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☕ Pulse on Java – August 2025 Edition
Your AI-generated monthly roundup of Java framework and platform updates. Please direct your comments directly to us at blog@manorrock.com
Welcome to the August 2025 edition of Pulse on Java, where we track the latest releases, innovations, and trends across the Java ecosystem. This month saw Java 25 reach its first release candidate milestone ahead of its September launch, the Apache Groovy language hitting a major 5.0 GA release, and steady progress across popular frameworks (from Spring’s next-gen preview to Quarkus’s new features). Many updates focused on performance optimizations and security fixes, as the community gears up for Java’s next long-term support release11. There was plenty of buzz in August – from the JVM Language Summit discussions to new AI integrations – underscoring that Java’s momentum remains as strong as ever.
🔧 Framework & Library Releases
🌱 Spring Framework 7.0 (Milestone 8) – The Spring team moved closer to the next major release of Spring Framework. August’s Milestone 8 delivered new features like a declarative HTTP client proxy (@HttpServiceClient) and a RestTestClient for testing REST interfaces2. These additions simplify consuming and testing HTTP services in Spring apps. The Spring ecosystem also kept security in focus – Spring 6.2.10 was released to fix a critical path traversal vulnerability (CVE-2025-41242) affecting Spring MVC on some servers2. With Spring 7.0 on the horizon (and Spring Boot likely to follow suit), the Spring community is actively hardening and polishing its stack in preparation for the Java 21+ era.
🧩 Apache Groovy 5.0.0 GA – The Groovy language hit a major milestone in August with the 5.0 GA release3. Groovy 5.0 brings full compatibility with Java 11 through Java 25, ensuring the popular JVM language runs smoothly on the upcoming JDK. Notable enhancements include a new @OperatorRename annotation that lets developers rename Groovy’s operator-overload methods to align with third-party libraries’ naming conventions3. The interactive Groovy shell (groovysh) was completely revamped, now built on JLine3 for cross-platform terminal support and featuring colorized syntax highlighting, better history, and auto-completion3. These improvements make Groovy more convenient and modern for scripting and REPL use. Groovy 5’s updates, along with its emphasis on JDK 25 support, underline the project’s commitment to staying current with the Java platform.
⚡ Quarkus 3.26.0 Final – Red Hat’s Quarkus framework reached version 3.26 in late August, marking a significant update for “supersonic, subatomic” Java. Quarkus 3.26.0 adds support for named persistence units and data sources in its reactive Hibernate ORM extension, allowing multiple databases to be handled more easily3. The development experience got a boost with an improved Dev UI: Quarkus 3.26 introduces a new settings page for managing extension configurations, and it redesigns the built-in HQL query console for easier database debugging3. Under the hood, Quarkus 3.26 updates to the latest stable versions of key dependencies (Hibernate ORM 7.1, Vert.x 4.5.19, etc.). Shortly after the final release, the Quarkus team issued version 3.26.1 (and a couple of patch releases in older branches) as emergency fixes for a regression in the HTTP client (caused by an underlying Vert.x issue)3. This rapid turnaround resolved a potential hang in HTTP responses, demonstrating the project’s responsiveness. With 3.26, Quarkus continues its quick iteration, packing in developer conveniences and keeping pace with the evolving Java landscape.
