Support Lifecycle and End of Support
Every Java version that Azul supports moves through a support lifecycle, from its first release (General Availability) to the day Azul stops publishing updates for it. Where your version stands in that lifecycle determines whether you still receive security updates, and for how long. This page describes the designations and the support terms Azul uses, points you to the end-of-support date for the Java version you run, and explains what changes once that date passes.
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Note
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This page explains the lifecycle. The Azul Java support roadmap holds the dates, for every currently and prospectively supported Java version, and stays the single source of truth for them. |
Designations and Support Terms
Azul designates every release it supports as either Long Term Support (LTS) or Short Term Support (STS). That designation sets how long the support terms behind it run.
- Long Term Support (LTS)
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Java 8, 11, 17, 21, and 25, for example. Azul provides at least eight years of Production Support, followed by two years of Extended Support.
- Short Term Support (STS)
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Java 27, for example. Azul provides at least six months of Production Support.
The terms themselves describe what you get:
- Production Support
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Azul fixes bugs, ships security updates, and provides other fixes as needed for the Java version you run.
- Extended Support
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The term that follows Production Support for an LTS release. Azul advises and assists you while you move to a newer Java version, for two years. No further fixes come with it.
- Legacy Production Support
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A paid term, formerly called Extended Production Support, available only to customers who purchase it. It carries Java 6 and Java 7 to December 2029, and covers the technologies Oracle deprecated and removed along with them, Java Applets and Java Web Start among them. See IcedTea-Web for the replacement Azul ships for Java Web Start.
An LTS release therefore carries support for ten years in total, and an STS release for half a year. The roadmap lists the exact dates, because both numbers are a minimum and several LTS releases run longer.
Find the Date for Your Own Version
Look up your Java version in the table on the Azul Java support roadmap. Two columns answer most questions. Azul Lifecycle Title says whether Azul treats your version as LTS or STS. End of Commercial Support gives the date after which Azul stops publishing updates for it.
If you do not know which Java version your application runs on, start here:
java -version
The output looks like this:
openjdk version "21.0.4" 2024-07-16 LTS
OpenJDK Runtime Environment Zulu21.36+17-CA (build 21.0.4+7-LTS)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Zulu21.36+17-CA (build 21.0.4+7-LTS, mixed mode, sharing)
The second line names the distribution, and the first names the Java version. An Azul Zulu build reports two numbers, the Java version and the Zulu version. You can use our Version Search Tool to map one to the other. Supported Platforms then tells you which operating systems and architectures that version covers.
What End of Support Means for You
While your Java version stays in Production Support, Azul publishes updates for it on a fixed rhythm. A quarterly Critical Patch Update (CPU) carries the security and critical bug fixes. A Patch Set Update (PSU) adds the remaining non-security bug fixes. Between those quarterly releases, a Critical Security Patch Update (CSPU) delivers urgent security fixes. Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures lists every CVE that each of those releases fixes.
After the end of support date, that stream stops for your version. The builds Azul already published stay available, so your application keeps running exactly as it does today. What you no longer get is the next fix. A CVE that OpenJDK discovers in your version after that date reaches no update you can install.
That distinction matters for planning. Nothing breaks on the date itself, and your risk grows from the day after it. The CVE History Tool shows how many CVEs got patched in each Java update, and how that accumulates between updates.
Plan Your Move
What to do next depends on where your version stands in the lifecycle.
You run an LTS release that is still in Production Support. You have time. Note the end of support date, and finish the upgrade to the next LTS release before that date arrives. The two years of Extended Support that follow bring migration assistance, not further fixes.
You run an LTS release in Extended Support. Start now. Azul helps you migrate during this term, and no further fixes follow it. Install Azul Zulu Builds of OpenJDK covers the newer version, and Release Notes list what changed.
You run an STS release. Six months of Production Support goes fast. Plan to move to the next release, or to the nearest LTS release if you prefer a longer cycle.
You run a Java version Azul no longer supports. Standard Azul Core support ended in December 2018 for Java 6 and in July 2022 for Java 7. Legacy Production Support carries both to December 2029, further than most distributions reach, for customers who purchase it. Check the roadmap before you assume you have no option. If your blocker is Java Applets or Java Web Start rather than the Java version itself, IcedTea-Web runs those applications on a current JDK.
You run another OpenJDK distribution and compare lifecycles. Migrating to Azul Zulu from Another OpenJDK Distribution describes the switch, which changes the runtime and leaves your code untouched.
Getting Help
Azul Core customers reach Azul support through the Azul support portal. Bring your Java version, your Zulu version, and the operating system you run on, because the answer to a lifecycle question depends on all three.
Every Java version you run has a date on it. Knowing which date, and how much of the lifecycle sits behind you, turns an upgrade from an emergency into a scheduled task.