Azul has acquired Payara, expanding its enterprise Java platform as organisations modernise legacy applications and shift to cloud-native architectures.

The deal brings together two long-time collaborators in the Java ecosystem and positions Azul to offer a unified, enterprise-grade Java platform built entirely on open-source technologies. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Azul said the combined offering will support the full range of enterprise Java workloads, from business-critical applications to microservices, internet-of-things (IoT) deployments and modern Java frameworks. The company aims to help customers accelerate application modernisation while reducing reliance on proprietary platforms.

Strengthening enterprise Java and Jakarta EE

Payara is best known for its commercially supported solutions based on Jakarta EE, formerly Java EE, used by enterprises running mission-critical applications in hybrid and cloud-native environments. Its products include Payara Server and Payara Micro.

The acquisition builds on nearly eight years of collaboration between the two companies. In 2018, Azul embedded its Azul Platform Core technology into Payara Server Enterprise, marking the start of a close technical partnership.

With Payara’s addition, Azul now offers commercially supported open-source solutions across the Java application stack, spanning the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), runtimes and application servers. The company said this approach can deliver faster performance, improved security and lower costs compared with proprietary alternatives such as Oracle.

Both companies are active contributors to open-source projects including OpenJDK and the Eclipse Jakarta EE Platform.

“This strategic acquisition is further testament to Azul’s commitment to support the needs of our global enterprise customer base,” said Scott Sellers, co-founder and chief executive of Azul. He added that Payara brings “proven products” and deep technical expertise that align closely with Azul’s existing roadmap.

Steve Millidge, founder and chief executive of Payara, said the move was a “natural next step” following years of partnership, and would help strengthen mission-critical solutions for enterprise Java customers.

Market impact and investor backing

Azul said adding Payara expands its presence in the application server market, which it estimates represents a total addressable market of about US$26 billion, with projected compound annual growth of between 11 and 14 per cent.

The acquisition follows a recently completed majority investment in Azul by Thoma Bravo, alongside renewed minority investments from existing backers Vitruvian Partners and Lead Edge Capital.

Adam Solomon, a partner at Thoma Bravo, said the Payara deal broadens Azul’s reach across the global enterprise Java market and strengthens its ability to help organisations modernise large Java application fleets using open-source software.