🏗 Jakarta EE 11 & Enterprise Java – Following the GA of Jakarta EE 11 in late June, the enterprise Java ecosystem in August saw vendors pushing out updates to support the new platform. The Payara Platform’s August 2025 edition (Community 6.2025.8 and related Enterprise versions) delivered updates via Payara 7 Alpha4, but Payara is not listed as a Jakarta EE 11 Platform compatible implementation (only Core Profile, with Platform certification planned). In particular, Payara addressed a Grizzly HTTP server request-smuggling vulnerability (FISH-11415) in this release; note that CVE-2025-22871 refers to a Go net/http issue, not Grizzly. IBM’s Open Liberty project likewise rolled out a 25.0.0.9 beta that continues its Jakarta EE 11 work and also adds compliance with the latest FIPS 140-3 security standards for cryptography (introduced in 25.0.0.3)3. Meanwhile, Red Hat’s WildFly 37 (July release, but impacting August users) transitioned the Java EE application server to the new Commonhaus Foundation for governance1, and focused on bug fixes/maintenance. These moves show that enterprise Java runtimes are quickly aligning with Jakarta EE 11 (which requires Java SE 17 as a baseline, with enhancements for Java 21) and prioritizing robust security and open governance. As of September 2025, only Eclipse GlassFish is listed as Jakarta EE 11 Platform compatible; Open Liberty, WildFly, and Payara are listed for Core Profile 11, with Platform certification planned. Enterprise developers can expect a smoother path to adopt Jakarta EE 11 as application servers reach production-ready status on the new specification in coming months.
Note: Treat references tying CVE-2025-22871 directly to Grizzly with caution; this CVE is defined for Go’s HTTP library.
💾 Hibernate ORM 7.1 & Ecosystem – In the world of Java persistence, Hibernate ORM 7.1.0.Final shipped with refinements for JPA users1. This release introduces new APIs for pessimistic locking (a Locking interface with granular scope options) and standardized query timeouts, aligning Hibernate more closely with Jakarta Persistence 3.1 specs1. It also improves resource scanning in Java SE environments (outside a container)1, making it easier to discover entities and persistence units in a plain Java application. Alongside ORM 7.1, the Hibernate team released Hibernate Reactive 3.1.0.Final (fully compatible with ORM 7.1 and upgrading its JSON binding to Jackson 2.19) and Hibernate Search 8.1.0.Final (supporting Elasticsearch 8.x and adding more aggregation capabilities)1. The popular Grails web framework, which builds on Spring and Hibernate, also signaled a major update – the first release candidate of Grails 7.0 came out, bringing it up to date with modern Spring Boot (including an option to use virtual threads) and retiring some older conventions11. All these incremental releases in the Java data/access ecosystem are geared toward compatibility with the latest Java and Jakarta EE standards, as well as performance improvements and developer convenience.
🛠 Gradle 9.1 RC1 and Tooling – The build tool Gradle hit a significant checkpoint with the first release candidate of Gradle 9.1. This RC refreshes Gradle’s toolset to fully support the upcoming Java 25 release (so developers can build and test JDK 25-based projects with Gradle out of the box)2. It also introduces quality-of-life improvements, including a new task graph visualization feature to help developers understand project dependencies without running a build, and an enhanced CLI experience with more user-friendly reporting2. Expect Gradle 9.1 final to arrive around the same time as JDK 25 GA. In other tooling news, JReleaser 1.20.0 came out with better integration for JBang (allowing on-demand building of JBang scripts and provisioning specific JBang versions)3, simplifying release workflows for projects that distribute via JBang. The scripting tool JBang itself saw version 0.129.0 with performance tweaks (lazy loading help info to speed up startup)1. Note: jlink/jpackage helpers were not newly added in 0.129.0; those commands pre-existed. On the testing front, Apache Tomcat continued to issue maintenance updates on its 9.0/10.1/11.0 branches to polish its Jakarta EE 10 support and fix issues (like improving WAR file scanning and connection handling)1. All these tool updates, while not headline-grabbing like a new framework, ensure that the Java developer toolbox is ready for the new Java version and remains reliable and secure.
☕ Java Platform Update: JDK 25 on the Final Stretch
JDK 25 (Java SE 25) – Java’s next long-term support (LTS) release is almost here. In August, JDK 25 reached Release Candidate stage, meaning all 18 targeted JEPs (enhancement proposals) are integrated and no showstopper bugs remain1. On August 7, Mark Reinhold announced the first JDK 25 RC build, as the bug count was sufficiently low1. By mid-month, the openjdk build 35/36 was declared an RC, and the JDK 25 stabilization branch is now only accepting critical fixes. According to the official schedule, General Availability is set for September 16, 20251, so the Java community is just days away from a production-ready Java 25 release.
