Key Findings from the 2024 Java Cloud‑Native Survey

From July 11 to August 23 2024, the Jakarta EE Working Group conducted its first Java cloud‑native survey, collecting responses from more than 170 developers to understand the usage of Java SE versions, Jakarta EE, MicroProfile, and popular Java runtimes.

Java EE / Jakarta EE usage

Jakarta EE 8 and Java EE 8 are the most widely used versions (34% + 22%).

Adoption of Jakarta EE 10 is growing, with many developers skipping the intermediate Jakarta EE 9/9.1 releases.

A significant number of projects still depend on older Java EE releases such as Java EE 6, which was released 15 years ago.

MicroProfile usage

The majority of developers have never used MicroProfile.

Those who do use it mainly adopt newer versions (MicroProfile 6 aligns with Jakarta EE 10).

Some developers are still on older MicroProfile releases, indicating slower migration.

Java SE versions

Java SE 17 is the most commonly used version.

Nearly half of the respondents are already using Java SE 21.

Despite being outdated, Java SE 8 and 11 still hold a substantial share.

Popular Java runtimes (frameworks)

Spring Boot, Tomcat, Quarkus and WildFly dominate the market.

GlassFish, JBoss EAP, Payara and Open Liberty also see strong usage.

Jetty, TomEE and WebSphere hold notable shares.

Helidon and several Asian vendor runtimes have low adoption (around 5%).

Popular Jakarta EE APIs

Jakarta REST (JAX‑RS), CDI and JPA are the most widely used.

JSON, Servlet and EJB also see extensive use.

Usage of JSF, JSP and JMS is declining as JavaScript frameworks and messaging alternatives rise.

MicroProfile API usage

Config, OpenAPI and REST Client are the most commonly used APIs.

Health, Metrics and JWT are typically employed in cloud‑native applications.

GraphQL, OpenTracing and Reactive Messaging see relatively low adoption.

Developer priorities for Jakarta EE and MicroProfile

Adapting to Java SE innovations such as virtual threads, CRaC, and Leyden projects.

Improving Kubernetes support, e.g., integration with Kubernetes Secrets.

Deprecating legacy features like EJB in favor of CDI‑based alternatives.

New features under consideration:

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

Most developers continue to use the Jakarta EE platform.

The majority combine Jakarta EE and MicroProfile, though some use only Jakarta EE.

JSON over HTTP (REST) dominates API usage, while XML and SOAP are declining; OpenAPI is widely adopted.

The Jakarta EE Working Group thanks all participants and will use these insights to guide future improvements.