Cloud computing has transformed how enterprises deploy and manage applications. A cloud server provides an on-demand, scalable infrastructure that enables businesses to launch services without heavy upfront investments in hardware. Whether used for hosting, data management, or large-scale application deployment, cloud servers are now integral to modern IT ecosystems. This is especially true for Java EE and Jakarta EE applications, where cloud-native environments based on cloud application servers deliver agility, resilience, and cost-efficiency.  

In this blog, we look at what cloud application servers are, how they work, key benefits, use cases and real-world applications. 

As enterprise Java continues to evolve, developers are constantly looking for ways to build faster, cleaner, and more efficient applications. That’s where AI comes in - and it's changing the game for Jakarta EE development.

We’re excited to share our latest resource: 'AI Tools for Jakarta EE – Power Up Your Java Enterprise Development'. This free guide explores how cutting-edge AI tools can streamline your workflow, reduce repetitive coding, and accelerate project delivery.

Introduction

The release of Jakarta EE 11 represents another significant milestone in the evolution of the Java Enterprise framework. With over 25 years of history since its first release in 1999, Jakarta EE has continuously evolved while maintaining its core principles of stability and enterprise-grade reliability.

When the SIFMA Foundation needed to modernize its aging financial education platform used by thousands of students, it turned to Payara Platform Enterprise for a scalable, reliable Java-based solution that could run seamlessly on IBM Advanced Interactive eXecutive (AIX) systems. The result: boost in user capacity per machine, streamlined deployments, and the flexibility to innovate continuously. With Payara’s responsive enterprise support and robust middleware technologies, SIFMA transitioned its mission-critical system to a modern architecture that is empowering the application and the organization to grow its impact, serve more students, and deploy updates confidently and efficiently.

Enterprise Jakarta EE applications require extensive tooling during development - Maven for dependency management, full JDKs for compilation, and various build utilities. However, production environments need only the compiled application and runtime server like Payara Server or Payara Micro. Multi-stage Docker builds bridge this gap by separating build and runtime concerns, producing dramatically smaller and more secure container images for Payara deployments.

The July 2025 release brings meaningful updates across the Payara Platform family, with improvements to database connectivity, critical bug fixes for CDI memory management, and comprehensive component upgrades.

This month's releases include Payara Platform Community 6.2025.7 (DOWNLOAD HERE), Enterprise 6.28.0, Enterprise 5.77.0 (FREE TRIAL), and Payara 7 Alpha 3.

The Java ecosystem is rapidly evolving, and we'd love to hear how you and your team are approaching this transformation. We’re running a short industry survey to understand how Java teams are modernizing today, what tools and runtimes they rely on, and where platform engineering fits into their journey. 

Earlier today, the Eclipse Foundation together with its vendor members, partners and community has announced the release of Jakarta EE 11, the latest version of its enterprise Java platform. Building on the Core Profile (Dec 2024) and Web Profile (Mar 2025), this release brings powerful new features aimed at boosting developer productivity and simplifying cloud-native development.

Enterprise Java has powered backend systems and key applications for three decades, evolving steadily alongside application architecture trends, from on-premise monoliths and service-oriented architectures to today's cloud-first containerized microservices. Currently, developers can typically  choose from three key enterprise Java frameworks: Jakarta EE, Quarkus and Spring / Spring Boot. 

In this post, we take a practical look at two major enterprise Java frameworks: Jakarta EE, the continuation of the long-established Java EE/J2EE standard and Quarkus, a newer framework that is growing in popularity. 

Last week, we announced the new edition of the Virtual Payara Conference, going live on Tuesday the 8th of July (REGISTER HERE), where we'll help you discover some practical strategies for your Java journey.