The Ultimate Jakarta EE 10 Tutorial for Java Developers

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Introduction to Jakarta EE 10

Overview of Jakarta EE 10 as the Evolution of Java EE

Jakarta EE 10 marks a significant milestone in the evolution of enterprise Java, representing both a technological and organizational shift from its predecessor, Java EE. Now stewarded by the Eclipse Foundation, Jakarta EE 10 introduces new features, modernizes the platform, and positions enterprise Java for the cloud-native era.

Background and Transition

  • Java EE (Java Enterprise Edition) was the industry standard for building scalable, secure enterprise applications for over two decades, managed initially by Sun Microsystems and then Oracle.
  • In 2017, Oracle transferred stewardship of Java EE to the Eclipse Foundation, leading to the rebranding as Jakarta EE. This move enabled a more open, community-driven development process, fostering transparency and collaboration.

Key Differences and Innovations in Jakarta EE 10

  • Community-Driven Development: Unlike the centralized management under Oracle, Jakarta EE is now managed by the Eclipse Foundation, emphasizing community involvement and vendor neutrality.
  • Namespace Change: One of the most visible changes is the shift from the javax.* namespace to jakarta.*, reflecting the new stewardship and open governance model.
  • Modern Cloud-Native Focus: Jakarta EE 10 is designed to support modern application architectures, including microservices, containers, and cloud deployments. It incorporates features that make it easier to build, deploy, and manage cloud-native Java applications.
  • Core Profile Introduction: Jakarta EE 10 introduces the “Core Profile,” a lightweight subset of specifications tailored for microservices and ahead-of-time compilation. This profile is even more streamlined than the existing Web Profile, making it ideal for modern, lightweight runtimes.
  • Enhanced Java SE Alignment: The platform now requires Java SE 11 as a minimum, with support for Java SE 17, ensuring access to the latest Java features and greater alignment with the broader Java ecosystem.
  • Specification Updates: Over 20 component specifications were updated, with both major and minor releases. Notable updates include Concurrency 3.0, Contexts and Dependency Injection (CDI) 4.0, Servlet 6.0, Security 3.0, and new features in JSON Binding and Processing, among others.
  • Modular and Extensible: The modular approach allows easier integration with other open-source projects and promotes interoperability, supporting frameworks like Spring and facilitating the use of modern dependency injection and builder patterns.
  • API Simplification and Modernization: Jakarta EE 10 simplifies application development by enhancing support for annotations and removing deprecated APIs, making the platform easier and more intuitive for developers.

Ecosystem and Compatibility

  • Jakarta EE 10 is supported by a growing ecosystem of compatible products, including major application servers like Eclipse GlassFish, Open Liberty, WildFly, and Payara.
  • The platform maintains a high level of backward compatibility, ensuring that existing Java EE applications can transition smoothly to Jakarta EE.

Strategic Importance

Jakarta EE 10 is a transformative release that modernizes enterprise Java for the cloud era. Under the Eclipse Foundation, it delivers new features, streamlined profiles, and a collaborative development model, ensuring that enterprise Java remains robust, relevant, and ready for the future.

Overview of Jakarta EE 10 Features

Jakarta EE 10 represents a major step forward in the evolution of enterprise Java, embracing modern development paradigms and cloud-native architectures. This release introduces a range of new features and enhancements that improve developer productivity, application performance, and platform flexibility.

Cloud-Native Support

At the heart of Jakarta EE 10 is a strong focus on cloud-native development. The platform now supports building applications optimized for deployment in containers and cloud environments. This is largely enabled by the introduction of the Core Profile, a lightweight subset of Jakarta EE specifications designed specifically for microservices and resource-constrained runtimes. With this profile, developers can create applications that start quickly, consume fewer resources, and are easier to maintain in cloud-native infrastructures.

Core Profile

The Core Profile is a new, minimal Jakarta EE runtime that includes essential APIs such as Concurrency 3.0, Dependency Injection 2.0, CDI Lite 4.0, RESTful Web Services 3.1, JSON Binding 3.0, and JSON Processing 2.1. It is even lighter than the traditional Web Profile, making it ideal for microservices and serverless applications. By focusing on the most critical APIs, the Core Profile streamlines development and deployment for modern Java applications.

CDI Lite

One of the standout features of Jakarta EE 10 is CDI Lite, a simplified version of the Contexts and Dependency Injection (CDI) specification. CDI Lite is designed for build-time bean discovery and configuration, which reduces runtime overhead and improves application startup times. This makes it particularly suitable for microservices and applications that benefit from ahead-of-time compilation. CDI Lite retains the core benefits of CDI while enabling a more efficient and lightweight dependency injection mechanism.

Java SE 11 and 17 Compatibility

Jakarta EE 10 requires a minimum of Java SE 11 and also supports Java SE 17, the latest long-term support version of Java. This ensures that developers can take advantage of modern Java language features, improved performance, and enhanced security. Aligning with these recent Java versions future-proofs Jakarta EE applications and integrates seamlessly with the broader Java ecosystem.

