The road to becoming an AI creator | Article introduction: A must-read for large-scale system developers! Grasp the future of enterprise Java with Jakarta EE 11 and Java 21! A thorough explanation for beginners. #JakartaEE #Java21 #EnterpriseJava
Video explanation
[For beginners] What is Jakarta EE 11? A thorough explanation of the future of enterprise Java evolving with Java 21!
Hello, I'm John, the writer of the AI technology blog. The world of programming is evolving day by day, and many people feel like they can't keep up with all the new technologies that are coming out. In particular, the world of Java, which has been used for many years in large-scale system development, is now undergoing a major transformation. At the center of this transformation is the"Jakarta EE 11"This is the latest"Java 21"In collaboration with"Enterprise Java (Java development technology for businesses)"It will be the new standard for. Does it sound difficult? Don't worry! If you read this article, even a complete beginner will be able to clearly understand what Jakarta EE 11 is and why it is attracting attention. Let's take a look at the world of the latest technology together!
Basic information: What is Jakarta EE 11?
Let's start with the basics: to understand Jakarta EE, you first need to know the term "Enterprise Java."
- Enterprise Java (Java EE): A set of Java technologies that has long been used to create "large systems" that require high reliability and security, such as bank systems, business systems for large companies, and large-scale e-commerce sites. It used to be called "Java EE."
- Jakarta EEMoreJava EE is its successor, which has evolved with the times. Development was transferred from Oracle to an open source organization called the Eclipse Foundation, and it was renamed "Jakarta EE." In other words,Jakarta EE is a modern, open-source enterprise Java
そ し て,Jakarta EE 11is its latest version, released on June 2024, 6.
What problem does it solve?
In the past, enterprise Java was perceived as powerful, but somewhat complex and difficult to learn. Jakarta EE 11 aims to change that perception.
- Simplified Development: It reduces traditional complex code and makes code simpler and more intuitive, allowing developers to focus on the business logic (what the system wants to achieve).
- Increased productivity: It greatly reduces the time and effort required to write tedious "boilerplate code." In particular, the new feature "Jakarta Data" makes interacting with databases incredibly easy.
- Responding to the cloud era: It has become commonplace for modern applications to run not only on in-house servers, but also on the cloud (computer resources accessed via the Internet). Jakarta EE 11 provides a mechanism for efficiently developing these "cloud-native" applications and running them with high performance.
Unique Features of Jakarta EE 11
Jakarta EE 11 has several notable new features:
- Full support for Java 21: We have officially supported Java 21, the latest LTS (Long-Term Support) version. This means that the main feature of Java 21 is"Virtual Threads"This is a groundbreaking technology that can handle many processes simultaneously and very efficiently, dramatically improving application performance.
- Introducing the new specification "Jakarta Data": A new technology that enables developers to automate database operation code (such as creating, reading, updating, and deleting data) that was previously written manually by developers by simply defining simple rules. This reduces the amount of code and the number of bugs.
- Modernizing your test environment: The "testing" mechanism to check whether an application works correctly has been revamped to more modern and efficient tools (JUnit 5 and Maven). This makes it easier to develop high-quality software quickly.
Why is Jakarta EE important?
You may be wondering, "I understand that it's a great technology, but why is it so important?" There are several indicators to measure the value of a technology, such as the "supply" and "market capitalization" of virtual currencies. In the case of Jakarta EE, its importance lies in the following points.
- The strength of being the "standard"Jakarta EE is not a product made by a single company, but a "specification," or a rulebook that specifies what features it should have. Various companies around the world (IBM, Red Hat, Payara, Fujitsu, etc.) create products called "implementations" based on this rulebook. This makes it easy for developers to switch or combine various products once they have learned the rules of Jakarta EE. This leads to the great benefit of "avoiding vendor lock-in," which means you are not tied to a specific vendor.
- Huge ecosystem and proven track recordJakarta EE (formerly Java EE) has a proven track record of supporting the world's mission-critical systems for decades. There are many developers around the world who are familiar with this technology, and it has accumulated a wealth of libraries (collections of useful components) and know-how. It is because of this huge ecosystem that companies can adopt it with confidence.
- Transparency and continuity through open source: Led by a non-profit organization called the Eclipse Foundation, development is carried out in a highly transparent process without being influenced by the interests of any particular company. Because it is created in cooperation with developers around the world, there is little worry that the technology will suddenly disappear, and it can be used with peace of mind for the long term.
In other words, Jakarta EE is a reliable "standard technology" that is "supplied" to many companies and developers, and its value can be said to be extremely high.
Technical details: how does it work?
Let's take a little deeper look at the core technologies of Jakarta EE 11. There will be some technical terms, but don't worry, we'll explain them one by one.
