What is our primary use case?
Azul Zulu serves as our primary Java runtime, providing a stable, 100% open-source, and certified solution for our production microservices. We utilize it to ensure cross-platform compatibility across our cloud and on-premises environments.
Azul Zulu facilitates cross-platform compatibility as we use it as the base for our Docker images in our CI/CD pipeline. For instance, we migrated our legacy Spring Boot applications from Oracle JDK, and Azul Zulu served as a seamless drop-in replacement that allowed us to maintain the same performance level without any code changes.
What is most valuable?
Azul Zulu's ability to allow us to standardize our Java estate on a single and well-supported platform stands out as one of its best features. This standardization simplifies our compliance audits and ensures all our applications receive timely security updates.
Azul Zulu positively impacts our organization by providing a platform that allows us to standardize Java on a well-supported platform. Without the high cost associated with other proprietary vendors, Azul Zulu provides an excellent platform for running our applications.
What needs improvement?
Improvements for Azul Zulu could include more automated tools for unused code visibility integrated directly into the standard portal to help further optimize our cloud footprints. The other core JDK functionality is excellent.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Azul Zulu for approximately five years as our primary Java runtime. We specifically looked for a more cost-effective alternative to Oracle JDK that still provides enterprise-grade support.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Azul Zulu is extremely stable because it is built from the same OpenJDK source code used for Oracle JDK and undergoes rigorous TCK, Technology Compatibility Kit, testing to ensure it meets all the Java SE specifications.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Azul Zulu demonstrates high scalability as it is widely used in high-load environments such as big data and fintech. For organizations needing extreme scalability, Azul Zulu offers Platform Prime, which includes an optimized garbage collector to handle massive memory heaps without performance jitters.
How are customer service and support?
Azul Zulu provides excellent customer support, and I would rate it a perfect 10 out of 10. The team is known for having the largest Java engineering team outside of Oracle and provides 24/7 and 365-day support with deep expertise in JVM internals.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Oracle JDK but switched to Azul Zulu primarily due to the shifting license model, which was the major issue with that platform. Switching to Azul Zulu gave us the freedom from Oracle while maintaining identical technical performance and superior support.
What was our ROI?
We achieved specific outcomes from using Azul Zulu by reducing our Java licensing and support costs by approximately 70% when compared to our previous Oracle contract. Additionally, we saw a boost in developer productivity because we no longer have to manage complex license tracking for every employee.
Since Azul Zulu is open source, the number of licenses needed has dramatically decreased, which has further contributed to our return on investment and led to continued productivity gains.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing Azul Zulu, we evaluated other options including
Amazon Corretto, Eclipse Temurin, and Oracle JDK. Ultimately, we chose Azul Zulu because of its superior commercial support SLA and its support for a wider range of legacy versions.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for others looking into using Azul Zulu is to perform a pilot migration with one non-critical application first. You will likely find that it is truly a drop-in replacement, which will give your team the confidence to roll it out across the entire organization to start saving costs immediately. I recommend trying this approach to observe the results before applying it fully to the entire organization. I would rate this product 9 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
