Java is one of the world’s most popular programming languages. Platform-independent, easy to learn, simple to use and secure, the object-oriented language ranks as one of the world’s top four developer languages and has found its way into enterprise applications the world over.
However, since 2019, moves from Java Development Kit vendor Oracle to impose multiple license changes on new versions are causing organisations to pay attention to Java. Many businesses in APAC are jumping ship in favour of OpenJDK options like Azul Systems.
Gil Tene, chief technology officer at Azul, whose Java offering supports organisations like Netflix, Mastercard, Salesforce, Workday and Adobe, said its Java management options are also helping customers optimise cloud costs and efficiently de-risk Java vulnerabilities.
What changes have been made to Oracle’s Java licensing and pricing?
Oracle has made a number of changes to Oracle JDK licensing and pricing since 2019. These changes have been primarily aimed at getting business users of Oracle’s Java to pay something for the commercial use of the previously free open-source development language.
Updates in 2019 and 2021
With the update in 2019, starting from Oracle JDK 8, Oracle sought to get those using Oracle Java in commercial production to purchase an Oracle Java SE subscription. In 2021, a backlash caused it to reverse course, and commercial production was allowed from Oracle JDK 17.
The 2021 changes only included updates for Long Term Support versions of Java for at least one full year after the release of the next LTS version, shorter than competing OpenJDK vendors. The new licence conditions also did not allow redistribution for a fee.
The recent 2023 update
In 2023, Oracle announced it would require organisations using Oracle Java to purchase a license for their entire employee population if even a single employee or server had installed a licensable version of Java.
Because the pricing change did not depend on the actual number of Java users and even captured the likes of contractors working for an organisation, the change entailed significant increases in costs for companies choosing to continue with Oracle Java.
What are the results of Oracle’s Java licensing and pricing changes?
With Oracle pursuing organisations using Oracle JDK, many are considering or are moving to alternatives. According to New Relic’s 2024 State of the Java Ecosystem report, Oracle’s Java market share slipped from 75% in 2020 to 21% in 2023, including a 29% drop in share in one year.
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“There was a noticeable movement away from Oracle binaries after the more restrictive licensing of its JDK 11 distribution (before the return to a more open stance with Java 17), and we’ve seen a steady decline year-over-year ever since then,” New Relic wrote.
Azul’s State of Java Survey and Report from 2023, which surveyed 2,000 businesses using Java, found Oracle’s market share dropped from 75% for Java Development Kit distributions in 2020 to 42% using at least one instance of Oracle Java in 2023.
In the report, Azul found Oracle’s most recent 2023 licence and pricing update had sparked “widespread apprehension.” It said 82% of businesses expressed concern over the change, and nearly three-fourths (72%) were actively exploring alternatives to Oracle Java.
Stepping in to pick up Java users was Amazon, whose Coretto increased to 31% of the market in 2023, though this had dropped to 18% again by 2024. A range of other vendors, such as community maintained Eclipse Adoptium and Azul Systems, have been capturing interest too.
The quest for alternative JDK vendors in APAC suits Azul Systems
Azul’s APAC business is benefiting from the shift away from Oracle JDK. The business offers both a trusted OracleJDK replacement, which it calls Azul Platform Core, as well as a premium offering, Azul Platform Prime, designed for high performance, consistency and efficiency.
Azul Vice President APAC Dean Vaughan told TechRepublic that since Oracle’s most recent 2023 licensing change, the business has seen a surge in growth in Australia, Malaysia, India, Taiwan and The Philippines. More recently, it has also picked up Japanese global multinationals.
Three benefits of taking a closer look at Java usage
Java’s widespread use in enterprises is what has made Oracle’s licensing changes so concerning for many. However, organisations forced to look closely at how they are using Java can also benefit from cloud cost optimisation, improved security and making their organisations more competitive in their industry as well as in the competition for developer talent.
1. Cost optimisation of Java estates in the cloud
Azul’s Vaughan said organisations that have expanded in the cloud in APAC are seeing dramatic cloud cost increases through the usage of hyperscalers like AWS or Azure or regional players like Tencent or Alibaba. While some cloud providers work hard to help customers rationalise workloads to reduce cost, he said they do not spend time “looking at the stack.”
Azul is seeing growth from cloud-native companies in markets like ASEAN, India and China. He said these countries have grown their own predominantly local tech industries, and that, in comparison, to global companies, are willing to think outside the box when it comes to OpenJDK vendors or optimising Java to “dramatically reduce” the cloud costs they are incurring.
2. Dealing with vulnerabilities in older Java versions
Security, compliance and governance are another key driver of paying more attention to Java. With the risk of common vulnerabilities and exposures in older versions of Java and recent events like the Log4Shell vulnerability that impacted 80% of Java users, organisations want to ensure they practise good hygiene by updating to more recent versions of Java, according to Azul.
One feature of Azul’s Intelligence Cloud offering, which sits on top of its Platform Core and Prime Java options, is the ability to identify and triage any vulnerabilities identified in Java versions. By establishing which identified vulnerabilities have actually been put into production, an organisation can ensure DevOps teams spend time on the right things.
3. Improve competitiveness with newer or premium Java versions
Many organisations want to modernise by moving to newer versions of Java. This can have advantages like attracting younger, talented developers and equipping development teams with the latest Java advancements. “Java has developed in exciting ways in the past decade, so for some it may be worth investing in for the business,” Tene said.
Azul’s premium version of Java called Java Prime has attracted a following in industries like financial services in APAC. Tene said these businesses are being attracted to an enhanced version of Java that is faster, more consistent and can “handle huge workloads.” This ensures they are able to maintain competitiveness with their peers in their market vertical.