Relationship between specification and implementation
As mentioned earlier, Jakarta EE is based on the relationship between "specification" and "implementation."
- Specifications: It is a blueprint or rulebook that specifies "Provide these functions." For example, the "Jakarta RESTful Web Services" specification specifies how Web APIs (interfaces for communication between web applications) should be created.
- Implementation: Based on the blueprint, we create software that actually works (such as an application server). Famous implementations include:Eclipse GlassFish, Red Hat WildFly, IBM Open LibertyAnd so on.
This is similar to the USB standard. Because of the "specification" of USB, you can connect PCs, mice, and keyboards made by any manufacturer. In the same way, because of the "specification" of Jakarta EE, an application made by company A can run on a server made by company B.
Easy-to-understand explanations of noteworthy new technologies
- Java 21 Virtual Threads
In conventional Java, if you tried to process many requests at the same time, it was necessary to create many OS threads (the basic units that execute processing), which put a heavy load on the computer.
Virtual threads are very lightweight "phantom threads" that do not occupy OS threads. This makes it possible to efficiently handle millions of requests with a small number of OS threads. For example, it's like one store clerk (OS thread) accepting orders from dozens of customers (virtual threads) at the same time without making them wait. This dramatically improves the response speed of websites. - Jakarta Data
Dealing with databases used to be one of the most tedious aspects of programming - you had to write code to save, retrieve, and update data every time.
Jakarta Data automates this tedious work. Just write the method name (command name) of "Find users with these conditions" according to the rules, and Jakarta EE will automatically generate the actual database operation code behind the scenes. It's like having a smart assistant do all the tedious paperwork for you by giving verbal instructions. - CDI (Contexts and Dependency Injection)
This is translated as "context and dependency injection," but in essence it is like "glue that effectively connects software components together." A developer simply declares, "I want to use this component and that component," and CDI generates the components at the appropriate time and automatically connects them. This makes it easier to reuse components, making the code cleaner and easier to understand. In Jakarta EE 11, the functionality of this CDI has been further enhanced, enabling more consistent application development.
Team and Community: Who is making it?
Jakarta EE's reliability comes from the strong team and active community behind it.
- Eclipse Foundation: A non-profit open source software foundation that manages and operates the entire Jakarta EE project. It hosts many well-known projects, including the Java development tool Eclipse IDE, and is a highly trusted organization.
- Jakarta EE Working Group: A working group that decides the direction of Jakarta EE and drives its development.IBM, Red Hat, Oracle, Microsoft, FujitsuThe fact that these companies are working together to create standard technology shows that the future of Jakarta EE is very secure.
- Contributors from around the world: In addition to the companies mentioned above, individual developers and researchers from all over the world also participate in the community, providing code and proposing improvements. This open community activity is accelerating the evolution of the technology.
There are few other technologies that have such big names and are supported by such an active community, and this is a major strength of Jakarta EE.
Use cases and future prospects
What is it used for?
Jakarta EE is used in mission-critical systems (important systems where downtime is not an option) due to its robustness and scalability.
- Financial System: Online banking, securities trading systems, etc.
- E-commerce: The backend of a large shopping site
- public service: Government and local government administrative systems, online application systems
- Communications and manufacturing: Enterprise resource planning (ERP) and production management systems
- MicroservicesIt is also attracting attention as the foundation for "microservice architecture," which creates huge systems as a collection of small services.
Future roadmap and potential
Jakarta EE development is still ongoing. According to the official announcement, the following plans are in place:
- Jakarta EE 12: The next version is planned for release in 2026.
- Support for future Java versions: We are also considering supporting Java 2025, the next LTS version scheduled for release in September 9. This clearly shows our commitment to always incorporate the latest Java technology and continue to evolve.
With its focus on cloud native and improved developer productivity, Jakarta EE will continue to lead the enterprise Java world.
Comparison with the competition: How is it different from the Spring Framework?
Besides Jakarta EE, there are other strong options in the enterprise Java world. The most well-known are"Spring Framework"The two are often compared, but they have slightly different characteristics.
| Item | Jakarta EEMore | Spring framework |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning | Standard specifications(Rule Book) | Specific Frameworks(Specific product) |
| provider | Eclipse Foundation (with implementations from many vendors) | Broadcom (VMware) |
| Strength | Vendor neutrality, stability and long-term compatibility | Extensive functionality, rapid introduction of innovative features, and a large community |
| relationship | There are many implementations to choose from. Spring also uses some Jakarta EE specifications. | It is widely used as the de facto standard. |
Put simply,Jakarta EE is a "public standard",Spring is a "very popular and powerful privately held product"That's the image. It's not a simple question of which is better, but the choice depends on the project requirements and team skills. Recently, new frameworks such as Quarkus and Micronaut have appeared, which support Jakarta EE APIs while having features specialized for cloud native, such as very fast startup.
