News

Red Hat Adds Kubernetes-Native Java Framework, Quarkus

• By David Ramel
• 05/28/2020

Red Hat has added Quarkus -- a Kubernetes-native Java stack -- to its list of supported frameworks in its Runtimes collection for developing cloud-native applications.

The open source champion characterized the move as bridging the gap between traditional applications created with the 25-year-old programming language and cloud-native environments, which of course usually include the wildly popular Kubernetes container orchestration offering.

The Quarkus site describes it as supersonic subatomic Java, or more specifically, "a Kubernetes native Java stack tailored for OpenJDK HotSpot and GraalVM, crafted from the best of breed Java libraries and standards."

It's now part of Red Hat Runtimes, a middleware offering comprising products, tools and components for developing and maintaining cloud-native applications through the use of lightweight runtimes and frameworks for highly distributed cloud architectures, including microservices.

While the Quarkus site highlights its affinity for OpenJDK HotSpot and GraalVM, the Red Hat build of Quarkus provides tighter integration with the company's OpenShift -- for managing hybrid cloud and multicloud deployments -- along with access to production-ready capabilities that it said make it an ideal platform for cloud-native applications.

"As a full-stack, Kubernetes-native Java framework that has been optimized for memory density and rapid startup time, Quarkus enables organizations to advance existing application environments and extend years of investment in Java for mission-critical systems," Red Hat said in a May 27 announcement. "The open source project has been crafted from a selection of leading Java technologies and standards, and offers developers an adaptable development model that is designed to combine both imperative and reactive styles in a seamless, unified user experience."

It further listed benefits of Quarkus as:

• Increase developer productivity: Quarkus works out of the box with popular Java standards, frameworks, and libraries, alleviating the need to learn new APIs or switch to another programming language altogether. It also provides a number of features such as live coding and unified configuration for faster iteration during development, where code changes are automatically and immediately reflected in the running app.
• Increase operational efficiency: Quarkus is tailored for a modern, Kubernetes-native development stack, enabling organizations to deliver business solutions faster and in a more streamlined manner, maintain a competitive edge and speed up the overall time to market.
• Increase cost savings: Quarkus has a low memory consumption and a fast startup time. This translates into better resource utilization and end user experience, with new applications and services instantly available. This efficiency leads to a high density of workloads per CPU, also translating to increased cost savings.
• Increase reliability: Quarkus applications are elastic, scalable, and able to meet changing demand, translating to a more reliable system.

Developers can learn more about Quarkus -- now generally available -- here.