2022 Java Ecology Report released: Java 11 replaces Java 8 as the most popular version

Recently, JRebel released the latest 2022 Java Developer Productivity Report, which is based on a survey of Java development professionals worldwide, which lasted from October 2021 to January 2022, and collected a total of 876 questionnaire responses.

Java 11 replaces Java 8 as the most popular version

In the 2020 report, 84.48% of developers still choose to use Java 8, even though Java 11 has been released for more than a year. But since then, the ratio between the two LTS versions has changed.

Currently, more than 48% of developers are using Java 11 in production (up from 11.11% in 2020), with Java 8 a close second at 46.45%.

Also, support for Java 7 will end in 2022, but 1.71% of developers are still using it today.

Java 14 is the most popular non-LTS version

The usage of the non-LTS Java version is still very low compared to the LTS version, with only 2.7% of applications using the non-LTS Java version.

While some vendors such as Azul Systems provide patches on non-LTS versions, most do not, which may be why users are reluctant to upgrade​.

Among non-LTS Java releases, Java 14 is the most popular, with Java 10 and Java 16 tied for bottom.

Oracle's share dwindles, Amazon rises

In 2020, Oracle is the most popular vendor, with about 75% of users in the market relying on its JDK.

Today, Oracle still holds the top spot in the market, but its share has shrunk to half of its original share, currently accounting for 34.48%.

In contrast, Amazon’s market share has climbed significantly to 22% (2.18% in 2020).

Also, prior to the release of Java 17, Eclipse Adoptium and Amazon were in almost exact opposite positions in this table.

Containerized applications have become the mainstream trend

More than 70% of Java applications reported to New Relic are from containers, proving that containerized applications have become mainstream.

G1 is the most popular GC algorithm

Given its central role in JVM performance, garbage collection (GC) remains a hot topic of discussion in the community.

New Relic data shows that since the release of Java 8, garbage collector usage has changed significantly.

Given that Java 11 and later G1 collectors have updated defaults and higher performance, it's not surprising that G1 is popular with developers.

​Full report address:

https://newrelic.com/resources/report/2022-state-of-java-ecosystem#toc-java-11-is-the-new-standard