The Pros and Cons of Wildfly for Java Developers

Enterprise Development,

Java Application Development

Java developers constantly seek the right tools to build, test, and deploy applications quickly. Selecting the proper application server plays a major role in how well a team meets its goals.

WildFly stands out as a popular choice for teams that want a fast, lightweight, modular application server. Read on to learn more about the core features of WildFly, how it compares to JBoss and GlassFish, and how you can speed up your workflow by using WildFly with JRebel.

What Is WildFly?

WildFly is a fully featured Java application server that provides the necessary environment to run Java web applications. Red Hat maintains the project, focusing on aggressive memory control and fast startup times. Because it uses JBoss Modules, it provides true application isolation and links only the specific JAR files your application needs.

Who Uses WildFly?

Source: 2025 Java Developer Productivity Report

According to the 2025 Java Developer Productivity Report, 14% of respondents said they are using JBoss or WildFly as their application server. While 86% reported using Tomcat, WildFly was in equal company with application servers like Jetty (16%), WebLogic (9%), and WebSphere (8%). Interestingly, 14% of respondents reported they don’t use an application server.

📊Take an in-depth look at the tools and software Java developers are using.

Common Use Cases for WildFly

Developers choose WildFly for a variety of reasons. It handles everything from traditional web applications to modern, distributed architectures. Additionally, WildFly has full Jakarta EE support, making it an excellent choice for enterprise Java applications.

Key use cases include:

Running robust Java applications

Building microservices that need a small memory footprint

Scaling applications quickly due to its instant start times and stateless administration console

Building Jakarta EE enterprise applications

Available Versions of WildFly

The community actively updates WildFly to support the latest Java standards. For instance, the WildFly 40 Beta 1 release offers deep integration with Jakarta EE 11 and Eclipse MicroProfile, giving developers the tools they need to stay current.

Is WildFly Open Source?

Yes, WildFly is completely open source. It is free for both development and production deployments. While it operates as a free community project, it still receives backing from Red Hat. If your team needs robust commercial support for WildFly, consider OpenLogic.

Comparing WildFly vs. JBoss

It’s easy to confuse WildFly and JBoss because they share a common history. In 2012, Red Hat rebranded the open source community version of JBoss AS to WildFly.

The name JBoss now typically refers to JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP). While JBoss EAP builds upon the WildFly source code, the two are not identical. The main differentiators are price, speed of updates, and support.

	WildFly	JBoss EAP
Price	Free in production	Must pay to use in production environments
Updates	Receives new features and Java updates very quickly	Feature updates arrive slower compared to WildFly
Support	Lacks native, dedicated commercial support without upgrading to an enterprise package	Provides dedicated stability, security patches, and commercial support from Red Hat

Comparing WildFly vs. GlassFish

GlassFish is another fully featured, open source application server for Java EE. Sun Microsystems originally sponsored it before Oracle acquired the project. Today, the Eclipse Foundation maintains the GlassFish code base.

For most modern development teams, WildFly wins out due to its speed, efficiency, and active community.

Chart: Startup Time, Features, and Support for WildFly and GlassFish

	WildFly	GlassFish
Startup Time	Exceptionally lightweight and boasts faster startup times	Heavier and slower to start compared to WildFly
Features	May not include every single heavy-duty feature out of the box	Very feature-rich and closely tied to Java EE reference implementations
Support	Vibrant open-source community and commercial support options	GlassFish no longer provides commercial-level support, which forces many organizations to seek alternatives like Payara.

Develop Java Applications Faster With JRebel + WildFly

No matter which application server you choose, waiting for applications to redeploy breaks developer flow. Even with fast startup times for WildFly, those disruptions can hamper Java development productivity.

Fortunately, you can eliminate these frustrating delays by pairing WildFly with JRebel to eliminate redeploys, allowing you to see code changes in your application server instantly. Watch this video to see just how simple it is to install the JRebel integration in WildFly.

Final Thoughts

Choosing WildFly gives you a fast, modular, and standard-compliant foundation for your Java applications. When you compare it to alternatives like JBoss EAP and GlassFish, WildFly strikes a perfect balance between cutting-edge features and lightweight performance.

To maximize your efficiency, pair WildFly with tools like JRebel that compound that performance. Skip the rebuilds, keep your flow state intact, and deliver better software, faster.

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Additional Resources

Looking for additional reading on Java frameworks and application servers? These resources are worth a look.