What is our primary use case?
JBoss Enterprise Application Platform is mainly used for hosting and managing Enterprise Java-based applications in a stable and scalable environment.
We have a backend service named Search Service, which is written in Java, and it is deployed using JBoss Enterprise Application Platform. We use it to deploy a multi-modular enterprise application handling internal business workflows and REST APIs, and JBoss Enterprise Application Platform provides us centralized application management, security, and transaction handling.
The main use cases are transaction management, middleware services, microservices, and legacy enterprise applications, and it is very effective for that kind of purpose.
What is most valuable?
The best feature that stands out is the strong support for Enterprise Java workloads, along with high stability and transaction management. It provides stability for the services to get deployed, and we can easily manage the transactions that happen via the REST APIs, which is great in that regard. It also provides centralized application management, so if an application is deployed and needs to be used through multiple places, centralized application deployment management is possible.
The centralized management clustering capability is very useful for high availability enterprise deployment. This centralized application management is beneficial because the application, the search service we have written in Java, has simplified deployment, and operational control across environments is also easy. It helps our team since it has centralized deployment management, allowing applications to be deployed and updated from a centralized CLI or console, which reduces manual server-by-server management and improves deployment consistency. It also provides easier monitoring and troubleshooting, which is excellent; if an issue occurs, such as the search service failing, we could quickly identify which node or deployment was affected instead of manually checking multiple servers.
This has definitely given us positive feedback; that is why we have been using it for around 1.5 years, and it is still coping with our applications. The impact is that application stability has improved quite a bit, and deployment consistency allows us to deploy, update, restart, and check the logs all at once without checking multiple servers, along with improved operational management for Enterprise Java services.
What needs improvement?
There can be multiple areas for improvement; JBoss Enterprise Application Platform is stable, but the startup time, modernization of tools, and UI management experience could be enhanced, as it feels heavyweight compared to newer cloud platforms such as AWS. Configuration complexity is present, and for beginners, configuring it can be challenging.
Easier upgrade migration tooling for enterprise applications can also be provided, alongside better dashboards and more modern observability and monitoring integration. More lightweight cloud-native deployment patterns could also be implemented.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working here for the last three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
JBoss Enterprise Application Platform is quite stable, and because it is backed by Red Hat, continuous support and fixes are ensured.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Our initial setup with Apache Tomcat was relatively less in scalability. We wanted a solution that offered centralized management, faster deployment, and streamlined logging mechanisms, which JBoss Enterprise Application Platform provides, making it very effective for our large applications since everything is managed in one place.
How are customer service and support?
Customer support is very good; I had a conversation with them regarding an issue with deployment. We raised a ticket to the JBoss team, and they responded within about 8 to 9 working hours, providing a perfect solution, as their team is ready for any queries that arise.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we used Apache Tomcat, which was a lightweight container-based solution that had lower pricing initially. While it was adequate for simple Java applications, challenges arose as applications grew larger, requiring additional tooling and configuration for enterprise transaction management and centralized admission. The previous setup resulted in higher operational complexity and fragmented management, making it difficult to manage multiple application configurations and resulting in inconsistent environments.
What about the implementation team?
For our enterprise-level application integration, it is manageable and straightforward to connect JBoss Enterprise Application Platform with other systems we use.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a return on investment; it may not be substantial, but we experienced reduced downtime risk, better operational consistency, and enterprise-grade support for production. The reduced deployment and configuration issues and improved operational team time savings—a reduction in deployment effort of about 30 to 40%—contributed to lower downtime and stability improvement.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing-wise, it is very reasonable, with an initial pay-as-you-go structure, meaning the more you use, the higher the cost. Initially, we utilized a subscription-based model for enterprise licensing through Red Hat, and pricing included enterprise support, security patches, certified updates, and long-term maintenance. The initial setup cost was moderate due to the required enterprise planning; clustering, security, and environment configuration took time. However, once standardized, deployment became much more manageable and predictable. Licensing provided reliable enterprise support, stable certified releases, good documentation, and patch management. There were challenges as costs can significantly rise at larger scales, making it more expensive than alternatives such as Apache Tomcat, which was a lightweight container solution. For mission-critical enterprise Java applications, the stability and enterprise support justified the investment.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did evaluate other options, notably Apache Tomcat. It was lightweight and suitable for smaller Java-based enterprise applications. However, as we grew and required more flexible one-place solutions, we switched to JBoss Enterprise Application Platform, which provided the necessary central management and strong enterprise features that Tomcat lacked.
What other advice do I have?
If your Java-based application is small and central management is not needed, you can consider other solutions; however, if you want a comprehensive solution in one place, JBoss Enterprise Application Platform should be taken into consideration as it provides everything from logging to deployment and centralized management to authorization and authentication, while supporting various library frameworks.
JBoss Enterprise Application Platform deserves an 8 out of 10 because, strength-wise, it is very stable for enterprise workloads, with strong transaction management and mature Java EE support, making it excellent for large monolithic enterprise applications. However, it does feel heavyweight compared to newer cloud-native platforms; the startup times are slower than alternatives, and some tools feel somewhat outdated.
Security-wise, there are multiple security features in JBoss Enterprise Application Platform. It includes RBAC for role-based access management, allowing different teams to control access levels to deployment, monitoring, and server management. There is also an authentication system for easier centralized identity management. It provides secure management interfaces to reduce exposure of management operations. Additionally, it has security domains and authentication frameworks supporting JAAS and electronic security frameworks, offering flexibility in authentication and authorization configuration. Most importantly, it is backed by Red Hat, a company that prioritizes security with regular security patches and vulnerability fixes.
Reliability-wise, JBoss Enterprise Application Platform can improve a little; however, it provides strong performance for enterprise workloads. For large-scale applications with many transactions and stateful business workflows needing high uptime and stable transaction processing, JBoss Enterprise Application Platform is a good choice. Compared to Tomcat, which is a lightweight servlet container requiring more external integration and having a faster setup and lighter footprint, JBoss Enterprise Application Platform offers stronger enterprise capabilities out of the box, necessary for our applications.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
