Update implements Jakarta EE 11 platform and brings support for Jakarta Data repositories and virtual threads.
The Eclipse Foundation has released the final version of GlassFish 8, an update of its enterprise Java application server. The new release serves as a compatible implementation of the Jakarta EE 11 Java platform and accommodates Jakarta Data repositories for simplifying data access, according to GlassFish development participant OmniFish. Virtual threads support for scalable concurrency also is featured.
Released February 5, the final version of GlassFish 8 can be downloaded from glassfish.org. The previous milestone release of GlassFish 8 was released in December 2025, OmniFish said.
With Jakarta Data repositories support, developers can work with both JPA (Java Persistence API) entities and JNoSQL databases using a consistent, repository-pattern-based approach, said Ondre Mihalyi, OmniFish co-founder and engineer. Key benefits of this feature include reduced boilerplate code, flexible repository organization, and flexible pagination. Support for both Jakarta Persistence entities and Jakarta NoSQL entities in Jakarta Data repositories is featured in GlassFish 8, according to release notes.
In addition, GlassFish 8 embraces the future of concurrency in Java with support for virtual threads in its HTTP thread pools and managed executors, Mihalyi said. Virtual threads support enables the server to handle a massive number of concurrent requests with minimal overhead, leading to significant improvements in scalability and performance for I/O-bound applications. Virtual threads represent a paradigm shift in how to think about concurrent programming, enabling developers to write simpler, more maintainable code that scales effortlessly, Mihalyi added.
Other GlassFish 8 highlights:
- A new version of Jakarta Security provides more flexible authentication options. Its Integration between MicroProfile JWT and Jakarta Security allows more flexibility.
- Developers can secure REST endpoints with JWT (JSON Web Token) while using other Jakarta Security mechanisms to protect UI pages, providing a comprehensive security solution that adapts to diverse application architectures.
- Monitoring via JMX (Java Management Extensions) is supported in Embedded Eclipse GlassFish.
