Azul Extends Java 6 and Java 7 Support to December 2029
Azul's support roadmap now lists paid support for Java 6 and Java 7 to December 2029. Until this month the same line read December 2027. On the roadmap, Azul's standard production support for Java 6 ended in December 2018 and for Java 7 in July 2022; the later date is what Azul calls Legacy Production Support, available only to customers who have purchased it. In our data that is December 31, 2029 for Zulu 6 and December 31, 2029 for Zulu 7. Java 6 was released in December 2006: the roadmap itself counts that as 23 years of support.
What the extension covers, in Azul's own terms
- It is Legacy Production Support, formerly called Extended Production Support, and it applies only to customers who have purchased it for Java 6 or 7.
- Azul states that additional builds provided in that period are not TCK-tested. The TCK is the compatibility test suite that certifies a build as conforming Java. Fixes still arrive; the certification does not.
- The roadmap notes that commercial support may be available for longer than shown, by arrangement.
Azul's dates next to everyone else's
| Java version | First released | Oracle's own support ended | Azul production support ends | Azul's last listed date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Java 6 | December 2006 | December 2018 | December 31, 2018 | December 31, 2029 (Legacy Production Support) |
| Java 7 | July 2011 | July 2022 | July 31, 2022 | December 31, 2029 (Legacy Production Support) |
| Java 8 | March 2014 | Extended Support to December 2030 | December 31, 2030 | December 31, 2032 |
| Java 11 | September 2018 | See the vendor guide | January 31, 2032 | January 31, 2034 |
| Java 17 | September 2021 | See the vendor guide | September 30, 2029 | September 30, 2031 |
Azul states these dates by month; we show the last day of the month. Oracle's dates for Java 6 and 7 are as Azul's roadmap cites them from Oracle's own support roadmap. Every vendor's dates for Java 8 through 25 are in our Java end of life by vendor guide.
Why a twenty-year-old runtime gets two more years
A vendor extends paid coverage when customers are paying for it. Read that way, the change is a measurement: a meaningful number of organisations still run production systems on Java 6 and Java 7, expect to be running them after 2027, and would rather buy patches than migrate. That is an inference from the roadmap, not something Azul has said.
It fits what the rest of the lifecycle data shows. The applications that are hardest to move are the ones nobody dares touch: the vendor is gone, the source is lost, the certification covers one exact runtime, or the application server underneath it only runs on that Java version. For those systems the choice was never between old Java and new Java. It is between old Java with security fixes and old Java without them.
If you still run Java 6 or Java 7
- Find it first. Old Java hides inside appliances, application servers and vendor products. Run
java -versionwherever Java runs, and check the runtimes bundled inside packaged applications. - Know what you are actually getting. Oracle's free public updates ended in April 2013 for Java 6 and April 2015 for Java 7, as Azul's roadmap records. Paid coverage is what keeps these versions patched today, and under Azul's terms the later builds are not TCK-tested; check whether your application vendor or auditor cares.
- Treat 2029 as a deadline, not a reprieve. Three years goes quickly for a system like this once discovery, testing and sign-off are counted.
- Aim past Java 8. Java 8 is supported by several vendors to the end of 2030, which makes it a stepping stone with its own clock. Java 17, 21 and 25 are where long support now sits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Java 6 or Java 7 still supported by anyone?
Not for free. Oracle's own support for Java 6 ended in December 2018 and for Java 7 in July 2022. Azul's support roadmap lists paid Legacy Production Support for both to December 2029, only for customers who have purchased it.
What changed in Azul's Java 6 and Java 7 support?
Azul's roadmap now shows December 2029 as the end of Legacy Production Support for Java 6 and Java 7. The open endoflife.date dataset, which follows that roadmap, listed December 2027 until September 19, 2026. That is two more years for runtimes first released in 2006 and 2011.
What does Azul Legacy Production Support for Java 6 and 7 not include?
Azul's roadmap states that additional builds provided during the Legacy Production Support period for Java 6 or 7 are not TCK-tested, meaning they are not run through the Java compatibility test suite, and that the support applies only to customers who purchased it. Azul's standard production support for those versions ended in December 2018 and July 2022.
Related
- Azul Zulu — every version, live status and EOL Risk Score
- Java end of life by vendor
- Oracle Java licensing and support
- How we verify our dates