Payara Platform vs. The Competition
Payara Platform
Can the Payara Platform solve the problems you’re having with your current application server? Find your runtime below and learn how the Payara Platform overcomes your challenges.
Payara Server Enterprise
Payara Server Enterprise is the best application platform for production Jakarta EE (Java EE) apps.
Payara Micro Enterprise
Payara Micro Enterprise is the lightweight middleware platform of choice for containerized Jakarta EE (Java EE) microservices deployments.
Compare Your App Server to Payara Platform
View the following comparison tables and infographics to see how the features and benefits of Payara Server and Payara Micro compare to other application servers.
GlassFish
Running GlassFish and worried about the lack of support, infrequent application server releases, and lack of bug fixes? Migrate to Payara Server.
WebLogic
Migrating from Oracle WebLogic Server to Payara Server can be a simple and straightforward process because both servers rely on the Java EE specifications.
TomEE
Using TomEE but need more frequent releases, greater security, and automatic clustering? Migrate to Payara Server.
JBoss EAP
Tired of paying extra for data grid (caching) with JBoss? Want a monthly component upgrade schedule, Slow SQL Logging, Health Check Service, and included OAuth2 / OpenID Connect Support at no additional cost? Migrate to Payara Server.
Tomcat
Using Tomcat for simple web applications and wish microservices features were built-in? Wish you had access to knowledgeable support services? Migrate to Payara Server.
WildFly
Wish you had a supported application server with regular releases and component upgrades? Need a health check service, slow SQL logging, additional notification channels monitoring with an integrated monitoring console? Migrate from WildFly 20 to Payara Server.
Quarkus
Quarkus focuses on fast start up time but not without some costs. If you need a more mature ecosystem that performs well under load and is not coupled with the downsides of GraalVM. Consider migrating to Payara Micro.
Helidon
If you need support for older JDK versions, Jakarta EE compatibility, automatic clustering or production support then you may want to consider migrating to Payara Micro.
WebSphere
If you prefer an Open Source license, need Data Grid (caching), and want the ability to use admin command recording and auditing, migrate to Payara Server Enterprise.
GlassFish vs. Payara Server
| Feature | GlassFish 7.0.24 | Payara Server Enterprise 6.25.0 |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open Source | Open Source with EULA |
| Release Frequency | Monthly (Source) | Monthly |
| Security Fixes | Monthly | Instant emergency and backported fixes for Payara Enterprise customers As soon as possible for community |
| Production Support | Not a product (OmniFish and ManageCat offer support) (Source) | Yes |
| Migration & Project Support | No | Yes |
| Component Upgrades | As needed | As needed |
| Supported IDEs | Eclipse Netbeans IntelliJ IDEA Visual Studio Code | Eclipse Netbeans IntelliJ IDEA Visual Studio Code |
| Automatic Clustering | No | Yes, supports fine grained assignments of apps to nodes, multicast for discovery |
| Distributed Cache for the Cluster | No | Yes (via Hazelcast) |
| Asadmin Command Recorder | Yes | Yes |
| Slow SQL Logging | No | Yes |
| Health Check Service | No | Yes |
| Request Tracing | No | Yes |
| Monitoring Logging | No | Yes |
| Custom Notifiers | No | Yes |
| Integrated monitoring console | No | Yes |
| Microservices Distribution | No | Yes (Payara Micro) |
| MicroProfile Support | Minimal (Source) | Full MicroProfile6.1 |
| Docker Support | Community provided | Official images, with container automation through Payara Docker Nodes |
| HTTP & HTTPS Port Auto-binding | No | Yes (Payara Micro only) |
| Generate Uber JAR | No | Yes (Payara Micro only) |
| Production-tuned Domain Template | No | Yes |
| Upgrade Tool | No | Yes (Watch Demo) |
| Jakarta EE Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on JDK 11, 17, 21 | Yes | Yes |
| Embedded Data Grid | No | Yes (Domain Data Grid) |
| AI Tools | No | Yes, use of OpenAI in Payara Starter: AI generated sample applications based on user input |
WebLogic vs. Payara Server
