Java Enterprise Matters: Why It All Comes Back to Jakarta EE

Enterprise Java has been a foundation for mission-critical applications for decades. From financial systems to telecom platforms, Java offers the portability, stability, and robustness needed at scale. Yet as software architecture shifts toward microservices, containers, and cloud-native paradigms, the question naturally arises: is Jakarta EE still relevant?

For modern Java developers, the answer is a resounding yes. Jakarta EE provides a standardized, vendor-neutral set of APIs for building enterprise applications, and its evolution under the Eclipse Foundation has been a case study in open innovation. It bridges traditional enterprise reliability with the flexibility needed for today’s distributed systems, making it an essential tool for developers who want to build scalable, secure, and cloud-ready applications.

Why Jakarta EE Is Important for Java Developers

Whether you're building applications with Spring, Quarkus, or Helidon, you're relying on Jakarta EE technologies—often without even realizing it. Jakarta EE is not a competitor to these frameworks, but rather a foundational layer upon which they build. If you use Spring Data JPA, you're using the Jakarta Persistence API. If you're writing web controllers or using HTTP filters, you're relying on Jakarta Servlet under the hood.

This is the core of Jakarta EE’s significance: it standardizes the APIs that power the vast majority of Java enterprise applications, regardless of the higher-level frameworks developers adopt. Spring itself had to make a sweeping change in response to Jakarta EE's namespace migration, switching from javax.* to jakarta.* packages. This "big bang" was not just a symbolic change—it was an explicit acknowledgment of Jakarta EE’s centrality in the Java ecosystem.

Spring 7 is doing an upgrade on Jakarta EE

Understanding Jakarta EE means understanding the base contracts that define Java enterprise development. Even if you're not programming directly against the Jakarta EE APIs, your stack is deeply intertwined with them. That's why it's essential for all Java developers, whether in legacy systems or cloud-native microservices, to be aware of Jakarta EE’s role and evolution.

Jakarta EE History

To understand Jakarta EE, we must first revisit Java’s architectural lineage. Java was initially split into three major platforms: Java SE (Standard Edition) for general-purpose programming, Java ME (Micro Edition) for embedded devices, and Java EE (Enterprise Edition) for large-scale server-side applications. Java EE provided a blueprint for enterprise architecture, introducing specifications such as Servlets, EJBs, JPA, and JMS that standardized application development across vendors.

The Java platforms in the past

Understanding Jakarta EE means understanding the base contracts that define Java enterprise development. Even if you're not programming directly against the Jakarta EE APIs, your stack is deeply intertwined with them. That's why it's essential for all Java developers, whether in legacy systems or cloud-native microservices, to be aware of Jakarta EE’s role and evolution.

Jakarta EE History

To understand Jakarta EE, we must first revisit Java’s architectural lineage. Java was initially split into three major platforms: Java SE (Standard Edition) for general-purpose programming, Java ME (Micro Edition) for embedded devices, and Java EE (Enterprise Edition) for large-scale server-side applications. Java EE provided a blueprint for enterprise architecture, introducing specifications such as Servlets, EJBs, JPA, and JMS that standardized application development across vendors.

Eclipse Microprofile 7

Jakarta EE Platforms

Jakarta EE’s flexibility is one of its biggest strengths, particularly through the profile system introduced to address different application needs. There are three official profiles:

• Core Profile, focused on lightweight runtimes and microservices.
• Web Profile, aimed at typical enterprise web applications, including Servlets, CDI, and RESTful services.
• Full Platform Profile, for applications that require the entire suite of Jakarta technologies like messaging, batch processing, and enterprise beans.

This structured approach allows organizations to adopt only what they need, making Jakarta EE a better fit for both greenfield cloud projects and legacy modernization. Unlike frameworks that require a complete rewrite or deep vendor lock-in, Jakarta EE emphasizes interoperability and gradual evolution—an essential feature for enterprises with complex systems and long lifecycles.

New and Updated Specifications in Jakarta EE 10

Jakarta EE 11—The Current Version

The release of Jakarta EE 11 marks a landmark moment, as it is the first major release to break away from the legacy Java EE APIs and fully adopt the Jakarta namespace. Jakarta EE 11 introduces support for Java 17, removes outdated technologies, and aligns more closely with modern Java practices, such as modularity and sealed classes.

