Plan Your Java Upgrade Ahead of Microsoft’s 2027 Support Milestones

Back in April 2021, we launched the Microsoft Build of OpenJDK, beginning with a preview of Java 11 for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Fast forward to today, if you’re looking to upgrade Java on Azure, you have multiple versions available: 11, 17, 21, and now 25.

Java 8 has also been included in our efforts, thanks to our collaboration with the dedicated team at the Eclipse Foundation’s Eclipse Adoptium project. Microsoft has been backing Java 8 on Azure through their Eclipse Temurin builds of OpenJDK 8 instead of creating a specific Microsoft Build of OpenJDK 8. This partnership dates back to our very first Java 11 builds, which similarly utilized Adoptium’s build scripts and their quality assurance systems.

Supporting these releases has required years of updates and improvements. Now, it’s time to think about what comes next. The Microsoft Build of OpenJDK support roadmap indicates that September 2027 is the earliest end-of-support date for Java versions 11 and 17. This milestone affects all distributions: if you’re running these Microsoft builds on a VM, in a container, on Kubernetes, or within Azure services — or even outside of Azure — it’s crucial to factor this into your upgrade plans. While these dates are provisional and may be extended, it’s wise to start taking steps now.

Azure services themselves have specific deadlines too. As noted in an announcement, support for Java 8, 11, and 17 on Azure App Service and Azure Functions will conclude on September 1, 2027. Though your existing applications will keep running, those versions of Java won’t receive any more security updates, enhancements, or customer support thereafter.

So, if you find yourself in this situation, you might be wondering how to transition to Java 21 or 25 while ensuring your applications keep functioning smoothly. The GitHub Copilot modernization can assist you here with a handy tool: the Modernize CLI. This tool can evaluate your code, assist in planning your upgrade, and even implement the necessary changes for you to review.

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