Java compatibility for Jenkins upgrade from 2.504.3 to 2.528.3

Community
1

ello Jenkins Community,

We are planning to upgrade our Jenkins controller from Jenkins 2.504.3 (LTS) to Jenkins 2.528.3 (LTS) and would like to confirm Java compatibility.

Current setup:

  • Jenkins version: 2.504.3

  • Target version: 2.528.3

  • Java version: OpenJDK 17.0.11+9

  • Deployment type: Non-containerized

  • Jenkins is running directly on a VM (not Docker, not Kubernetes)

From the Jenkins documentation and release notes, Java 17 is listed as a supported runtime for Jenkins 2.5xx. However, we noticed that recent Jenkins Docker image updates reference newer Java 17 patch levels (e.g., 17.0.17+).

Questions:

  1. Is OpenJDK 17.0.11+9 fully supported for running Jenkins 2.528.3 in a VM-based (non-Docker) setup?

  2. Are there any known issues or minimum recommended Java 17 patch levels for Jenkins 2.528.x when not using official Jenkins Docker images?

  3. Would upgrading Java be considered optional (best practice) or mandatory for this Jenkins upgrade path?

We want to ensure compatibility and stability while avoiding unnecessary runtime changes unless required.

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Regards,
Jagannath Dash

2

It is best practice to keep the Java version up to date but not mandatory. Newer patch version might contain security fixes (though I’m not aware of any) and bug fixes. Jenkins is not tested on older patch levels, but I would not expect any problems.

Note that from Jenkins versions 2.545 you will need Java 21. You can already do the upgrade to Java 21 now if you want, it is fully supported by version 2.528.3

3

When you want to minimize your upgrades in the future I would recommend (in addition to Markus’ comments) Jenkins 2.541.1 and Java 21 or even 25. I see no benefit in not using the latest LTS releases of Jenkins or Java.