The Jakarta EE Working Group conducted the first-ever Cloud Native Java Survey between July 11, 2024 and August 23, 2024 to gather insights on popular Java SE versions, Jakarta EE, and MicroProfile usage. The results from over 170 respondents left us with a number of important takeaways about the adoption of enterprise Java technologies, developer priorities, and more. Here are the key findings.
Java EE/Jakarta EE Adoption
- Jakarta EE 8 & Java EE 8 remain the most widely used versions.
- Jakarta EE 10 adoption is growing as developers skip EE 9/9.1, which were transitional.
- A notable portion still relies on legacy Java EE versions (e.g., EE 6, released 15 years ago).
MicroProfile Adoption
- A majority do not use MicroProfile.
- Those who do mostly run newer versions (MicroProfile 6 aligns with Jakarta EE 10).
- Some developers remain on older MicroProfile releases, indicating slow migration.
Java SE Versions
- Java SE 17 is the most used version.
- Almost half of developers are already on Java SE 21.
- Java SE 8 and 11 still have significant usage, despite being outdated.
Popular Java Runtimes
- Spring Boot, Tomcat, Quarkus, and WildFly dominate the landscape.
- GlassFish, JBoss EAP, Payara, and Open Liberty also have strong adoption.
- Jetty, TomEE, and WebSphere hold niche market shares.
- Helidon and some Asian runtimes have limited traction (~5% adoption).
Popular Jakarta EE APIs
- Jakarta REST (JAX-RS), CDI, and JPA are the most widely used.
- JSON, Servlet, and EJB also see strong adoption.
- JSF, JSP, and JMS usage is declining as JavaScript frameworks and alternative messaging solutions gain traction.
Popular MicroProfile APIs
- Config, OpenAPI, and REST Client lead usage.
- Health, Metrics, and JWT are commonly used for cloud native applications.
- GraphQL, OpenTracing, and Reactive Messaging see limited adoption.
Developer Priorities for Jakarta EE & MicroProfile
- Adapting to Java SE innovations (e.g., Virtual Threads, Project CRaC, Project Leyden).
- Enhanced Kubernetes support (e.g., integration with Kubernetes Secrets).
- Deprecating legacy features like EJB, favoring CDI-based alternatives.
- New features, including:
- Jakarta Messaging Lite for modern cloud use cases.
- CDI-based replacements for EJB Message-Driven Beans, @Schedule, and @RolesAllowed.
- A standard API for server management.
Other Key Insights
- The majority still use the Jakarta EE platform.
- Most developers combine Jakarta EE and MicroProfile, though some use Jakarta EE alone.
- JSON over HTTP (REST) dominates API usage; XML and SOAP are declining, while OpenAPI is widely used.
The Jakarta EE Working Group thanks all participants and will use these insights to guide future improvements.