| Feature | Oracle® WebLogic Server 14c (14.1.1.0.0.) | Payara® Server Enterprise 6.9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| License | Proprietary | Open Source with EULA |
| Release Frequency | Irregular | Monthly |
| Production Support | Yes | Yes |
| Component Upgrades | Irregular | Monthly |
| Supported IDEs | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE / JDeveloper® | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE / VS Code® |
| Support for Java EE Applications | Java EE 8 and Jakarta EE 8 Java SE 8 and 11 Support GraalVM EE Support | Java EE 10 Jakarta EE 10 |
| Caching Tools | Oracle Coherence / JCache | Hazelcast: JCache, Domain Data Grid, Payara Scales (additional cost) |
| Clustering | Every node runs same apps | Yes (via Hazelcast) – Every node runs same app or fine grained assignment |
| Scripting tool | WSLT | asadmin |
| Scripting extensions | Python scripts | OS / BASH scripts |
| Asadmin Command Recorder | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment Flexibility | Deployment plan (XML based) | Variables (System, environment, MicroProfile config values) |
| Notification Channels Monitoring | JMX Beans Log files SMTP SNMP JMS | JMX Beans Log files SMTP SNMP JMS CDI Slack New Relic Datadog |
| Custom Notifiers | No | Yes |
| Slow SQL Logging | No | Yes |
| Health Check Service | Yes | Yes |
| Request Tracing | JAX-RS (Jersey) only | JAX-RS, CDI, EJB, Servlet, … |
| OAuth2/OpenId Connect support | Requires Fusion Middleware or custom dev | Natively supported (through Security API) |
| Microservices Distribution | No – Helidon for microservices | Yes (Payara Micro) |
| MicroProfile Support | No | Yes |
| Docker Support | Yes | Yes |
| Uber-jar and Hollow Jar | No | Yes |
| Cloud Providers Support | Oracle Cloud, Amazon, Microsoft Azure™, Jelastic | Microsoft Azure, Jelastic, Amazon, Oracle Cloud |
| Upgrade Tool | Yes | Yes |
| Zero Deployment downtime | Parallel versions with gradual switch | Parallel versions with one time switch |
| JDK Support | JDk 11 | Yes (through Azul® JVM), JDK 11 |
TomEE vs. Payara Server
| Feature | TomEE 9 | Payara® Server Enterprise 6.9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| License | Proprietary | Open Source with EULA |
| Release Frequency | Irregular (about 2 a year) | Monthly |
| Patch releases | Irregular | Irregular |
| Security fixes | Infrequent | Instant emergency and backported fixes for Payara Enterprise customers. As soon as possible for community. |
| Production Support | Yes (Tomitribe) | Yes |
| Component Upgrades | Irregular | Monthly |
| Supported IDEs | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE / VS Code® |
| Caching Tools | JCache | Hazelcast: JCache, Domain Data Grid, Payara Scales (additional cost) |
| Automatic Clustering | No, manual via Tomcat Cluster | Yes, (via Hazelcast) |
| Command line tool | Apache TomEE-CLI | asadmin |
| Web Console | Basic (From Tomcat) | Almost all commands supported |
| Asadmin Command Recorder | No | Yes |
| Slow SQL Logging | No | Yes |
| Health Check Service | Yes | Yes |
| Request Tracing | No | Yes |
| Monitoring logging | No | Yes |
| Microservices Distribution | Yes, TomEE MicroProfile | Yes (Payara Micro) |
| MicroProfile Support | MicroProfile 5 | MicroProfile 6.1 |
| Docker Support | Yes | Yes |
| Generate Uber JAR | Yes | Yes (Payara Micro only) |
| Production-tuned domain template | No | Yes |
| EE Standard | Jakarta EE 9 | Jakarta EE 10 |
| Jakarta EE Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Upgrade Tool | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on JDK 11 | JDk 11 | Yes (through Azul® JVM) |
JBoss EAP vs. Payara Server
| Feature | JBoss EAP 7.4 | Payara Server Enterprise 6.9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open Source with EULA | Open Source with EULA |
| Release Frequency | Bimonthly (Source) | Monthly |
| Production Support | Yes | Yes |
| Component Upgrades | Frequent | Monthly |
| Supported IDEs | EclipseNetBeansIntelliJ IDEAVisual Studio Code | EclipseNetBeansIntelliJ IDEAVisual Studio Code |
| Jakarta EE 10 Compatible | No (Source) | Yes |
| Data Grid (Caching) | Infinispan (additional cost) | Hazelcast / JCache |
