Can You Futureproof Your Enterprise Java Apps or Are They Doomed to Fall Behind?

When it comes to mission-critical applications for production environments, there is a clear shift in software development towards containerization, microservices or the mid-ground between monoliths and microservices: moduliths. These architectural patterns tend to offer better scalability, flexibility and efficiency in cloud native environments. As a result, application runtimes that have traditionally been well suited to monolithic paradigms, such as the GlassFish community project, can struggle to keep pace with modern development practices.  

While effective for monolithic applications, the typical architecture of these solutions often lacks the integrations necessary for smooth scaling, automated deployments and full adoption of DevOps tools that characterize modern applications. Therefore, updating existing enterprise Java applications relying on these traditional runtimes by building on Docker and Kubernetes environments can present significant challenges. 

In such instances, is there anything that companies can do to futureproof their existing applications or are they doomed to see them become obsolete without being able to do anything? 

The Issues of Legacy Runtimes 

The struggle of maintaining effective and relevant existing applications running on traditional application servers is real. Here’s some examples of industry leaders sharing their frustrations with real-world limitations when working with modern tech stacks. 

Brian Pontarelli, CEO at FusionAuth, says: “As the founder of FusionAuth, an authentication and authorization platform, I have plenty of experience moving applications off GlassFish. We originally built FusionAuth using GlassFish but quickly ran into issues scaling the application and keeping up with demand. The admin console was difficult to work with, and GlassFish lacked integrations with modern DevOps tools. 

“We migrated FusionAuth to run on Docker and Kubernetes, which allowed us to scale horizontally and make the most of our infrastructure. With Docker, our development workflows became much more efficient. We now use Prometheus, Grafana, and GitLab for metrics, logging, alerts, and CI/CD. 

“For startups building a SaaS product today, I would not recommend GlassFish. There are better options that will save time and money, like Kubernetes, Docker, and DevOps tools. They enable products to scale and teams to ship features faster. 

“Those still using GlassFish should look to containerize their applications and move to an orchestration platform. The benefits of scalability, resilience, and velocity far outweigh the costs of migration. With the right strategy and tools, migrating from GlassFish can be straightforward. The hardest part is taking that first step.” 

Mark McShane, Founder at Cupid PR, adds: “One of the ongoing problems with GlassFish is its compatibility—or lack thereof—with modern development practices. As the industry has moved to microservices, containerization, and cloud-native applications, GlassFish has struggled to keep up. Its architecture is good for traditional monolithic applications but not for the modular, agile environments that are becoming the norm. 

“We’ve found that integrating GlassFish with Docker and Kubernetes requires a lot of manual configuration and isn’t as slick as with other platforms. This has limited our ability to fully adopt cloud-native practices such as automated scaling, self-healing, and continuous delivery without a lot of custom development and additional infrastructure management. 

“This has been a major barrier to our stack modernization. GlassFish works for legacy systems, but it’s clear we need to move to application servers and platforms that are designed for modern development. Then we can really start to benefit from the cloud and DevOps.” 

As illustrated by these industry leaders, traditional runtimes are simply not built for modern development environments like containerization and microservices, which are rapidly becoming the industry standard. The lack of native support for orchestration toolssuch as Kubernetes, as well as for modern cloud native projects like MicroProfile, coupled with sparse integrations with modern DevOps practices, make these conventional runtimes challenging to use them for scalable, resilient applications that can grow with demand. 

Enter Payara Micro: The Modern Alternative 

For businesses looking to futureproof their applications while still leveraging an enterprise Java platform, Payara Micro provides a powerful alternative. Unlike legacy solutions, this lightweight alternative is specifically designed for cloud-native, containerized environments and integrates seamlessly with containerization technologies orchestration platforms, such as Dockers and Kubernetes, respectively. 

In addition, Payara Micro offers full support for MicroProfile, helping developers create and deploy cloud-native microservices with built-in features like metrics, fault tolerance, telemetry and configuration management. These elements are complemented by a small footprint and fast startup times, which allow for efficient scaling in production environments. 

Finally, Payara Micro is built on the Jakarta EE Web Profile specification, offering a simple, streamlined migration path from GlassFish. In effect, it can easily integrate with your existing enterprise Java infrastructure while offering the tools necessary for future growth. 

In the GorillaLogic blog, Adam Gamboa writes: “Payara and Payara Micro seem to be good options for deploying microservices in the Java EE environment because of the features like automatic clustering, health check & monitoring services. If a company using Java EE wants to introduce a micro-service architecture they DO NOT need to change to other frameworks like “spring boot” and throw away all Java EE knowledge. “   

Futureproofing with Payara Micro 

For organizations looking to update and improve their legacy enterprise Java applications there is a way forward. Without considerably altering their software, they can move to a highly compatible, modern environment that can support current and future needs: Payara Micro. By moving to this modern, well-tuned application runtime, companies can eliminate many of the headaches that come with using legacy application servers, providing a cloud-native, microservice-ready solution. By opting for Payara Micro, businesses can not only modernize their applications but also lay the foundation for continued innovation and scalability.