Organizations shift away from Oracle Java as pricing changes bite

The vast majority of Oracle Java users are migrating all or some of their use, claims Java platform Azul Systems, with most of those who have already done so saying the process went as planned.

According to the company's global Oracle Java Usage, Pricing & Migration Survey and Report, 86% of Oracle Java users are migrating all or some of their use, with reasons including cost, a preference for open source, uncertainty over Oracle's ongoing pricing changes and the threat of a Java usage audit.

More than eight in ten organizations that have already migrated away from Oracle Java report the process was easier than expected or went as planned, while three quarters say they completed their migrations in less than 12 months and nearly a quarter within three months.

Just over half of the 663 Java professionals surveyed cited Oracle Java as being too expensive, while 47% said they preferred to use an open-source distribution like OpenJDK.

Last year, Oracle changed its pricing model from usage-based payment models to a per-employee fee. And four in ten pointed to ongoing changes in pricing, licensing, and support from Oracle as the reason they wanted to make a move. A quarter mentioned concerns about potential Java usage audits by Oracle and a similar number said that Oracle support was not meeting their expectations.

"The data from the Oracle Java Usage, Pricing & Migration Survey, and Report paints a clear picture: Java users are looking for an equivalent or better alternative to Oracle Java SE which can address their business concerns regarding licensing and support costs and risk of an audit," said Scott Sellers, co-founder and CEO at Azul. 

"There is a better path forward: organizations who have switched to commercially supported distributions based on OpenJDK report smooth experiences and achieved significant cost savings."

According to Azul Systems, Oracle's share of Java Development Kit (JDK) usage has been declining for years, from about 75% of the JDK distribution market in 2020 to 42% in 2023.

According to Azul, two-thirds of organizations that switched from Oracle Java to OpenJDK distributions were able to save on costs. And 83% of the Java professionals said they needed support for production applications, including paid support, support bundled with their existing cloud and infrastructure platform, or both. 

When considering what they valued most in paid support for an OpenJDK distribution, participants said the top five reasons were technical expertise, at 61%, timely releases and fixes at 54%, customer support at 42%, stabilized security-only updates at 40%, and migration expertise at 39%.

"The exodus away from Oracle Java is driven by mounting concerns over pricing changes and a growing preference for open-source alternatives. While some organizations initially hesitated to make the switch, our survey reveals that those who have migrated to OpenJDK distributions have had a positive experience," said Sellers. 

"It's clear that the Java community is voting with its feet, seeking more cost-effective, flexible, and open solutions for their Java applications and Java-based infrastructure."

ITPro has approached Oracle for comment.