| Clustering | Every node runs the same app or fine grained assignment. Automatic clustering over multicast. (Source) | Every node runs the same app or fine grained assignment. Automatic clustering over multicast. |
| Scripting Tool | jboss-cli.sh | asadmin |
| Admin Command Recording and Auditing | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment Flexibility | Variable (System, environment, external file, MicroProfile config) | Variables (System, environment, MicroProfile config) |
| Notification Channels Monitoring | CDIJMSLog Files | JMS BeansLog FilesSMTPSNMPJMSCDISlackNew RelicDatadog |
| Custom Notifiers | No | Yes |
| Slow SQL Logging | No | Yes |
| Health Check Service | No | Yes |
| Request Tracing | Yes (JAX-RS, CDI) | Yes (JAX-RS, CDI, EJB, Servlet) |
| OAuth2 / OpenId Connect Support | Yes, through Red Hat Single Sign-On (additional cost) | Natively Supported (through Security API) |
| Microservices Edition | No (the WildFly Bootable JAR Maven Plugin can be used to build a Bootable JAR, packaging server and application) (Source) | Payara Micro |
| MicroProfile Support | Partial | Yes |
| Docker Support | Yes | Yes, also with container automation through Payara Docker Nodes |
| Kubernetes Support | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud Providers Support | Microsoft Azure, Amazon, Google, OpenShift, and more | Microsoft Azure, Google, Jelastic, Amazon, Oracle Cloud, and more |
| Zero Deployment Downtime | No (Source) | Parallel versions with one-time switch |
| Upgrade Tool | Yes | Yes |
| Bundled JDK Support | Yes – RHEL and Windows only | Yes – Linux & Windows |
| Easy Migration from Community to Enterprise | WildFly migration to JBoss EAP Possible – Challenging (Source) | Yes – Payara Platform to Payara Platform Enterprise -Simple migration |
| Integrated Monitoring Console | Yes (additional cost) | Yes |
| Feature | JBoss EAP 7.4 | Payara® Server Enterprise 6.9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open Source with EULA | Open Source with EULA |
| Release Frequency | Irregular (about 2 a year) | Monthly |
| Patch releases | Irregular | Irregular |
| Security fixes | Infrequent | Instant emergency and backported fixes for Payara Enterprise customers. As soon as possible for community. |
| Production Support | Yes (Tomitribe) | Yes |
| Component Upgrades | Irregular | Monthly |
| Supported IDEs | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE / VS Code® |
| Caching Tools | JCache | Hazelcast: JCache, Domain Data Grid, Payara Scales (additional cost) |
| Automatic Clustering | No, manual via Tomcat Cluster | Yes, (via Hazelcast) |
| Command line tool | Apache TomEE-CLI | asadmin |
| Web Console | Basic (From Tomcat) | Almost all commands supported |
| Asadmin Command Recorder | No | Yes |
| Slow SQL Logging | No | Yes |
| Health Check Service | Yes | Yes |
| Request Tracing | No | Yes |
| Monitoring logging | No | Yes |
| Microservices Distribution | Yes, TomEE MicroProfile | Yes (Payara Micro) |
| MicroProfile Support | MicroProfile 5 | MicroProfile 6.1 |
| Docker Support | Yes | Yes |
| Generate Uber JAR | Yes | Yes (Payara Micro only) |
| Production-tuned domain template | No | Yes |
| EE Standard | Jakarta EE 9 | Jakarta EE 10 |
| Jakarta EE Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Upgrade Tool | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on JDK 11 | JDk 11 | Yes (through Azul® JVM) |
Tomcat vs. Payara Server
| Feature | Tomcat 10.1 | Payara Server Enterprise 6.9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open Source/Apache-2.0 Licensed | Open Source with EULA |
| Release frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Patch releases | Irregular | Irregular |
| Security fixes | Irregular but frequent | Instant emergency and backported fixes for Payara Enterprise customersAs soon as possible for community |
| Production support | Yes (Tomitribe) | Yes |
| Component Upgrades (e.g. Tyrus, Mojarra) | Monthly | Monthly |
| Supported IDEs | EclipseNetbeansIntelliJ IDEA | EclipseNetbeansIntelliJ IDEAVS Code |
| Caching tools | JCache | Hazelcast, JCache, Domain Data Grid, Payara Scales (additional cost) |
| Automatic Clustering | No, manual via Tomcat Cluster | Yes, (via Hazelcast) |
| Command line tool | Yes | Yes – Asadmin |
| Web Console | Yes | Almost all commands supported |
| Asadmin command recorder | No | Yes |
