Technical debt and dead and unused code threaten security, scalability and modernization timelines across enterprise Java estates

Azul, the trusted leader in enterprise Java for today’s AI and cloud-first world, today warned enterprises of a growing Java application modernization crisis driven by technical debt and converging end-of-support timelines.

Most enterprises run long-lived Java applications burdened by unused code. With support for major Long-Term Support (LTS) versions ending in a compressed window — Java 17 in 2029, Java 8 in 2030, Java 21 in 2031, and Java 11 in 2032 — organizations face an unprecedented upgrade challenge.

Azul estimates up to 50% of enterprise Java codebases may be unused. For organizations with 100 developers, maintaining this dead code consumes the capacity of five full-time employees.

Traditional static analysis tools lack visibility into production usage. Azul Code Inventory collects runtime data directly from the JVM, enabling enterprises to accurately identify unused libraries and methods without operational overhead.

Combined with OpenRewrite, an open-source automated refactoring engine, organizations can safely remove technical debt through staged observation, annotation, and deprecation.

More information is available at https://www.azul.com/java-app-modernization/.

FAQs

What is the Java application modernization crisis?
The convergence of technical debt with the simultaneous End of Support for Java 8, 11, 17, and 21, scheduled for 2029 to 2032.

How much unused code do enterprises typically have?
Up to 50% of their codebase is often dead or unused.

How does Azul Code Inventory differ from static analysis?
It uses runtime data from the JVM to provide accurate signals of production usage, unlike static analysis tools that rely on assumptions.

About Azul

Azul is the trusted leader in enterprise Java for today’s AI and cloud-first world. Its open source-based Java platform empowers organizations to optimize the entire Java lifecycle to accelerate performance, strengthen security, reduce licensing and cloud costs, and boost developer productivity. Azul powers mission-critical systems for 36% of the Fortune 100, 50% of the Forbes Top Ten World’s Most Valuable Brands, and the world’s top 10 financial trading companies. Learn more at azul.com and follow @azulsystems.​

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