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 to ignore the platform’s transition into Extended Life Support (ELS). This end of support (EOS) phase means the application server version is no longer receiving full maintenance and new features. Only critical security and bug fixes are available to teams signing up to a paid subscription (on top of licensing cost).

If you’re wondering what to do next, this blog post is here to provide guidance and help you take effective steps for your Java EE 8 applications.

Understanding JBoss Extended Lifecycle Support

The JBoss ELS paid subscription provides an option to organizations that need more time beyond standard support phases to manage upgrades or migrations of enterprise Java applications. ELS is split into two distinct phases: ELS-1 and ELS-2, each offering different levels of support and maintenance after mainstream support ends.

What Happens in the ELS-1 and ELS-2 Phases?

• ELS-1: Red Hat provides critical security patches and urgent bug fixes deemed critical. There is no further feature development, certifications or enhancements. 

• ELS-2: Support becomes even more restricted, if non-existent, as the plan only offers guidance for migrations and problem evaluation. No new fixes, including security patches, are provided. While existing deployments are maintained, deploying new installations in ELS-2 is discouraged and teams are urged to expedite migration efforts.

Why You Should Think Beyond ELS-1 Now

ELS-1 for JBoss EAP 7 will run until October 2027, when it will be replaced by ELS-2 until October 2030. Teams subscribing to ELS may hesitate to act now because sticking with JBoss EAP 7 seems like the easiest path. After all, it avoids immediate migration or modernization headaches. However, while remaining on JBoss EAP through ELS might avoid short-term disruption, it exposes organizations to several risks and doesn't address the underlying issues. In fact:

• After 2027 (ELS-2), security patches and fixes stop completely. Security, compliance and other operational risks will skyrocket, and maintaining business continuity will get tougher, requiring additional resources and/or distracting teams from other, more value-adding activities.

• Upgrading to JBoss EAP 8 involves a major technology jump. JBoss EAP 8 is based on Jakarta EE 10. Therefore, your team will need to skip Jakarta EE 8 and Jakarta EE 9 versions when upgrading, making the project much more than a "simple" namespace change (javax.* → jakarta.*). In fact, besides the refactoring, it will involve significant rework that will likely affect your entire application and third-party libraries.

Strategic Options: Stay or Strategically Migrate?

Teams and organisations that subscribed to ELS-1 for their JBoss EAP 7 runtimes have three principal strategic paths to consider. 

Option 1: Remain on JBoss EAP 7 with ELS

• Pros: No migration effort, immediate stability.

• Cons: Increased technical debt, security/compliance risks, shrinking technology ecosystem, potential audit failures and ultimately costlier emergency migrations in future, as this path defers the inevitable migration unless the application is slated for retirement without replacement.

Option 2: Move to JBoss EAP 8+

• Pros: Moving to a more recent version of JBoss is an opportunity to maintain a similar environment while modernizing to benefit from enhanced security, active vendor support, cloud-native readiness and new technical capabilities.

• Cons: The "big-bang" migration from JBoss EAP 7 to 8 requires rigorous planning and resource allocation to ensure readiness for both namespace refactoring and functional updates in a single project cycle.

Option 3: Migrate to a supported Java EE 8-compatible platform

• Overview: Payara Platform Enterprise 5 is currently the only Java EE 8-compatible enterprise application server with active, ongoing full support. As such, it offers an excellent choice for teams needing to maintain  Java EE 8 applications without immediate migration to Jakarta EE namespaces.

• Pros:

  • Full support for the javax.* namespace, avoiding urgent code refactoring challenges

  • Regular monthly releases including security patches, performance and bug fixes, feature updates, software improvement as well as certifications

  • Container-native deployment support and cloud readiness, enabling modern architecture adoption on your timetable

  • Competitive pricing with a subscription model that is frequently cheaper than Red Hat’s JBoss licensing and ELS subscription offerings

  • Strong vendor independence, reducing lock-in to a single vendor ecosystem and enabling flexibility in tooling and infrastructure

  • Comprehensive commercial-grade SLA-backed support with rapid response times, ensuring mission-critical reliability and expert assistance

  • A straightforward migration path from JBoss EAP due to shared Java EE 8 compatibility.

• Cons: Organizations invested heavily in Red Hat ecosystems may face integration considerations to manage. 

Key Takeaways 

For organizations running enterprise Java applications on Red Hat JBoss EAP, ELS can buy some time but it is only as a temporary measure. Teams should leverage the ELS window to develop and execute robust migration/modernization strategies, mitigate security risks and ensure their Java tech stack can continue to operate effectively in the future.

Upfront investment in migration and modernization outweighs the growing risks and operational costs of extended legacy support, as the cumulative  investment and challenges grow over time.

Migration/modernization paths are not one-size-fits-all. While moving forward to JBoss EAP 8 with Jakarta EE 10 can be appropriate for some organisations, platforms like Payara Platform Enterprise 5 offer a compelling alternative for teams needing to extend the life of their existing Java EE 8 applications with active support, continued security updates and flexible cloud readiness.