the Jakarta EE community. Compatible products followed right away!
Jakarta EE 11 introduces the new Jakarta Data specification, delivers a modernised testing experience with updated TCK infrastructure based on JUnit 5 and Maven, and expands support for Java 21, including virtual threads. It also streamlines the platform by retiring older specifications such as Managed Beans, reinforcing Contexts and Dependency Injection (CDI) as the preferred programming model and continues to provide Java Records support.
This release marks a significant step forward in simplifying enterprise Java development, improving developer productivity, and supporting modern, cloud native applications. It's a true reflection of the community’s collaborative efforts and ongoing commitment to innovation.
Read the Jakarta EE 11 announcement
Introducing Jakarta Agentic AI: A New Standard for Running AI Agents on Jakarta EE
This year marked the introduction of the Jakarta Agentic AI specification project. Aimed at standardising how AI agents run within Jakarta EE runtimes, this new specification will be included in a future release. Much like Jakarta Servlet unified HTTP processing and Jakarta Batch defined batch workflows, Jakarta Agentic AI will provide a clear, annotation-driven API that defines how agents are created, managed, and executed.
Built on CDI as the core component model, the specification will establish consistent lifecycle patterns and usage semantics, making it easier for developers to implement and integrate a wide range of agent types. The project also anticipates deep integration with key Jakarta EE APIs, ensuring seamless interoperability across the platform.
Jakarta Agentic AI is being developed with broad industry collaboration in mind. The project is seeking input from subject-matter experts, vendors, and API consumers both inside and outside the Java ecosystem to build the most open, portable, and future-ready agent execution model possible. Visit the project page to learn more about the specification.
Listening and learning through the Jakarta EE Developer Survey
Our annual Jakarta EE Developer Survey remains one of the best ways to track how developers and organisations are using enterprise Java and shaping their cloud strategies. In 2025, we saw a 20% increase in participation, with over 1,700 participants sharing how they use Jakarta EE in practice.
The results show continued growth and confidence in Jakarta EE across the ecosystem. Notably, even before the full platform release was finalised, 18 percent of respondents were already using Jakarta EE 11, a strong signal of interest and early adoption.
These insights help us better understand where the community is focusing its energy, from modernising applications and adopting newer Java versions to evaluating cloud strategies and driving specification innovation. We're grateful to everyone who participated and shared their views.
Explore the 2025 developer survey findings
Learning and contributing: A growing developer ecosystem
The Jakarta EE Learn page expanded its resources to better support developers at all levels. As part of our broader effort to support community growth, we also introduced a new Contribute page, a dedicated space that outlines how individuals and organisations can get involved with Jakarta EE.
The Contribute page highlights the many ways to participate, from writing code and improving documentation to joining specification discussions or helping with community outreach. It also explains why contributing matters, what contributors gain, and how to get started.
To further support newcomers, we launched the Jakarta EE Mentorship Program, which pairs new contributors with experienced community mentors who can provide guidance, answer questions, and help them navigate the contribution process. Whether you're new to open source or simply new to Jakarta EE, the mentorship experience helps build skills, confidence, and deeper community connections.
Looking ahead: A refreshed web presence
Throughout 2025, our marketing team in collaboration with the Jakarta EE Marketing Committee worked on a major Jakarta EE website refresh to better reflect the clarity, maturity, and momentum of the community. While the full launch is now scheduled for early January, the homepage and navigation redesign is already complete and ready for rollout. The updated site features a bold new homepage, improved navigation through streamlined mega menus, and a new “Why Jakarta EE” section that helps visitors quickly understand the platform’s value.
This is just the beginning. Additional updates and structural improvements will continue rolling out through 2026, with a focus on enhancing messaging, navigation, and the overall user experience. Stay tuned for the official launch and more updates in the months ahead.
Global presence: virtual events, conferences, and community connections
Jakarta EE had a visible and impactful presence at face-to-face (F2F) conferences around the world, especially in the first half of the year. From Devnexus to JCON and beyond, Jakarta EE working group and community members presented talks, engaged with attendees at our sponsored booths, and built valuable relationships.
In 2025, JakartaOne Livestreams continued to grow with successful regional events in China and the annual JakartaOne Livestream, which attracted more than 6,000 viewers globally, with over 3,200 participants. With 20+ sessions, 15+ speakers, and 14+ hours of multilingual content, the JakartaOne Livestream series continued to drive strong community engagement across regions. Chinese JakartaOne Livestream recordings, as well as the annual JakartaOne Livestream recording, are available on our YouTube channel for anyone interested.
JakartaOne F2F Meetups further expanded the program’s regional footprint, with events in China and Japan drawing 170+ registered participants and 100+ in-person attendees, supported by high community approval and strong local participation.
With 17 Jakarta EE Tech Talks delivered in 2025, the program remains a vital channel for community learning, collaboration, and inspiration. Topics ranged from microservices and containers to security and observability. Recordings of these sessions are available on our YouTube channel.
Looking forward to 2026 and beyond
As we conclude an impactful 2025, it’s clear that Jakarta EE continues to strengthen its role as the open, vendor-neutral foundation for modern enterprise Java. The progress we’ve made this year, from delivering Jakarta EE 11 and introducing new specifications like Jakarta Agentic AI, to expanding our global events and deepening community engagement, reflects the dedication, collaboration, and passion of everyone involved.
2026 promises to be another exciting year of innovation and growth.
Thank you to all members, contributors, committers, and the wider community for your continued support. Together, we’re driving the platform forward and building a vibrant, open, and innovative ecosystem.
Here’s to another year of progress, collaboration, and innovation with Jakarta EE.