| Slow SQL logging | No | Yes |
| Healthcheck service | Healthcheck valve | Yes |
| Request tracing | No | Yes |
| Monitoring logging | No | Yes |
| Microservices distribution | No | Yes (Payara Micro) |
| MicroProfile support | No | MicroProfile 6.1 |
| Docker support | Yes | Yes |
| Generate Uber JAR | Yes | Yes (Payara Micro only) |
| Production-tuned domain template | No | Yes |
| EE Standard | Jakarta EE 10 | Jakarta EE 10 |
| Jakarta EE Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Upgrade Tool | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on JDK 11 | Yes | Yes (through Azul JVM) |
| Feature | Tomcat 10.1 | Payara® Server Enterprise 6.9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open Source with EULA | Open Source with EULA |
| Release Frequency | Irregular (about 2 a year) | Monthly |
| Patch releases | Irregular | Irregular |
| Security fixes | Infrequent | Instant emergency and backported fixes for Payara Enterprise customers. As soon as possible for community. |
| Production Support | Yes (Tomitribe) | Yes |
| Component Upgrades | Irregular | Monthly |
| Supported IDEs | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE / VS Code® |
| Caching Tools | JCache | Hazelcast: JCache, Domain Data Grid, Payara Scales (additional cost) |
| Automatic Clustering | No, manual via Tomcat Cluster | Yes, (via Hazelcast) |
| Command line tool | Apache TomEE-CLI | asadmin |
| Web Console | Basic (From Tomcat) | Almost all commands supported |
| Asadmin Command Recorder | No | Yes |
| Slow SQL Logging | No | Yes |
| Health Check Service | Yes | Yes |
| Request Tracing | No | Yes |
| Monitoring logging | No | Yes |
| Microservices Distribution | Yes, TomEE MicroProfile | Yes (Payara Micro) |
| MicroProfile Support | MicroProfile 5 | MicroProfile 6.1 |
| Docker Support | Yes | Yes |
| Generate Uber JAR | Yes | Yes (Payara Micro only) |
| Production-tuned domain template | No | Yes |
| EE Standard | Jakarta EE 9 | Jakarta EE 10 |
| Jakarta EE Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Upgrade Tool | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on JDK 11 | JDk 11 | Yes (through Azul® JVM) |
WildFly vs. Payara Server
| Feature | WildFly 30 | Payara Server Community 6.2023.12 | Payara Server Enterprise 6.9.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | Open Source (Source) | Open Source | Open Source with EULA |
| Release Frequency | Quarterly (Source) | Monthly | Monthly |
| Production Support | No | No | Yes |
| Component Upgrades | Quarterly | Monthly | Monthly |
| Supported IDEs | EclipseNetBeansIntelliJ IDEARed Hat Development SuiteVisual Studio Code | EclipseNetBeansIntelliJ IDEAVisual Studio Code | EclipseNetBeansIntelliJ IDEAVisual Studio Code |
| Jakarta EE 10 Compatible | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Caching Tools | Infinispan | Hazelcast | Hazelcast |
| Clustering | Every node runs same app or fine grained assignment. | Every node runs same app or fine grained assignment. | Every node runs same app or fine grained assignment. |
| Data Encryption in a Cluster | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Web UI Administration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scripting Tool | jboss-cli.sh | asadmin | asadmin |
| Admin Command Recording | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auditing Management Operations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auditing Security Events | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Integrated Certificate Management | No | No | Yes |
| Deployment Flexibility | Variables (System, environment, external file, MicroProfile config) | Variables (System, environment, MicroProfile config) | Variables (System, environment, MicroProfile config) |
| Notification Channels Monitoring | CDIJMS BeansLog Files | JMS BeansLog FilesSMTPSNMPJMSCDISlackNew RelicDatadog | JMS BeansLog FilesSMTPSNMPJMSCDISlackNew RelicDatadog |
| Custom Notifiers | No | Yes | Yes |
| Slow SQL Logging | No | Yes | Yes |
| Health Check Service | Yes via MicroProfile Health | Yes | Yes |
| Request Tracing | Yes (JAX-RS, CDI) | Yes (JAX-RS, CDI, EJB, Servlet, JAX-WS, JMS) | Yes (JAX-RS, CDI, EJB, Servlet, JAX-WS, JMS) |
| OAuth2 / OpenId Connect Support | Yes, through Elytron subsystem | Natively Supported (through Security API) | Natively Supported (through Security API) |
