This document aims to formalize the process and criteria for adding Eclipse Temurin support of new operating system distributions. Adoptium currently supports a range of Long-Term Support (LTS) distributions and is committed to ensuring that new additions meet the community's needs and project's standards.
The current list of supported distributions can be seen at Supported Platforms. The Docker icon indicates which distributions are supported as part of the official image manifest.
All proposals for new distributions must be reviewed and approved by the Project Management Committee (PMC). The PMC evaluates each proposal based on the established criteria to ensure that the addition aligns with the project's strategic goals and resource capabilities.
Only distributions with a commitment to long-term support are considered to ensure stability and ongoing support.
The distribution must demonstrate significant demand from the Adoptium community or enterprise users. Strong consideration will be given to proposals received from Adoptium Working Group Members.
The distribution should be capable of supporting the Eclipse Temurin versions without requiring excessive adaptations.
The Adoptium project must have access to sufficient quantity of testing resources matching the proposed distribution to enable. New distributions must pass a predefined set of compatibility tests to confirm that existing functionalities are not adversely affected.
Because Eclipse Temurin images are published as official images in collaboration with Docker, there are restrictions as to which base images can be supported.
While we strive to support a range of widely-used distributions, our main goal is not to support every possible distribution. Instead, we encourage users to leverage Docker's COPY command to deploy Java and other dependencies on top of any base image they prefer. This approach allows users greater flexibility and control over their deployment environments, aligning with modern best practices for software distribution and deployment.
# Use an arbitrary base image
FROM your-choice-of-base-image
# Copy the JDK from an Eclipse Temurin image
COPY --from=eclipse-temurin:21-jdk /opt/java/openjdk /opt/java/openjdk
# Set environment variables for Java
ENV JAVA_HOME=/opt/java/openjdk
ENV PATH="${JAVA_HOME}/bin:${PATH}"
# Continue with your application setupContributors may submit proposals for new distributions by filling out a specified template that includes:
- Distribution name and version
- Justification for inclusion
- LTS evidence
- Evidence of community interest
- Preliminary compatibility assessment
Proposals are reviewed by the Project Management Committee, with decisions documented in the approved minutes of the meeting and shared in the issue proposing the addition.
Upon approval, the following steps are taken:
- Setup of build and test environments
- Integration into existing CI/CD pipelines
- Monitoring initial deployment
All support for new distributions is documented in the official project documentation and announced via official channels.
New distribution support is announced in the project newsletter and on major community channels.
Adoptium is committed to providing robust and secure software environments. To maintain the integrity and security of our distributions, it is necessary to phase out support for distributions that reach their End-of-Life (EOL). This policy outlines the steps and considerations involved in the deprecation process.
A distribution reaches End-of-Life when it no longer receives updates and patches from its original maintainers. This includes security patches, performance improvements, and compatibility updates. Ultimately, the PMC will determine if a distribution is to be considered deprecated.
Upon a distribution reaching its EOL, Adoptium will take the following steps:
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Announcement: We will aim to announce the impending deprecation through our official channels at least six months prior to the final update. This announcement will include the final date of support and recommended migration paths for users.
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Final Update: The last update provided will ensure that the distribution remains secure and stable until the EOL date.
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Removal from Active Support: After the final update, no further builds or updates will be published for the EOL distribution. Documentation will be updated to reflect the distribution's deprecated status.
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Documentation and Guidance: Provide detailed guidance on migrating to supported distributions, including potential substitutes that offer similar or improved functionality.
Users are encouraged to plan their migration strategies well before the EOL date to ensure seamless transitions to supported distributions. Adoptium is committed to assisting in these migration efforts through documentation, community support, and direct assistance where possible.
While updates will cease for EOL distributions, previous tagged versions will remain available for historical access and audit purposes. These archived versions are not recommended for use in production environments as they will not receive updates or security patches.
This policy ensures that Adoptium can focus resources on supporting and developing distributions that provide the most value and security to our users, while also adhering to best practices in software maintenance and support.
The process for updating this document includes community consultation and must be approved by a majority of the Project Management Committee (PMC).
Feedback on this document is welcome and can be submitted via GitHub issues.