Glassfish fish
Since each new GlassFish release is only created to verify the Jakarta EE specifications, there is also no company behind GlassFish supporting you and your team.
GLASSFISH FISH UPDATE
This is in contrast with the Payara Platform, where we update the frameworks regularly so that fixes from libraries like EclipseLink and Mojarra are included. This means that, when there are newer versions of EclipseLink, Mojarra, or any other framework are released, they are not updated within GlassFish. There is always only one release with each new Jakarta EE iteration, just to pass all the tests of the TCK (Technology Compatibility Kit) suite of the Jakarta EE specifications. However, although the GlassFish server is being updated, it is not maintained like other runtimes or given the necessary continuing attention between Jakarta EE releases. This is why GlassFish continues to be updated despite not being tied to a specific vendor or project team. Since GlassFish is also a truly vendor-neutral product, it is at this current time used as the testing implementation of the Jakarta EE specification, and therefore it's used to verify the usability of each new release. GlassFish is, alongside the Payara Platform, the only Jakarta EE runtime that implements all the optional specifications.
The Jakarta EE specification contains several optional parts, so it must be tested on a runtime that implements all these optional elements. Otherwise, a specification could have some impossible requirements. Lack of Maintenance and Framework UpdatesĮvery specification must have been tested before it is released in order to prove that it is possible to implement it. With Payara Platform 5, we use Eclipse Transformer tools so that you can move to the Jakarta namespace incrementally. Unlike with GlassFish, Payara Platform gives you freedom over how and when you move to the new jakarta namespace. With Payara Platform, you can use all the same specifications with JDK 11, without needing to switch to the new namespace - and have been able to do so for two years! GlassFish users: You might think you need to migrate your Java EE application to the Jakarta namespace in order to run on JDK 11. But there are many more reasons to consider other options. In this blog, I explain why GlassFish 6.x is not the best choice for your mission critical deployments.įirstly, GlassFish 6.x uses the Jakarta namespace which means you have to adapt your application to this namespace before you can run it on JDK 11. If you are considering updating to more recent GlassFish versions, it might be better to consider more reliable, supported, and up-to-date alternatives. However, although GlassFish is still used by many - a legacy of the time it was supported by Oracle - we would argue it is NOT a good choice for running your enterprise applications in production. Earlier this week, Jakarta EE 9.1 was released. This is an update to Jakarta EE 9, adding support for JDK 11 - you can read more about it in our blog here.Īlongside the Jakarta EE 9.1 release, GlassFish 6.1 has been released as a Compatible Implementation.