The Eclipse Foundation has released the latest version of its open source application server, GlassFish 7.0, which is now available.
The new release includes support for the MicroProfile Config, MicroProfile JWT Propagation and Jakarta MVC 2.0 specifications. Changes to the API and JSON portions of the Jakarta Standard Tag Library and new Jakarta Authentication methods are also significant features. In addition, GlassFish 7.0 allows for the setting of monitoring intervals for concurrent tasks. It is fully compatible with Jakarta EE 10 and requires at least JDK 11 to work, although it is also compatible with JDK 17, Infoq reported on the subject.

The DOL (Deployment Object Library) module in GlassFish 7.0 has been completely redesigned and cleaned up from the inside. Through this work, years of technical debt were paid off and various parts of the application server were updated, making it faster and more stable overall.

In GlassFish 7.0, a number of improvements have been made to its performance and reliability. These include changes to the way it handles exceptions and log messages, and the addition of new features that make certain tasks easier and more efficient. The application has also been updated to use newer technologies and methods in some areas, making it more workable and more compatible.

This release includes the use of more generics and the removal of testMode from SerialContext (provides access to the application’s server naming service) in favor of EasyMock.

In GlassFish 7.0, many application server logging issues have been fixed, especially when logging under heavy load and at a detailed logging level. This change ensures that the logging system remains stable and works well in challenging situations.

In addition to the updates and enhancements, GlassFish 7.0 also provides updates for a number of components that are not part of Jakarta EE. Notably, the OSGi version has been updated from version 7 to version 8. Also, a number of bugs have been fixed in this version, making the application server even more robust and reliable.

However, GlassFish 7.0 has also made changes to the way its servers start and stop to improve compatibility with modern operating systems and restricted access environments. These updates ensure that GlassFish servers can be easily started and stopped without encountering problems or errors.