Announcing Oracle WebLogic Server and Coherence 26

Oracle is pleased to announce Oracle WebLogic Server and Coherence 26! This release brings Jakarta EE 11 support, Java SE 21 and 25 support, new application development capabilities, stronger security defaults, and improvements to data processing, persistence, and operational management.

WebLogic Server 26: Modern Enterprise Java Applications

WebLogic Server 26 introduces new capabilities for developing, deploying, and managing enterprise Java applications. The following sections highlight key enhancements and their benefits. For a comprehensive overview of new features, platform updates, and changes in this release, see What’s New in Oracle WebLogic Server.

Jakarta EE 11 and Java SE 21 and 25

WebLogic Server 26 supports the latest Jakarta EE platform release, Jakarta EE 11, along with Java SE 21 and 25, bringing modern enterprise Java APIs and advanced Java language and runtime capabilities. The release includes Jakarta Data, new to Jakarta EE 11, and adds support for Jakarta NoSQL and Jakarta MVC as additional capabilities.

Support for Jakarta EE 11 and Java SE 21 and 25 gives WebLogic Server 26 a modern foundation for adopting new frameworks and application dependencies. Developers can use Spring Framework 7, Hibernate ORM 7, and libraries built for current Jakarta APIs and Java runtimes, subject to supported configurations. This broader ecosystem helps teams modernize existing applications and build new services while retaining WebLogic Server’s enterprise deployment and management capabilities.

Jakarta Data and Jakarta NoSQL

Jakarta Data introduces a repository-based programming model that reduces the code needed for common data-access operations.

The Jakarta NoSQL integration uses server-supplied Eclipse JNoSQL and NoSQL providers in DOCUMENT mode. Administrators configure global NoSQL system resources, provider properties, protected credentials, and server or cluster targets. Applications access those resources through explicitly configured resource-reference bindings.

Supported providers include MongoDB, DynamoDB, Couchbase, CouchDB, Elasticsearch, Solr, and Oracle NoSQL. This integration combines application-level data access with centrally managed configuration and operational monitoring.

Jakarta MVC 3.0

WebLogic Server 26 adds support for Jakarta MVC 3.0 through Eclipse Krazo. Jakarta MVC provides an action-based Model-View-Controller programming model for web applications, complementing the web technologies available in Jakarta EE.

Spring Framework 7 and Hibernate ORM 7

WebLogic Server 26 provides the Jakarta EE 11 foundation for applications using Spring Framework 7 and Hibernate ORM 7. Customers can modernize their applications with these popular frameworks while benefiting from WebLogic Server’s enterprise deployment, security, and management capabilities. Oracle supports customers running these applications on WebLogic Server 26 in supported configurations.

Review the applicable certification information and migration guidance when updating application frameworks and their dependencies.

Production-Ready Certificate Management

The Certificate Management Service, introduced as a technology preview in WebLogic Server 15.1.1, is available for production use in WebLogic Server 26.

The service manages certificate issuance, storage, and distribution for supported configurations. Its built-in domain issuer supports automatic renewal, helping administrators reduce manual certificate maintenance. Organizations adopting the service should review the updated configuration and operational guidance.

Security and Operational Improvements

WebLogic Server 26 strengthens security with compatibility gates, additional hardening features, and FIPS 140-3 support in supported configurations, while expanding REST-based administration capabilities.

Security compatibility gates provide controls for applicable behavior changes, allowing administrators to assess application compatibility while adopting stronger protections. REST enhancements include domain-wide application deployment-state information and support for deploying exploded applications and application installation directories.

Tooling for Upgrading WebLogic Server Applications

WebLogic Server application upgrade tooling uses OpenRewrite recipes to help prepare applications for WebLogic Server 26, Jakarta EE 11, and JDK 21 or 25.

The recipes assist with API and deployment-descriptor changes, Maven configuration, dependency alignment, and identification of migration risks. Additional recipes support applications using Spring Framework 7 and Hibernate 7.

Applications upgrading from Java EE-based WebLogic releases require the applicable javax-to-jakarta changes. Applications upgrading from WebLogic Server 15.1.1 already use the Jakarta namespace, but still need a compatibility review for Jakarta EE 11.

Automated transformations are a starting point: review the results, address application-specific requirements, and build and test on the selected WebLogic Server and JDK configuration.

Explore the WebLogic OpenRewrite recipes and WebLogic examples and tutorials to get started.