Enhanced Developer Experience

Jakarta EE 10 improves the developer experience by expanding the use of annotations, simplifying APIs, and removing deprecated features. These changes reduce boilerplate code and make the platform more intuitive to use. Additionally, modern builder patterns and static methods are introduced in core APIs, which streamline configuration and improve code readability.

Major Specification Updates

The release includes updates to over 20 component specifications, reflecting both major and minor improvements. Significant updates include:

  • Contexts and Dependency Injection 4.0, introducing CDI Lite
  • Servlet 6.0, with modernized APIs
  • Security 3.0, enhancing authentication and authorization mechanisms
  • JSON Binding 3.0 and JSON Processing 2.1, improving JSON handling
  • RESTful Web Services 3.1, adding new capabilities
  • Server Faces 4.0, with updated APIs and removal of deprecated features
  • SOAP with Attachments 3.0 and XML Binding 4.0, modernizing legacy XML technologies

These updates collectively modernize the platform and align it with current development trends.

Improved Modularity and Interoperability

Jakarta EE 10’s modular design allows developers to select the appropriate profile-Full, Web, or Core-based on their application needs. This modularity facilitates easier integration with other frameworks and libraries, supporting diverse application architectures from monoliths to microservices. The platform’s open governance model under the Eclipse Foundation encourages interoperability and vendor-neutral innovation.

Backward Compatibility and Ecosystem Growth

Despite the modernization efforts, Jakarta EE 10 maintains strong backward compatibility with previous versions, ensuring that existing Java EE applications can migrate smoothly. The ecosystem supporting Jakarta EE continues to expand, with major application servers such as WildFly, GlassFish, Payara, and Open Liberty offering Jakarta EE 10-compatible runtimes.

Why Java Developers Should Learn Jakarta EE 10

Jakarta EE 10 represents a pivotal evolution in enterprise Java, offering developers the tools and frameworks needed to build scalable, secure, and cloud-native applications. Here’s why Java developers should prioritize mastering this platform.

Enterprise Scalability

Jakarta EE 10 provides a robust foundation for building enterprise-grade applications that scale effortlessly. With updated specifications like Jakarta Persistence and advanced transaction management, it ensures data consistency across distributed systems. The platform’s modular design, including the Full, Web, and Core Profiles, allows developers to tailor runtime environments to specific scalability needs-from monolithic applications to horizontally scalable microservices architectures. Backward compatibility ensures seamless migration for legacy systems, preserving investments while enabling modernization.

Microservices Architecture

The introduction of the Core Profile revolutionizes microservices development by offering a minimal runtime with essential APIs like CDI Lite, RESTful Web Services, and JSON Processing. CDI Lite’s build-time dependency injection reduces overhead, enabling rapid startup-a critical factor for containerized environments. Jakarta EE 10 also integrates smoothly with frameworks like Helidon and MicroProfile, simplifying the creation of resilient, stateful microservices. Features such as OpenID Connect support in Jakarta Security 3.0 and the REST Bootstrap API further streamline cloud-native development.

Community Support and Innovation

Under the Eclipse Foundation’s stewardship, Jakarta EE thrives as a collaborative, vendor-neutral ecosystem. The global community delivers frequent updates, such as the 20+ specification enhancements in Jakarta EE 10, driven by contributors from IBM, Oracle, Payara, and others. This open governance model ensures rapid adoption of modern practices, including native compilation support and Java SE 17 compatibility. Developers benefit from extensive documentation, tutorials, and a growing list of compatible products like Open Liberty and WildFly, backed by enterprise-grade support.

Future-Proofing with Modern Java

Aligning with Java SE 11 and 17, Jakarta EE 10 unlocks features like the module system and virtual threads (via compatible runtimes), enhancing performance and maintainability. The platform’s emphasis on annotations and declarative programming reduces boilerplate, while specifications like Bean Validation and Jakarta Security enforce best practices for data integrity and access control. By adopting Jakarta EE 10, developers future-proof their skillset, positioning themselves at the forefront of cloud-native enterprise Java innovation.

More Information

1. Jakarta EE 10 Platform Specifications
https://jakarta.ee/specifications/platform/10/
The official specification page from the Eclipse Foundation, detailing technical requirements, APIs, and compatibility guidelines for Jakarta EE 10.

2. Jakarta EE Tutorials & Documentation
https://jakarta.ee/learn/docs/jakartaee-tutorial/current/
Comprehensive tutorials and guides from the Jakarta EE project, covering cloud-native development, microservices, and core features.

3. Open Liberty’s Jakarta EE Overview
https://openliberty.io/docs/latest/jakarta-ee.html
A practical guide to Jakarta EE 10 implementation, including Core Profile setup and server configuration examples.

4. Jakarta EE GitHub Repository
https://jakartaee.github.io/platform/
The project’s GitHub page, providing release plans, compatibility matrices, and community-driven development updates.

5. Baeldung’s Jakarta EE 10 Guide
https://www.baeldung.com/jakarta-ee-10
A developer-friendly tutorial explaining Jakarta EE 10’s architecture, dependencies, and migration strategies.

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