Eclipse GlassFish 7.1, released on December 6, 2025, is the latest version of a mature, production-ready application server that powers mission-critical systems worldwide. Backed by OmniFish’s commercial support and expertise, GlassFish continues to deliver the reliability, performance, and innovation that enterprise organizations need. This release shows our commitment to keeping GlassFish at the forefront of the Jakarta EE ecosystem.
What’s New in Eclipse GlassFish 7.1
GlassFish 7.1 introduces several new features that expand the platform’s functionality and improve the developer experience. This release also closes the gap between GlassFish Server and Embedded GlassFish, turning Embedded GlassFish to a production-ready lightweight alternative to GlassFish Server for running microservices from command line and in cloud containers.
MicroProfile Health
One of the most significant additions in GlassFish 7.1 is MicroProfile Health, a completely new implementation developed from scratch by the OmniFish team. This feature allows applications to expose standardized health check endpoints, which is particularly useful for cloud and Kubernetes deployments where automated health checks are essential.
MicroProfile Health enables orchestration platforms to make intelligent decisions about application lifecycle management, providing a standard way to monitor application health and availability. It also simplifies integration with external monitoring systems to set up health monitoring and alerts.
New features in Embedded GlassFish – the “microservice” GlassFish variant
Improved runnable Embedded GlassFish
Beyond the MicroProfile and JMX additions, Embedded GlassFish has received several improvements that make it more practical for production use. For example, support for command line options with spaces, like –port 9090, instead of –port=9090, stopping on error in configuration instead of ignoring it with just a warning message, etc. These enhancements make it easier to start and manage applications from the command line, expanding the simplicity of running Jakarta EE applications in microservice systems or containerized deployments.
Reminder: Starting a web application with Embedded GlassFish is very easy
Run any application with
java -jar glassfish-embedded-all.jar myapp.warOr add your application to “autodeploy” directory next to the Embedded GlassFish JAR file and just run the following and GlassFish will find and start your app automatically:
java -jar glassfish-embedded-all.jarMicroProfile APIs in Embedded GlassFish
GlassFish 7.1 adds MicroProfile APIs to Embedded GlassFish, bringing MicroProfile capabilities to embedded deployments on top of Jakarta EE features. Previously, MicroProfile support was limited to the full GlassFish server. Now developers can use MicroProfile Config, Rest Client, JWT, and Health when running their applications from the command line or embedding GlassFish in their applications.
This enhancement opens up new possibilities for developers building microservices, testing frameworks, and other applications that benefit from a lightweight Jakarta EE runtime. Embedded GlassFish 7.1 can run applications from the command line or be embedded into an application, with all the power of Jakarta EE and MicroProfile APIs supported by GlassFish.
JMX Monitoring for Embedded GlassFish
Another significant enhancement is JMX monitoring support in Embedded GlassFish. Previously, JMX monitoring was only available in the full GlassFish server. With this addition, applications running on the lightweight Embedded GlassFish runtime can now be monitored and managed using standard JMX tools, providing better visibility into application behavior and resource usage.
Performance Enhancements
GlassFish 7.1 includes several performance improvements:
- Faster Startup Times: Applications start up faster, which is beneficial for cloud environments and containerized deployments, as well as for IoT deployments with weaker CPUs.
- Improved JDBC Pool Throughput: Database connection pooling has been optimized for better throughput in data-intensive applications.
- JPMS Compatibility: Better support for the Java Platform Module System ensures GlassFish works seamlessly with modern Java architecture practices and starts faster, benefiting from JVM optimizations for JPMS modules
- Java 25 Support: GlassFish 7.1 is tested to run on Java 25, giving you access to the latest Java features and optimizations.
Enhanced Monitoring
GlassFish 7.1 includes fixes for connection pool and thread pool monitoring, providing better insights into how your applications are using resources. These improvements help identify performance bottlenecks and optimize resource allocation.
PKCS12 Keystore Support
GlassFish 7.1 now uses PKCS12 keystores by default in new installations, replacing the older JKS format. PKCS12 is the industry standard for certificate storage and offers better compatibility with modern security tools and practices. JKS format is still supported for backwards compatibility.
Admin CLI enhancements
The asadmin command line tool received a few notable enhancements:
- The interactive interface now supports command completion, history, and other neat improvements that are usual in system shells. Just run
bin/asadminand start typing commands, press Tab for completion, and Up or Down arrows to browse command history - Instead of
bin/asadmin, you can now also runjava bin/asadmin.java. it works in the same way but works on any operating system, whilebin/asadminrequires Bash shell, andbin/asadmin.batworks only on Windows
Breaking Changes
GlassFish 7.1 includes several breaking changes that reflect the platform’s evolution toward modern Java standards.
| Breaking Change | Description |
|---|---|
| Java 17 Baseline | GlassFish 7.1 requires Java 17 or higher and drops support for Java 11. This change enables access to modern language features and allows integration of new capabilities like MicroProfile Health. |
| Internal Bootstrap Changes | The internal bootstrap mechanism has been modernized to improve performance and align with Java Platform Module System requirements. This may break some tools and scripts that rely on GlassFish internals. |
| IDE Plugin Updates | IDE plugins may require updates due to changes in internal functionality. IDE vendors are actively updating their GlassFish support. OmniFish published workarounds for major IDEs. |
| Obsolete asadmin Arguments | Deprecated command-line arguments that were flagged for removal over 15 years ago have been removed. Scripts using these arguments will need to be updated. |
Upgrade Path
For those upgrading from GlassFish 7.0.x to 7.1:
Java Version: Ensure you are running Java 17 or higher. This is the primary requirement for upgrading.
Scripts and Automation: Review your asadmin scripts to ensure they do not use deprecated arguments. OmniFish can provide guidance on updating scripts if needed.
IDE Plugins: Update your IDE plugins to versions compatible with GlassFish 7.1. Until your IDE supports GlassFish 7.1, follow OmniFish guides how to make major IDEs work with GlassFish 7.1
Testing: Test your applications in a staging environment before deploying to production.
Why These Changes Matter
The Java 17 requirement enables GlassFish to integrate modern features like MicroProfile Health and maintain compatibility with the latest Jakarta EE specifications. The internal changes improve performance and security while aligning with modern Java best practices.
The addition of MicroProfile APIs to Embedded GlassFish and JMX monitoring support significantly expands the platform’s flexibility. Developers can now use the same advanced capabilities in microservice and embedded deployments that were previously only available in the full server.
Get Started with GlassFish 7.1
Ready to explore the new features in GlassFish 7.1?
- Download GlassFish 7.1
- Guide to Get Started with GlassFish
- Read the Release Notes
- View the Documentation
- Get Support from OmniFish
For questions about upgrading or deploying GlassFish 7.1, OmniFish offers consulting services and commercial support to help you get the most out of the platform.