| Remote EJB over HTTP | Yes | Yes (partial) | Yes (partial) |
| Microservice Distribution | No (the WildFly Bootable JAR Maven Plugin can be used to build a Bootable JAR, packaging server and application) (Source) | Payara Micro | Payara Micro |
| MicroProfile Support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Docker Support | Yes | Yes, also with container automation through Payara Docker Nodes | Yes, also with container automation through Payara Docker Nodes |
| Kubernetes Support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud Providers Support | Microsoft Azure, Amazon, Google, Openshift, and more | Microsoft Azure, Jelastic, Amazon, Oracle Cloud, and more | Microsoft Azure, Jelastic, Amazon, Oracle Cloud, and more |
| Zero Deployment Downtime | No | Switch between pre-deployed versions; Rolling upgrade in a cluster | Switch between pre-deployed versions; Rolling upgrade in a cluster |
| Hot Deployment | No | Yes for NetBeans IDE, Maven, Gradle, support for other IDEs coming soon | Yes for NetBeans IDE, Maven, Gradle, support for other IDEs coming soon |
| Upgrade Tool | Yes | No | Yes |
| JDK 21 Support | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Bundled JDK Support | Yes – RHEL and Windows | Yes – Linux and Windows | Yes – Linux and Windows |
| Migration from Community to Enterprise edition | Challenging (Wildfly to JBoss EAP migration) (Source) | Simple and supported | Simple and supported |
| Integrated Monitoring Console | No | Yes | Yes |
| Feature | WildFly 30 | Payara® Server Enterprise 6.9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open Source with EULA | Open Source with EULA |
| Release Frequency | Irregular (about 2 a year) | Monthly |
| Patch releases | Irregular | Irregular |
| Security fixes | Infrequent | Instant emergency and backported fixes for Payara Enterprise customers. As soon as possible for community. |
| Production Support | Yes (Tomitribe) | Yes |
| Component Upgrades | Irregular | Monthly |
| Supported IDEs | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE / VS Code® |
| Caching Tools | JCache | Hazelcast: JCache, Domain Data Grid, Payara Scales (additional cost) |
| Automatic Clustering | No, manual via Tomcat Cluster | Yes, (via Hazelcast) |
| Command line tool | Apache TomEE-CLI | asadmin |
| Web Console | Basic (From Tomcat) | Almost all commands supported |
| Asadmin Command Recorder | No | Yes |
| Slow SQL Logging | No | Yes |
| Health Check Service | Yes | Yes |
| Request Tracing | No | Yes |
| Monitoring logging | No | Yes |
| Microservices Distribution | Yes, TomEE MicroProfile | Yes (Payara Micro) |
| MicroProfile Support | MicroProfile 5 | MicroProfile 6.1 |
| Docker Support | Yes | Yes |
| Generate Uber JAR | Yes | Yes (Payara Micro only) |
| Production-tuned domain template | No | Yes |
| EE Standard | Jakarta EE 9 | Jakarta EE 10 |
| Jakarta EE Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Upgrade Tool | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on JDK 11 | JDk 11 | Yes (through Azul® JVM) |
Quarkus Vs Payara Micro
| Feature | Quarkus 3.6.3 | Payara Micro Enterprise 6.9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache License 2.0 (Source) | Open Source with EULA |
| Release Frequency | Regular | Monthly |
| Production Support | Yes (Only in combination with OpenShift or Enterprise Linux subscriptions) | Yes |
| Standards Support | MicroProfile, Partial Jakarta EE (Source) | MicroProfile, Jakarta EE 10 Web Profile |
| Support For | Vert.x, MP Reactive Messaging, MP GraphQL, JPA, JMS Client | JBatch, Jakarta EE Concurrency, JMS client, Kafka connectivity |
| Designed For | Kubernetes | Microservices, Kubernetes, general applications |
| Project Creation | Maven archetype (Source) | Maven and Gradle archetypes |
| Clustering | Available through Infinispan integration (Source) | Automatic clustering in many environments including bare metal and Kubernetes |
| Request Tracing | MicroProfile OpenTracing, OpenTelemetry Trace | MicroProfile OpenTracing Servlet, CDI |
| Tracing Tools | Jaeger, OpenZipkin | Jaeger, OpenZipkin |
| Notifiers | None | Log filesSMTPSNMPCDISlackNew RelicDatadogDiscordTeamsJava Flight RecorderXMPP |
