Unleashing Native Imaging Power in GraalVM • Alina Yurenko & Bert Jan Schrijver

Discover the power of GraalVM's native image, which revolutionizes Java application development by reducing memory usage, startup time, and attack surface, while enabling native executables, shared libraries, and more.

Key takeaways
  • GraalVM’s native image can significantly reduce memory usage and startup time of Java applications.
  • Native image can eliminate unused code, reducing the attack surface and improving security.
  • GraalVM’s native image can be used to compile Java applications ahead of time, producing native executables that can run without a JVM.
  • The use of GraalVM’s native image can provide faster startup times, reduced memory usage, and increased scalability.
  • The compilation process is triggered by a profile guided optimization algorithm that considers the runtime behavior of the application.
  • The tracing agent in GraalVM’s native image can analyze the application’s code and produce a configuration file that specifies how to use runtime features such as reflection and serialization.
  • The configuration file can be shared among different applications, making it easier to adopt native image.
  • GraalVM’s native image can be used to build Java applications that are ready to deploy as native executables, without the need for a JVM.
  • The performance benefits of GraalVM’s native image are application-dependent, but it can provide significant speedups for many workloads.
  • GraalVM’s native image can be used to embed GraalVM in an Oracle database, allowing it to execute other languages such as JavaScript.
  • GraalVM’s native image can be used to build Java applications that are ready to deploy as shared libraries, without the need for a JVM.
  • GraalVM’s native image can provide faster startup times and reduced memory usage, making it suitable for deployment in cloud environments.
  • The use of GraalVM’s native image can provide a more lightweight and efficient alternative to traditional Java virtual machine-based applications.