Microsoft made its implementation of OpenJDK 11 generally available so that developers who want to use Java on the Azure cloud can do so.
OpenJDK is the free and open-source reference implementation of the Java SE Platform, which includes the Java Development Kit (JDK).
Announced during the Microsoft Build 2021 developer conference, it comes with binaries for Java 11, based on OpenJDK 11.0.11 for x64 server/desktop implementations on Linux, Windows, and macOS. The release follows the April preview of the Microsoft Build of OpenJDK.
For those unaware, this is a long-term support (LTS) distribution of OpenJDK 11 based on the Java SE Platform.
As Java is one of the most popular programming languages in the world, used by over 7 million developers, Microsoft is intent on bringing more of those developers to the Azure cloud.
Julia Liuson, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s developer division
Moreover, Microsoft itself is a big user of Java. The heavy use of Java occurs mostly in the Azure space and was exemplified by the establishment of the Java Engineering Group in its Developer Division in 2019, and the acquisition of jClarity to optimize Java workloads in Azure. Along with the cloud platform, Java helps power the company’s LinkedIn site and its Minecraft game.
Microsoft said it will recommend optimizations to customers running Java-based workloads using the Microsoft Build of OpenJDK 11 at scale across services including LinkedIn, Minecraft, SQL Server, Yammer and other internal systems.
In addition, Microsoft-owned GitHub is the home for open source Java projects, with over 3.6 million hosted Java repositories. Microsoft itself has over 60 Java open source projects on GitHub. Microsoft’s contributions to OpenJDK include work on the garbage collector and writing capabilities for the Java runtime.
Along with the GA release, the company also shipped Microsoft Build of OpenJDK Docker images, along with associated Dockerfiles. These are intended for use in any Java applications or components that can be deployed anywhere, including the Azure cloud.
The Microsoft Build of OpenJDK 11 is available for free to deploy in qualifying Azure support plans.
For detailed information, you can refer to the official Microsoft’s documentation. Download the Microsoft Build of OpenJDK 11 by following this link.