JDK 25, as a major LTS, packs a wide array of improvements (as covered in previous editions). To recap a few highlights: it includes preview features like primitive pattern matching and sealed classes enhancements for more expressive code, virtual threads (which have been GA since JDK 21) and structured concurrency (in its 5th preview in JDK 25) for simpler high-throughput concurrency, incubating APIs like the 10th iteration of the Vector API for accelerated math, and final features such as Scoped Values (a thread-local alternative) and Generational Shenandoah GC for better memory management44. Notably, JDK 25 will also drop support for 32-bit x86, making Java officially 64-bit only on that architecture44. With these 18 JEPs, Java 25 is poised to deliver significant performance gains (e.g. lower object overhead with compact object headers) and developer productivity boosts (simpler syntax and startup) out-of-the-box44.
Project Leyden Prototype – Beyond JDK 25, Java’s architects are already looking ahead at performance. In late August, Project Leyden (the OpenJDK initiative to improve startup time and footprint) released an early-access prototype based on JDK 263. Build 26-leyden-premain+1 was made available to experiment with ahead-of-time compilation techniques that could make Java apps launch faster and warm up quicker3. Notably, some of Leyden’s work has already borne fruit in JDK 25 (three JEPs related to AOT and profiling were delivered as part of 253), and this prototype continues that effort, hinting at deeper VM changes on the horizon to benefit cloud deployments. Developers keen on startup performance can try this Leyden EA build to see how it accelerates their programs, though it’s based on an incomplete JDK 26 (so purely for experimentation).
Looking toward JDK 26+ – With JDK 25 essentially done, the OpenJDK community has begun targeting features for JDK 26. One notable proposal, JEP 522: G1 GC Throughput Improvements, was moved to Candidate status in August3. JEP 522 aims to reduce synchronization overhead in the G1 garbage collector to boost throughput, showing that even core JVM subsystems like GC are getting attention for efficiency. Also, in July, JEP 504 (Removal of the Applet API) was officially targeted to JDK 265 – a bit of housecleaning to eliminate the long-deprecated Applet APIs from the Java SE spec. While JDK 26 is in early days (EA builds reached around b13 by end of August3), we expect more JEPs to emerge focusing on quality-of-life improvements and furthering Project Valhalla and Project Loom (value types, enhanced generics, etc.) in that timeframe. For now, all eyes are on Java 25’s imminent release, but the community is already laying groundwork for what comes next.
🏃♂️ Community & Events Highlights
August was an exciting month for the Java community beyond just code releases. Early in the month, the annual JVM Language Summit 2025 took place on August 4–6 in Santa Clara. This exclusive gathering brought together language architects and JVM engineers to discuss the future of Java and JVM languages. Talks at the summit ranged from evolving the Java language syntax (Java Language Architect Brian Goetz gave a session on “Growing the Java Language” discussing how Java’s design is adapting and extending over time6) to deep-dives into JVM internals like HotSpot auto-vectorization optimizations (engineers showcased improvements in the JIT compiler that leverage modern CPU instructions for better performance6). These sessions (many of which are now available as videos or blog posts) highlight the ongoing innovation in the OpenJDK community – even as Java 25 is finalized, experts are prototyping features and optimizations that may land in Java 26 and beyond.
The broader Java community also saw significant news: Oracle announced that JavaOne will return in March 2026 as a dedicated conference6. (In recent years, JavaOne had been merged into Oracle’s Code One/CloudWorld events, so the revival of an independent JavaOne is big news for developers who missed it.) Additionally, Oracle’s upcoming Oracle AI World 2025 (in October) will feature a Java track6, emphasizing how Java is playing a role in AI/cloud discussions. These event announcements show Oracle’s continued investment in Java outreach and education, and give developers something to look forward to next year.