Oracle Coherence 26: Faster Data Processing and More Flexible Operations

Oracle Coherence 26 introduces new capabilities for building and operating scalable, data-intensive applications. The following sections highlight key enhancements and their benefits. For a comprehensive overview of new features and changes in this release, see New and Improved Functionality.

Java SE 25 and Jakarta EE 11

Coherence 26 adds Java SE 25 support while continuing to support Java SE 21. Java SE 21 is now the minimum supported Java version.

The release also adds Jakarta EE 11 compatibility. Review the certified application-server and Jakarta integration combinations for the modules you deploy, and update Java across cluster members, clients, build tools, and operational utilities.

Hardened Security Defaults and Explicit Application Policies

Coherence 26 introduces a hardened default security profile with policies governing serialization, executable classes, input, and administration.

Applications can generate per-artifact security configuration from annotations and portable-type metadata using Maven and Gradle tooling. This makes accepted types and executable classes explicit. Authentication, authorization, and TLS must still be configured for each exposed service.

Additional controls cover gRPC, REST, management, metrics, health administration, and other service interfaces.

Unified Journal Persistence

A new append-oriented journal persistence engine provides checkpointing, recovery, compaction, and migration from Berkeley DB.

Administrators can configure journal persistence alongside an existing backing map, use a unified journal-backed primary map, or select journal-backed backup storage. Berkeley DB remains the default persistence environment unless journal persistence is explicitly selected.

Management statistics, checkpoint operations, and Java Flight Recorder events provide visibility into journal activity.

Virtual Daemon Pools

Services can use Java virtual threads for eligible work by selecting a virtual daemon pool. This option is particularly useful for workloads that block while waiting for external operations.

The platform daemon pool remains the default. Virtual pools provide task, backlog, and admission statistics, with an optional task limit to control admitted work. Platform pools also gain improvements to dynamic resizing and worker wakeup.

Continuous Aggregation

Continuous Aggregation maintains partition-local partial results as cache entries change, reducing repeated full scans for suitable workloads.

Supported aggregation families include counts, sums, averages, minimum and maximum values, distinct values, Top-N results, and grouping. Applications obtain a handle to query the combined result, while management metrics expose registration status, readiness, fallbacks, and rebuilds.

The feature is available to supported in-cluster, Extend, and gRPC Java clients, subject to member and protocol compatibility requirements.

Query Processing and Extend Connectivity

Partition-streamed queries and adaptive aggregation make better use of available execution capacity for eligible workloads while preserving authorization, index consistency, timeouts, and ownership checks.

Extend proxy pipelining can automatically expand selector and decoding pipelines according to connection density and measured pressure. Additional management attributes expose pipeline activity, while larger Java Extend client stream buffers reduce socket and framing overhead without changing the wire protocol.

Operating System Support

Both Oracle WebLogic Server and Oracle Coherence 26 support IBM AIX, Oracle Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, and Microsoft Windows Server in certified configurations. Both products also support macOS for development. For AIX customers, the release supports AIX 7.3 Technology Level 3 or later with IBM Semeru JDK 21 or 25, providing a path to modernize applications on their existing platform. Consult the Oracle certification matrix for supported operating system, processor, and JDK combinations and minimum update requirements.

Container Images and Kubernetes Deployment

Containers and Kubernetes

Oracle WebLogic Server and Coherence 26 container images are available in the Oracle Container Registry, providing a starting point for container-based deployments. On Kubernetes, the WebLogic Kubernetes Toolkit supports WebLogic Server 26 deployments, while the Coherence Operator supports Coherence 26 deployments. These tools help teams automate deployment, monitor their environments, and manage applications throughout their operational lifecycle.

Plan Your Upgrade

Prepare for your move to WebLogic Server and Oracle Coherence 26 by reviewing the release notes, certification matrix, security defaults, and compatibility guidance for your environment.

For WebLogic Server, assess application APIs, framework dependencies, resource bindings, and certificate configuration. For Coherence, review Java requirements, generated security policies, persistence migration procedures, and client protocol compatibility.

Use the WebLogic Server Upgrade Documentation and Coherence Upgrade Documentation to guide your preparation and plan the steps for upgrading your applications, WebLogic domains, and Coherence clusters.

Get Started

Explore the release documentation, examples, and migration resources:

We look forward to seeing what you build with Oracle WebLogic Server and Coherence 26.