Installation considerations and learning tips
Jakarta EE 11 is a powerful technology, but there are some things to be aware of when adopting it. Although these are different from the risks of virtual currencies (price fluctuations and fraud), you should be aware of them as "risks" when selecting technology.
- Cost of learningJakarta EE is a very broad technology system. It would be difficult to learn everything at once, so I recommend starting with the area that suits your purpose, such as the "Web Profile" for creating web applications.
- Choosing an implementation: There are many implementations, such as WildFly, Open Liberty, GlassFish, etc., so it may be difficult to choose which one to use. Read the documentation for each implementation, ask the community, and choose the one that suits your project.
- Migrating from older Java EEWhen migrating a system created with old Java EE to Jakarta EE, the package name is
javax.*からjakarta.*, so you will need to revise your code. Migration tools are available, but you will need to plan ahead.
Expert Opinion and Analysis
Many experts and companies have made positive comments about the release of Jakarta EE 11. To summarize the articles on the overseas technology news site InfoWorld and the official announcement, the following points have been evaluated:
"Jakarta EE 11 is a significant step forward with a focus on developer productivity and performance. In particular, the new specification, Jakarta Data, is a breakthrough that reduces data access complexity and boilerplate code. And support for Java 21 virtual threads significantly improves scalability, bringing significant performance benefits to cloud-native applications."
Microsoft also stated, "We are pleased to be able to support the Jakarta EE 11 runtime on Azure (Microsoft's cloud service) in collaboration with partners such as IBM, Red Hat and Oracle," indicating that support is in place on major cloud platforms.
These comments show that Jakarta EE 11 is a practical, future-proof update that is anticipated across the industry.
Latest News and Roadmap Highlights
Finally, let’s recap what’s new in Jakarta EE 11.
- Release date: January 2024, 6
- Major new features and changes:
- Java 21 Support: Improving performance with virtual threads
- Jakarta Data: Simplifying database operations
- Latest TCK: A modern test kit based on Maven and JUnit 5
- CDI Enhancements: More consistent behavior
- Expanded support for Java Records: Facilitating integration of immutable data objects
- Upcoming:
- Jakarta EE 12 is scheduled for development in 2026
- Support for Java 25, the next Java LTS, is also planned.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
- Q1: How is Jakarta EE different from Java EE?
- A1: Jakarta EE is the successor to Java EE. The main development effort was transferred from Oracle to the Eclipse Foundation, and development is proceeding as an open source project. The main difference is that the package names used in the program are the same as those used in the previous version.
javax.*からjakarta.*has been changed to - Q2: I don't know anything about Java. Can I start learning with Jakarta EE?
- A2: No, I strongly recommend that you first learn the basic grammar of the Java language and object-oriented thinking. Jakarta EE is an applied technology based on Java, so it is very difficult to understand without the basics.
- Q3: What is a "profile"? (Core Profile, Web Profile, etc.)
- A3: It is a subset of the huge Jakarta EE specification that extracts only the necessary functions for a specific purpose. For example, the "Web Profile" focuses on the functions necessary for web application development, and is easy to learn and lightweight. The "Core Profile" is even lighter and is suitable for microservices. The full-featured version is called the "Platform."
- Q4: Which application server should I choose?
- A4: It depends on the purpose. If you are looking for something that complies with the Jakarta EE 11 Web Profile, there is "Eclipse GlassFish", and if you are looking for a Core Profile, there are "IBM Open Liberty", "Red Hat WildFly", "Payara Community", etc. Please refer to the official documentation and gather information from each community to choose the one that best suits your project requirements.
My Feelings, Then and Now
This time, we have explained the new technology "Jakarta EE 11," which will shape the future of enterprise Java, in a way that even beginners can understand. The main points can be summarized as follows.
- Jakarta EE 11 isThe latest standard in enterprise Java development, optimized for the modern cloud era.
- Virtual Threads in Java 21,New Jakarta Data SpecificationThis dramatically improves developer productivity and application performance.
- The Eclipse Foundation and IBM, Microsoft, and other companiesDeveloped in collaboration with industry leadersIt is extremely reliable and future-proof.
- This is a "specification" and is provided by various vendors.You can choose your favorite "implementation"It's flexible.
Jakarta EE 11 is a powerful testament to the fact that Java, an ancient language, is still at the forefront of development. If you are going to be involved in the development of large-scale web services or business systems, this is definitely an important technology to know.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide technical information and does not recommend the adoption of any particular product. When selecting a technology, please conduct sufficient research and verification (DYOR – Do Your Own Research) based on the requirements of your own project.