| Supported JVMs | JDK 11+, Graal VM Native compilation (Source) | Support and security updates for Java 11, 17 and beyond; and ARM-based JVMs |
| Feature | Quarkus 3.6.3 | Payara Micro Enterprise 6.9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open Source with EULA | Open Source with EULA |
| Release Frequency | Irregular (about 2 a year) | Monthly |
| Patch releases | Irregular | Irregular |
| Security fixes | Infrequent | Instant emergency and backported fixes for Payara Enterprise customers. As soon as possible for community. |
| Production Support | Yes (Tomitribe) | Yes |
| Component Upgrades | Irregular | Monthly |
| Supported IDEs | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE / VS Code® |
| Caching Tools | JCache | Hazelcast: JCache, Domain Data Grid, Payara Scales (additional cost) |
| Automatic Clustering | No, manual via Tomcat Cluster | Yes, (via Hazelcast) |
| Command line tool | Apache TomEE-CLI | asadmin |
| Web Console | Basic (From Tomcat) | Almost all commands supported |
| Asadmin Command Recorder | No | Yes |
| Slow SQL Logging | No | Yes |
| Health Check Service | Yes | Yes |
| Request Tracing | No | Yes |
| Monitoring logging | No | Yes |
| Microservices Distribution | Yes, TomEE MicroProfile | Yes (Payara Micro) |
| MicroProfile Support | MicroProfile 5 | MicroProfile 6.1 |
| Docker Support | Yes | Yes |
| Generate Uber JAR | Yes | Yes (Payara Micro only) |
| Production-tuned domain template | No | Yes |
| EE Standard | Jakarta EE 9 | Jakarta EE 10 |
| Jakarta EE Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Upgrade Tool | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on JDK 11 | JDk 11 | Yes (through Azul® JVM) |
Helidon Vs Payara Micro
| Feature | Helidon 4 | Payara Micro Enterprise 6.9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache License 2.0 | Open Source with EULA |
| Release Frequency | Regular | Monthly |
| Production Support | Yes (Only in combination with WebLogic or Coherence) | Yes |
| Standards Support | MicroProfile, Partial Jakarta EE | MicroProfile, Jakarta EE 10 Web Profile |
| Support For | MP Reactive Messaging, MP GraphQL, gRPC, JPA | JBatch, Jakarta EE Concurrency, JMS client, Kafka connectivity |
| Supported IDEs | EclipseNetBeansIntelliJ IDEAVSCode | EclipseNetBeansIntelliJ IDEAVSCode |
| Designed For | Microservices | Microservices, general applications |
| Project Creation | Helidon CLI, Maven, and Gradle archetypes | Maven and Gradle archetypes |
| Clustering | None | Automatic clustering in many environments including bare metal and Kubernetes |
| Configuration | YAML file | Asadmin commands |
| Request Tracing | Jersey, MicroProfile OpenTracing | MicroProfile OpenTracing, Servlet, CDI |
| Tracing Tools | Jaeger, OpenZipkin | Jaeger, OpenZipkin |
| Notifiers | None | Log filesSMTPSNMPCDISlackNew RelicDatadog |
| Supported JVMs | JDK 21+, Graal VM Native compilation (Source) | Support and security updates for Java 11, 17 and beyond; and ARM-based JVMs |
| Feature | Helidon 4 | Payara Micro Enterprise 6.9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open Source with EULA | Open Source with EULA |
| Release Frequency | Irregular (about 2 a year) | Monthly |
| Patch releases | Irregular | Irregular |
| Security fixes | Infrequent | Instant emergency and backported fixes for Payara Enterprise customers. As soon as possible for community. |
| Production Support | Yes (Tomitribe) | Yes |
| Component Upgrades | Irregular | Monthly |
| Supported IDEs | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE / VS Code® |
| Caching Tools | JCache | Hazelcast: JCache, Domain Data Grid, Payara Scales (additional cost) |
| Automatic Clustering | No, manual via Tomcat Cluster | Yes, (via Hazelcast) |
| Command line tool | Apache TomEE-CLI | asadmin |
| Web Console | Basic (From Tomcat) | Almost all commands supported |
| Asadmin Command Recorder | No | Yes |
| Slow SQL Logging | No | Yes |
| Health Check Service | Yes | Yes |
| Request Tracing | No | Yes |
| Monitoring logging | No | Yes |
| Microservices Distribution | Yes, TomEE MicroProfile | Yes (Payara Micro) |
| MicroProfile Support | MicroProfile 5 | MicroProfile 6.1 |
| Docker Support | Yes | Yes |
| Generate Uber JAR | Yes | Yes (Payara Micro only) |
| Production-tuned domain template | No | Yes |
