How Quarkus Native Mode Eliminates the JVM and What It Means for Java Developers

For decades Java has been the foundation of enterprise applications following the famous “Write Once, Run Anywhere” principle. But in today’s cloud-native world where fast startup times, low memory usage and scalability matter more than ever traditional JVM-based applications struggle.

This is where Quarkus Native Mode powered by GraalVM steps in. It eliminates the JVM at runtime allowing Java applications to:

1. Start instantly
2. Use less memory
3. Perform better in cloud, Kubernetes, and serverless environments

But how does it work? What happens to the JVM features we rely on? And is Quarkus Native Mode right for your project? Let’s break it down.

The Problem with the Traditional JVM in Cloud-Native Apps

How Does Java Normally Work? (JVM Mode)

In a traditional Java application:

1. Java code is compiled into bytecode (.class files).
2. The JVM interprets & compiles bytecode Just-In-Time (JIT) at runtime.
3. The JVM dynamically loads classes, manages memory (Garbage Collection), and optimizes execution on the…