JBoss EAP 7 in ELS‑1?
Here’s Your Developer‑Friendly Upgrade Path
Keep javax.*, stay on Java EE 8, and modernize on your terms — with Payara Platform Enterprise 5.
Why This Matters Now (for developers)
When Red Hat moved JBoss EAP 7 into Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS‑1), it changed your day‑to‑day: fewer updates, diminishing certifications, and increasing friction upgrading JVMs, databases, and infra.
What you’re seeing:
- Security and bug fixes only, and delayed → longer exposure windows
- No new features / enhancements → stagnating performance & tooling
- Compatibility risk → not certified against newer JVMs or DBs
- Rising cost for less → ELS surcharges with shrinking value
What you want instead:
- A stable, supported Java EE 8 runtime with
javax.*continuity - Monthly updates (bugs & security) and maintained container images
- Predictable SLAs & expert help to unblock releases
- Time and flexibility to modernize incrementally (when you decide)
Your Options
With JBoss EAP 7.x reaching ELS-1, you can choose between limited legacy support, security,
ROI or full control over your Java future by migrating to Payara Platform Enterprise 5.
| Remain on JBoss EAP 7 (ELS‑1) | Migrate to Payara Enterprise 5 |
|---|---|
 Minimal change now | Full and extended Java EE 8 (javax.*) support through 2029, with no forced namespace refactoring in the near future |
 ELS-1 ends in 2027 | Lifetime support ends by 2032 |
| ELS-1 comes at additional cost | Full and extended support (until 2029) is included at no additional cost |
| Increasing technical debt | Modern tooling for DevOps |
| Vendor lock-in risks | Commercial support, SLAs and hot fixes |
| No non-critical fixes | Monthly and asynchronous bug fixes and security patches |
| No software enhancements | Monthly updates |
| No new features | Monthly updates |
| No certifications | Regular certification updates |
| Risk to complicate compliance | Robust regulatory compliance |
| Risk of vendor lock-in | Highly portable (not that you’d want to leave though) |
| Limited technical support | Comprehensive expert technical support |
| Deprecated container images | Container images maintained |
What Dev Teams Get with Payara 5
- Drop‑in Java EE 8 runtime: preserve your codebase and keep your release cadence
- Monthly releases: security patches, bug fixes, and platform improvements
- DevOps‑ready: maintained container images; automation‑friendly administration
- Expert support: real engineers on the line, with SLAs that match enterprise needs
- Compliance‑aligned: proactive fixes and lifecycle you can plan around
“In terms of support costs Payara is 60% cheaper than JBoss… Our engineers are extremely satisfied with Payara’s performance.” — International Hotel Franchise
Migration: Fast Path for Developers
Most teams complete an initial lift‑and‑shift in days, not months.
- Inventory your datasources, JMS, security realms, and scheduled jobs
- Stand up Payara Enterprise 5 in a non‑prod environment (VM or container)
- Map configuration one‑to‑one (JDBC pools, JMS, realms) with parity configs
- Deploy existing EAR/WARs unchanged (Java EE 8,
javax.*) and smoke test - Iterate: performance tuning, HA cluster setup, and CI/CD pipeline updates
Architecture & Operations Highlights
- Clustering & Session Replication for scale and resilience
- Managed Data Sources & Connection Pools with observability defaults
- Transaction Management & Messaging aligned with Java EE 8
- Lifecycle & Patch Cadence designed for enterprise change windows
For Tech Leads
Plan it like a change, not a rewrite.
- Scope: runtime swap + config parity
- Risk controls: canary deployments, rollback plan, perf baseline
- Success criteria: zero code changes, security posture improved, patch cadence restored
What to Do Next
Ready to move forward? Whether you want to test compatibility quickly or validate Payara in your own environment, choose the path that best fits your workflow. Both options are designed to get you hands-on with minimal risk and maximum clarity.
Path A — Evaluate quickly (no heavy lift):
- Get the Migration Playbook (config map, test plan, rollback strategy)
- Book a 30‑minute technical consultation with a Payara engineer
Path B — Pilot in your stack:
- Spin up a non‑prod Payara 5 environment
- Deploy a representative app; capture perf & compatibility; iterate
Trusted by Global Leaders Across Industries
With a relentless focus on stability, security, and flexibility, Payara enables
enterprises in unlocking the full value of their Java investments.
“Having commercial support from Payara, who own the codebase, really takes open-source to the next level. They validated our configuration, made recommendations for improvement, and gave us confidence we were getting the most out of the product and making the best decisions from the start.”
Neil Openshaw
Senior Manager
Software Engineering
“The biggest impact has been the ability to scale our operations and grow our user-base. With Payara, we’ve been able to increase the number of users that we serve by 4 times.”
Reid Watson
Senior Associate Software Developer
“Partnering with Payara Server Enterprise has been a game-changer for us at LinkPulse. Their expert support, reliable 24/7 service, and long-term lifecycle have allowed us to deliver seamless migrations and maintain critical public sector systems without interruption.”
Fernando Maldonado
Project Leader
“’Using Payara Enterprise support enables us to get our APIs more stable and we feel more confident in the service we provide to our customers”
Stefan Ajderev
IT Infrastructure and Security Manager at DPD