Azul Acquires Payara to Strengthen Enterprise Java Platform and Open-Source Offerings

SINGAPORE, January 7, 2026 — Azul, a company focused exclusively on Java solutions, has announced the acquisition of Payara, a global provider of enterprise-grade platforms for Jakarta EE (formerly Java EE) applications and microservices. The move is aimed at strengthening Azul’s position in the enterprise Java ecosystem and addressing growing demand for open-source, cloud-ready Java platforms.

The acquisition brings together two companies with a long-standing collaboration history, dating back to 2018 when Azul Platform Core was first embedded into Payara Server Enterprise. By combining their technologies and expertise, Azul and Payara intend to deliver a unified, enterprise-grade Java platform capable of supporting a wide range of workloads — from business-critical legacy applications to microservices, IoT deployments and modern cloud-native frameworks.

Expanding Capabilities Across the Java Stack

With the addition of Payara, Azul expands its presence in the Java application server segment, complementing its existing strengths in Java runtimes and performance optimisation. Payara contributes deep engineering expertise in Jakarta EE as well as established go-to-market capabilities, enabling the combined company to offer commercially supported, open-source solutions across the full Java application stack.

According to Azul, the integrated platform is designed to help enterprises accelerate application modernisation, improve cloud-native agility and reduce reliance on proprietary Java platforms. The company positions its open-source-based offerings as a more flexible and cost-effective alternative to proprietary solutions, particularly for organisations managing large and complex Java environments.

Both Azul and Payara are active contributors to open-source communities, including OpenJDK and the Eclipse Jakarta EE Platform, a shared philosophy that underpins the strategic rationale for the acquisition.

Enterprise Growth and Market Opportunity

Azul said the acquisition expands its addressable market in the application server space, adding an estimated USD 26 billion total addressable market, which is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11–14 per cent. The transaction follows Azul’s recent majority investment from Thoma Bravo, alongside continued minority investments from existing backers Vitruvian Partners and Lead Edge Capital.

Scott Sellers, co-founder and CEO of Azul, said the acquisition reinforces the company’s focus on enterprise customers. He noted that Payara’s products are closely aligned with Azul’s existing portfolio and that the combined organisation will be able to accelerate innovation, expand its roadmap and deliver greater value to customers operating large-scale Java environments.

Steve Millidge, founder and CEO of Payara, described the transaction as a natural next step following years of collaboration between the two companies, adding that the combination is expected to strengthen support for mission-critical Java applications while driving improved performance, security and innovation across the ecosystem.

Supporting Enterprise Java Modernisation

The acquisition reflects continued investment in the enterprise Java market at a time when organisations are reassessing application architectures, cloud strategies and long-term platform dependencies. By combining Azul’s Java runtime and performance capabilities with Payara’s application server technologies, the merged offering is positioned to support enterprises modernising existing Java estates while maintaining stability for mission-critical workloads.

Goodwin Procter LLP acted as legal advisor to Azul, while debt financing for the transaction was provided by funds affiliated with Ares Management LLC.