It also introduces new specifications, such as Jakarta Data, which provides a consistent data access layer that works across various persistence mechanisms. The integration of CDI (Contexts and Dependency Injection) as the foundation of dependency management is now deeper and more streamlined across all specifications. This not only reduces boilerplate but also enables a more consistent programming model across the entire platform.

Jakarta EE 11 also sets the stage for better integration with cloud-native tooling and DevOps workflows.

Jakarta EE 12—The Future

While Jakarta EE 11 marks a milestone of cleanup and modernization, Jakarta EE 12 looks forward to more ambitious goals. The specification is still under development, but early conversations indicate a deeper alignment with Eclipse MicroProfile, potentially integrating select MicroProfile specifications into Jakarta EE itself. This convergence would help reduce fragmentation and unify enterprise Java standards under a single umbrella.

One notable change is the proposed expansion of the Web Profile, which is expected to include:

• Jakarta MVC for building model-view-controller-based web applications.
• Jakarta NoSQL for integrating NoSQL databases in a standardized way.
• Jakarta Data and Jakarta Query for flexible and modern data access APIs.

In addition to API enhancements, Jakarta EE 12 aims to improve startup time, support native compilation, and facilitate smoother integration with technologies such as GraalVM. These improvements align Jakarta EE with the performance expectations of microservices and serverless architectures.

To follow the specification’s progress, you can consult the official Jakarta EE 12 specification page.

The platform’s roadmap is shaped through transparent collaboration between vendors, individuals, and organizations. The Jakarta EE Working Group and the annual Developer Survey ensure that future releases are informed by real-world feedback and community needs.

Conclusion

Jakarta EE may have emerged from the legacy of Java EE, but it is no longer bound by it. Instead, it offers a modern foundation for enterprise Java that respects the past while building for the future. With a robust standard, open governance, and compatibility with cloud-native innovations, Jakarta EE remains crucial for developers, companies, and the software industry as a whole.

If you are a Java developer today, whether working with Spring, Quarkus, Helidon, or any other framework, you are already using Jakarta EE technologies. It powers your web applications, your data access layers, and your integration code. Jakarta EE is not something separate—it is embedded in the tools you use every day.

And Jakarta EE is not driven by a single company—the community leads it. The specification process, new feature discussions, and overall roadmap are shaped by individuals and organizations who contribute because they care about the future of enterprise Java. If you rely on Jakarta EE, consider getting involved. You can follow the specifications, provide feedback, and help guide the platform's direction. It's not just a standard—it's a shared effort, and your voice matters.

References

1. Jakarta EE | Cloud Native Enterprise JAVa | Java EE | The Eclipse Foundation. (n.d.). Jakarta® EE: The New Home of Cloud Native Java. https://jakarta.ee/
2. Jakarta EE Platform 11 (Under Development) | Jakarta EE | The Eclipse Foundation. (n.d.). Jakarta® EE: The New Home of Cloud Native Java. https://jakarta.ee/specifications/platform/11/
3. Jakarta EE Platform 12 (Under Development) | Jakarta EE | The Eclipse Foundation. (n.d.). Jakarta® EE: The New Home of Cloud Native Java. https://jakarta.ee/specifications/platform/12
4. MicroProfile. (2024b, December 16). Home - MicroProfile.https://microprofile.io/
5. Obradovic, T. (n.d.). Rising Momentum in Enterprise Java: Insights from the 2024 Jakarta EE Developer Survey Report. Eclipse Foundation Staff Blogs. https://blogs.eclipse.org/post/tatjana-obradovic/rising-momentum-enterprise-java-insights-2024-jakarta-ee-developer-survey
6. Saeed, L. (2025, February 10). 10 Ways Jakarta EE 11 modernizes Enterprise Java Development. 10 Ways Jakarta EE 11 Modernizes Enterprise Java Development.https://blog.payara.fish/10-ways-jakarta-ee-11-modernizes-enterprise-development
7. Mailing List: microprofile-wg (92 subscribers) | Eclipse - The Eclipse Foundation open source community website. (n.d.). https://accounts.eclipse.org/mailing-list/microprofile-wg