| EE Standard | Jakarta EE 9 | Jakarta EE 10 |
| Jakarta EE Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Upgrade Tool | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on JDK 11 | JDk 11 | Yes (through Azul® JVM) |
WebSphere VS. Payara Server Enterprise
| WebSphere 9.0.5 | WebSphere Liberty 23.0.0 | Payara Server Enterprise 6.9.0 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Open Source with EULA |
| Release Frequency | Irregular | Monthly | Monthly |
| Production Support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Supported IDEs | Eclipse IDE, VS Code | Eclipse IDE, VS Code | Eclipse IDE, NetBeans, IntelliJ IDE, VS Code |
| Jakarta EE 8 Compatible | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MicroProfile Support | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Microservices Edition | No | Yes (Liberty is positioned as Microservices only) | Yes (Payara Micro) |
| Data Grid (Caching) | Separate product with additional cost | No | Yes, included |
| Clustering | Separate product with additional cost | Yes | Yes, included |
| Scripting Tool | Wsadmin and jython scripts | Wsadmin and jython scripts | asadmin |
| Admin Command Recording and Auditing | No | No | Yes |
| Deployment Flexibility | Variables (Environment, external files, WebSphere variables) | Variables (Environment, WebSphere variables, MicroProfile config) | Variables (System, Environment, MicroProfile config) |
| Notification Channels Monitoring | ,ul> JMS BeansSMTPGoogle Cloud MessagingApple Push Notifications | JMS BeansSMTP | JS BeansLog FilesSMTPSNMPJMSCDISlackNew RelicDatadogTeams Channels |
| Custom Notifiers | No | No | Yes |
| Feature | WebSphere 9.0.5 | Payara Micro Enterprise 6.9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open Source with EULA | Open Source with EULA |
| Release Frequency | Irregular (about 2 a year) | Monthly |
| Patch releases | Irregular | Irregular |
| Security fixes | Infrequent | Instant emergency and backported fixes for Payara Enterprise customers. As soon as possible for community. |
| Production Support | Yes (Tomitribe) | Yes |
| Component Upgrades | Irregular | Monthly |
| Supported IDEs | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE | Eclipse® / Netbeans® / IntelliJ® IDE / VS Code® |
| Caching Tools | JCache | Hazelcast: JCache, Domain Data Grid, Payara Scales (additional cost) |
| Automatic Clustering | No, manual via Tomcat Cluster | Yes, (via Hazelcast) |
| Command line tool | Apache TomEE-CLI | asadmin |
| Web Console | Basic (From Tomcat) | Almost all commands supported |
| Asadmin Command Recorder | No | Yes |
| Slow SQL Logging | No | Yes |
| Health Check Service | Yes | Yes |
| Request Tracing | No | Yes |
| Monitoring logging | No | Yes |
| Microservices Distribution | Yes, TomEE MicroProfile | Yes (Payara Micro) |
| MicroProfile Support | MicroProfile 5 | MicroProfile 6.1 |
| Docker Support | Yes | Yes |
| Generate Uber JAR | Yes | Yes (Payara Micro only) |
| Production-tuned domain template | No | Yes |
| EE Standard | Jakarta EE 9 | Jakarta EE 10 |
| Jakarta EE Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Upgrade Tool | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on JDK 11 | JDk 11 | Yes (through Azul® JVM) |
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With a relentless focus on stability, security, and flexibility, Payara enables
enterprises in unlocking the full value of their Java investments.
“Having commercial support from Payara, who own the codebase, really takes open-source to the next level. They validated our configuration, made recommendations for improvement, and gave us confidence we were getting the most out of the product and making the best decisions from the start.”
Neil Openshaw
Senior Manager
Software Engineering

“Partnering with Payara Server Enterprise has been a game-changer for us at LinkPulse. Their expert support, reliable 24/7 service, and long-term lifecycle have allowed us to deliver seamless migrations and maintain critical public sector systems without interruption.”
Fernando Maldonado
Project Leader


“’Using Payara Enterprise support enables us to get our APIs more stable and we feel more confident in the service we provide to our customers”
Stefan Ajderev
IT Infrastructure and Security Manager at DPD