Within the community, thought leaders are echoing similar themes about Java’s trajectory. Java Champion A.N.M. Bazlur Rahman remarked that this is “the most transformative period in Java’s 30-year history” with AI integration moving to the forefront7. Indeed, Java/AI crossover was a hot topic: we saw Microsoft and others investing in Java AI tooling (e.g. Azure’s integration with Spring and LangChain4j) and even the creator of Spring, Rod Johnson, teasing a new “Embabel” agent framework for deterministic AI agents in Java, which he boldly called “the most significant project since Spring Framework”7. While Embabel is still in early stages, the very idea has Java enthusiasts intrigued, as it underlines how Java is expanding into new domains like AI-driven applications.
Open-source community activity also remained strong. The Eclipse Foundation’s new project Eclipse DataGrid (unveiled in late July at JCON Europe) became fully open-sourced, merging technologies to enable in-memory data processing on the JVM5. And in infrastructure, the WildFly application server’s move to an independent foundation (mentioned earlier) is a positive sign for community governance of enterprise Java projects1. Across various Java User Groups and online forums, August discussions centered on trying out JDK 25 release candidates, exploring new framework features, and sharing best practices for migrating to the latest Java versions.
The Java community’s engagement is perhaps best illustrated by the flurry of blog posts, newsletters, and podcasts in August. The official Inside Java newsletter for August highlighted Java 25 and even answered community questions with Java architects on an “Inside Java Newscast” Q\&A session6. The JetBrains Java Annotated Monthly and others curated a wealth of Java content – from tutorials on virtual threads to debates on pattern matching – indicating that developers are actively picking up Java’s new tools. All of this community energy shows a language ecosystem that’s not just evolving via specification, but through shared knowledge and enthusiasm.
📅 Looking Ahead
As we move into September 2025, the Java 25 GA release is the headline event. Developers can expect the final bits on or around September 161, and many projects have timed their releases to coincide with or shortly after this date (for example, we’ll likely see Gradle 9.1 final with Java 25 support, Spring Boot updates ensuring compatibility, and so on). It’s a great time for teams to start evaluating JDK 25 in depth – early reports suggest nice wins in memory efficiency and startup performance for real-world applications44, and the sooner any migration kinks are discovered the better.
On the enterprise side, now that Jakarta EE 11 is out, attention will gradually turn to Jakarta EE 12. Plans for EE 12 will likely take shape over the next months, aiming to leverage Java 25’s features in the enterprise context4. We might hear discussion of new or rebooted specs (for example, there is chatter about possibly reviving older specs or adding new capabilities to better support cloud-native deployments). Enterprise developers should watch for final Jakarta EE 11 support from major vendors. As of September 2025, only Eclipse GlassFish is listed as Jakarta EE 11 Platform compatible; Open Liberty, WildFly, and Payara are listed for Core Profile 11, with Platform certification planned. Jakarta EE 11 requires Java SE 17 as a baseline, with enhancements for Java 21, but does not require Java 21.
In the framework ecosystem, Spring Framework 7.0 will continue its march toward release (expect release candidates later in 2025), bringing a wave of updates that will likely influence Spring Boot’s next version. Micronaut 4.9 and possibly 5.0 are on the horizon with further incremental improvements in micronservice performance and ease of use. And given the pace of innovation, don’t be surprised if Quarkus 3.27 or 3.28 lands soon with even more Java 21/25 optimizations, or if GraalVM/native image tooling announces new breakthroughs in start-up time or memory usage as Java 25 features like AOT become mainstream.
Finally, the community’s calendar is filled with events to digest and celebrate these advancements. In the coming months, look out for sessions on Java 25 at conferences like Devnexus, Devoxx BE, and JVM Summit follow-ups. With JavaOne 2026 announced and a renewed focus on Java-centric conferences, there’s a sense of “reunion” in the air for Java enthusiasts. In the meantime, keep an eye on the various Java project mailing lists and blogs – the work on project Valhalla (value types), Loom (virtual threads), and Amber (language goodies) continues, and any one of those could deliver the next big thing for Java 26 or 27.
In summary, August 2025 has set the stage for an exciting finale to the year: a major Java release in the bag, ecosystem players aligned to support it, and a passionate developer community eager to push the language and platform to new heights. Happy coding on Java 25, and see you next month for another Pulse on Java! 46