01Names
What is the difference between WildFly and JBoss?
WildFly is the open-source application server project. JBoss EAP (Enterprise Application Platform) is Red Hat's supported product built from WildFly. Older WildFly releases were called JBoss AS.
The code is closely related, but EAP carries a subscription, tested release cycles and support. WildFly moves faster and has no vendor support contract. For a production estate with an audit trail, the choice is usually EAP. For development and some internal systems, WildFly is common. See JBoss EAP migration.
02Side by side
How do Tomcat, WildFly and JBoss EAP compare?
Check each project's current release notes. Features and profiles change between versions.
| Capability | Tomcat | WildFly | JBoss EAP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Servlet container | Full Jakarta EE server | Full Jakarta EE server |
| Servlets, JSP, WebSocket | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| EJB | No (add a library) | Yes | Yes |
| JMS messaging | No (add a broker) | Yes, embedded broker | Yes, embedded broker |
| JTA transactions | No (add a manager) | Yes | Yes |
| Clustering and session replication | Basic session clustering | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache 2.0, free | Open source, free | Red Hat subscription |
| Support | Community or third party | Community | Vendor |
03Decision rule
When is Tomcat enough?
Run through this list against your application, not your server.
- It uses servlets, JSP or Spring MVC and no EJB. Tomcat is enough.
- It uses Spring for transactions and JPA with a database connection pool. Tomcat is enough, because Spring supplies the pieces.
- It sends messages through JMS. You need a broker you run yourself, such as ActiveMQ Artemis.
- It uses container-managed EJB, JTA across multiple resources or server-side clustering. Stay on a full server or plan to replace each of these.
- It depends on vendor-specific descriptors. Plan extra effort whichever target you pick.
04Moving
What changes when you move between them?
- 01
List the Java EE APIs the code imports
Search for javax or jakarta packages beyond the servlet API. Each one is a feature you must keep or replace.
- 02
Check the namespace
Tomcat 10 and later use jakarta. Older code on javax needs the javax to Jakarta migration.
- 03
Replace server services with libraries
Add a JTA manager, a JMS broker or a connection pool as application dependencies, or move to Spring Boot.
- 04
Test under the real load pattern
Session handling, transaction boundaries and thread pools behave differently. Compare under realistic load.
05Operations
What about support and operations?
Tomcat has no vendor, unless you buy third-party support. Many teams run it on their own patching process. JBoss EAP has a vendor and a subscription. The subscription buys patched, tested builds. That is a cost and a reduction in risk, and the two should be compared in numbers. See license cost for app servers.
06Next step
How does Ace8 help?
Ace8 is the AI-assisted application modernization practice of AceMQ. We inventory which server features each application uses, then recommend staying on a full server, moving to Tomcat, or moving to Spring Boot.
If you run JBoss today, see JBoss EAP migration. For a scoped answer on your applications, book the modernization assessment.