As a Java developer, you may not control runtime support contracts, but what you can do is help your team stay ahead of platform shifts that impact stability, compliance and portability. And here’s a big one:
📢 Red Hat officially announced that JBoss EAP 7 reached the end of Maintenance Support and entered Extended Life Support Phase 1 (ELS-1) on June 30, 2025.
This marks the beginning of a gradual end-of-support timeline that affects all Java EE 8 applications running on JBoss EAP 7.x. The change was confirmed by Red Hat as part of its product lifecycle updates, and it’s a clear sign that organizations need to plan for what’s next. If your manager asks you for an overview on what’s happening and the options at hands, this blog post is for you: we summarized everything you need to know and what you can do for your Java EE 8 applications.
What Is Happening to JBoss EAP 7 in 2025?
Red Hat’s JBoss EAP 7 moved into Extended Life Phase 1 (ELS-1) on June 30, 2025, which means:
No more feature development
No more software enhancements
No more certifications
Only critical security and bug fixes
Limited technical assistance
Deprecated container images
Necessary subscription to ELS-1
ELS-1 lasts until October 31, 2027, followed by ELS-2, which ends in 2030 with even more limited support, i.e. no security updates at all.
Why JBoss EAP 7 Support Changes Matter to Developers
If your apps depend on Java EE 8 (javax.*), staying on JBoss EAP 7 after June 2025 increases your risk of:
Security vulnerabilities due to limited patching
Compliance issues in highly regulated industries
Mounting technical debtÂ
Vendor lock-in, limited portability and declining ecosystem support
Increasing runtime costs, associated with ELS-1 subscription
Shrinking modernization opportunities
Ultimately, relying on JBoss EAP 7.x ELS-1 means you and your team are stuck on outdated APIs, aging tooling and runtime limitations while having to pay for a considerable price.
Java EE 8 Still Matters in 2025 But Compatibility Is Changing
According to the Jakarta EE Working Group’s Cloud Native Java Survey, Java EE 8 / Jakarta EE 8 remains the most widely used enterprise Java version in production—with around 56% of the ecosystem still on it in 2025.
However, newer Jakarta EE versions have moved to jakarta.* namespaces and dropped support for Java SE 8. That’s a big refactor if you’re not ready.
Developer Options: Stick with JBoss or Suggest a Migration?
đź”´ Option 1: Stay on JBoss EAP 7.4 with ELS
Pros:
No migration effort
Minimal disruption short-term
Cons:
No new features or enhancements
Limited security and bug fixes
Deprecated Docker images
Vendor lock-in and shrinking support
May violate compliance standards that require active maintenance, patch cadence and/or support SLAs
The need to refactor/modernize shortly
âś… Option 2: Migrate to Payara Platform Enterprise 5
Payara Platform Enterprise 5 is currently the only Java EE 8-compatible application server with:
Full support for javax.* namespace
Regular monthly releases with security and bug fixes, updates and improvements
Hot fixes
Support through 2029+, with Lifetime Support available afterwards
Container-native deployment support
Active community and commercial-grade SLAs
Competitive pricing
Payara vs. JBoss EAP 7 ELS-1: Feature Comparison
Feature
JBoss EAP 7 (ELS-1)
Payara Platform Enterprise 5
Java EE 8 Compatibility
âś…
âś…
Security Fixes
Critical only (discretionary)
Ongoing
Bug Fixes
Urgent only
Selective, production-priority
Feature Enhancements
❌
âś… (on request)
Software Improvements
❌
âś…
Container Images
Deprecated
Maintained
Support SLAs
Limited
Full SLA Support
For a more comprehensive overview on how Payara Platform Enterprise 5 compares with JBoss, check our webpage here.
Why Developers Should Raise This with Their Team
Even if you’re not signing contracts or managing procurement, your technical insight matters. Here’s how you can contribute:
Start conversations early:Â Bring up the JBoss EAP 7 support timeline in your next team meeting.
Share this article and the associated guide: They frame the problem and give a comprehensive insights on what ELS-1 means and what your team can do.Â
How to Run and Scale AI Java Applications in Production: An Overview for Developers with no Machine Learning Expertise
Organizations are increasingly interested in adopting artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI) to improve operations and offer next-generation […]
4 minutes
Security
Asif Khan
29 Sep 2025
Zero Trust Security in Enterprise Java: What it is and How to Implement it
Cybersecurity isn’t just about building walls, fortresses, moats or any other external barrier anymore. Nowadays, it’s important to check […]
5 minutes
Migration
Chiara Civardi
23 Sep 2025
JBoss ELS Decoded: What Extended Lifecycle Support Really Means for Your Java Applications​
If your Java EE 8 applications run on Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) 7, you can’t afford […]