Every software evolves, until it reaches its natural end of life, even the strongest one. This is valid for application runtimes too. They have lifecycles, and when they reach certain milestones, they can affect how the applications they support operate. Yet, many organizations continue to run their mission-critical enterprise Java applications on aging platforms.

One prominent example is the case of Java EE 8-compatible application servers, most of which are now receiving limited support, such as JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) 7 that recently moved out of Full Support.  

How can organizations identify if an ageing runtime is impacting their applications and operations? Let's dig in.

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.

Choosing the right application server is critical for the success of enterprise-grade applications. While Red Hat’s JBoss is a commonly implemented solution, organizations may want to explore alternatives to their current applications servers and runtimes. Sure, migrations can be intimidating, but if JBoss is no longer a perfect fit for a specific application, a move can help meet specific requirements, such as cutting licensing costs or adopting cloud-native approaches, as well as unlock new opportunities or capabilities.  

If you're here, chances are you’re considering your options. In this blog, we’ll discuss what JBoss offers, why businesses look for alternatives as well as what key contenders to look for when exploring alternatives.