Azul Product Support Lifecycle

Starting with JDK 9, Java SE standards promulgated by the JCP and the associated OpenJDK implementation establish new versioning nomenclature and a new release cadence for all Java releases, including Long Term Support (LTS) releases plus a new class of “feature” releases. General availability of LTS releases is scheduled every 3 years, with additional feature releases every six months.

Azul product releases align with Oracle’s and OpenJDK’s general availability for releases of Java SE.  Azul customers have access to bug fixes, enhancements, and quarterly and emergency security updates.

Note: As of July 31, 2019, Oracle Java 7 has moved into Extended Support. If you are interested in exploring lower-cost Java 7 or Java 6 Support from Azul, please contact us immediately.

Azul’s commercial product releases are designated with one of two different support lifecycles: Long Term Support (LTS) and Medium Term Support (MTS) 

• A release designated as LTS are those same LTS releases as designed by Oracle and the OpenJDK community. For LTS releases, Azul provides at least 8 years of access to bug fixes, security updates, and other (“Production Support”) fixes as needed plus 2 years of additional support intended to advise and assist users to migrate to a newer JDK version (“Extended Support”).
• For those releases designed as MTS, Azul provides Production Support for at least 1.5 years after the general availability of the next LTS release, plus an additional 1 year of Extended Support.
• For other Java feature releases, Azul will make feature preview or community builds available on its download page for 6 months.

The table below details the class of support lifecycle for each existing and planned JDK release for Azul’s products, in addition to the expected availability of public updates and the lifecycle of Oracle’s commercial Java support offerings:

*Only for those customers who have purchased extended Java 6 support as part of their Zulu Enterprise support plan. Contact Azul for further information.

Additional Notes:

• Oracle information from http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/eol-135779.html.
• The dates shown above for the Azul products are for the end of the Production Support term. Add an additional 2 years for Extended Support.
• For Azul products or Java SE releases shown above which have not yet been released for general availability, Azul product availability and lifecycle designation are estimates and preliminary and subject to change.
• Commercial support for Azul products may be available for periods longer than shown above. Contact Azul Sales for more information.

For further information about the changes to the Java SE release cadence, Oracle’s announced support offerings, and further detail regarding Azul’s LTS and MTS releases, visit https://www.azul.com/products/zulu-and-zulu-enterprise/zulu-enterprise-java-support-options/.

Zulu Free/Community Builds

Azul offers free community downloads of Zulu, Azul’s certified builds of OpenJDK, for all releases of Java SE starting with JDK 7. A Community roadmap is also available on the main Zulu Community overview page. Zulu community builds may be downloaded from https://www.azul.com/downloads/zulu-community/.  Arm-based builds of OpenJDK are freely downloadable from the same Zulu Community download page.

Other Releases

From time to time, Azul may offer “Feature Preview”, “Early Access” or “Not Supported” versions publicly or to select Azul customers. These releases are explicitly not supported in any manner.