How to Convert Java Applications to Native Images with GraalVM

With the ever changing world of software development, it is more important than ever to ensure your applications are as performant and efficient as possible. One of the most effective methods of doing it for Java applications is to create a native image. Native images providing faster startup times and reduced memory footprint are a good fit for Cloud Deployments and Microservices. Let’s move on this tutorial to convert a Java application to the native image using GraalVM.

What is a Native Image?

A native image is a self-contained, fully-static, executable file containing the Java application and its dependencies, but no Java runtime in contrast to a traditional Java application. This can provide a substantial performance improvement, reduction in memory usage and faster startup time to the java application.

Why Convert to a Native Image?

• More Performance: Native images run faster and boot quicker than a regular Java one.
• Less Memory Usage: Native images will use less memory and thus can better suitable for environments with imposed constraints on resources.
• Improved Security: Native images can be more secure by reducing the number of moving parts.
• Native images: Native image produced by GraalVM does not require a JVM to run separately

Prerequisites

• JDK 11 or later
• GraalVM (including the native-image tool)
• Maven or Gradle (depending on your build tool preference)

Step-by-Step Guide

• Step 1: Download and install GraalVM from the official website. Follow the installation instructions specific to your operating system.
• Step 2: After installing GraalVM, you need to install the native-image tool. Open your terminal and run the following command:

gu install native-image

• Step 3: Update Your Build Configuration If you’re using Maven, add the following plugin to your pom.xml:

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.graalvm.nativeimage</groupId>
    <artifactId>native-image-maven-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>${graalvm.version}</version>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <goals>
                <goal>native-image</goal>
            </goals>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

For Gradle, add the plugin to your build.gradle:

plugins {
    id 'org.graalvm.nativeimage' version '0.9.6'
}

• Step 4: Navigate to your project’s root directory and run the following command for generating the Native Image

Maven
mvn clean package -Pnative
Gradle
./gradlew buildNative

• Step 5: Run the Native Image

./your-application

Conclusion

Converting your Java application to a native image can provide great enhancements in performance, memory consumption and startup-time. In this blog post, we are going to cover how you can tap the potential of GraalVM to produce optimized and fast native images out of your Java applications. Take one step towards the future of Java development, and benefit from faster & leaner applications.
If you want more understanding on use case and benefits can visit link

Reference

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