Native image

Helidon supports ahead of time compilation using GraalVM native image.

The following table shows support of native-image in Helidon modules (all module names are prefixed with helidon-).

There are two sections - one for Helidon 1.x and one for (the next version) Helidon 2.x.

Status:

✅ - native-image is supported and tested

👍 - native-image should work, not part of regular tests (yet)

🔶 - native-image works partially (description provided)

⏳ - native-image does not work (and we are working on it!)

🛑 - native-image does not work (and will not work for now)

❓ - native-image not yet tested

Helidon 1

This is a work in progress, the list is incomplete

Module	Description	native-image status
webserver	HTTP server	✅
media-jsonp-server	JSON-P suppport	✅
media-jsonb-server	JSON-B suppport	👍
media-jsonb-server	Jackson suppport	👍
config	Configuration	✅
config-yaml	YAML file support	✅
config-object-mapping	Object mapping support	🛑
metrics	Metric support	✅
health	Health check support	✅
health-checks	Health checks (built-in)	✅
tracing	Tracing builder	👍
tracing-zipkin	Zipkin tracing support	👍
tracing-jaeger	Jaeger tracing support	👍
security	Security	👍
security-providers-abac	ABAC provider	👍
security-providers-http-auth	HTTP Basic authentication provider	👍
security-providers-http-sign	HTTP Signatures provider	👍
security-providers-oidc	Open ID Connect provider	👍
org.glassfish.jersey.core:jersey-client	Jersey HTTP Client *1	🔶
org.glassfish.jersey.inject:jersey-hk2	Jersey HK2 *2	🔶
security-integration-jersey-client	Security propagation	👍
tracing-jersey-client	Tracing propagation	👍
microprofile	All Helidon MP modules	🛑

*1: Jersey HTTP Client: Jersey core currently contains a dependency on "rendered image writer" - this depends on Image I/O. As a result, you can build such an image on an environment that supports Image I/O (such as a MacOS or a Linux distribution with X). Unfortunately this is not supported when building a native image within a Docker (as is one option in our quickstart example)

*2: Jersey HK2: This is required for the Jersey client to work. We have seen this working without issues, though there is quite a wide filter to include classes for reflection. This results in long image builds.

Helidon 2

This list is valid for Helidon 2.0 and newer ONLY

Current list is valid for master branch (until the release of Helidon 2.0.0).

Support will NOT be backported into 1.x branch, due to required backward incompatible changes in MP implementation.

Helidon SE

Module	Description	native-image status
config	Configuration	✅
config-encryption	Encrypt secrets in config	✅
config-etcd	etcd config source	❓
config-git	git config source	❓
config-hocon	hocon config source	👍
config-object-mapping	Object mapping support	✅
config-yaml	YAML config source	✅
dbclient	Helidon reactive DB client	⏳
health	Health check support	✅
health-checks	Health checks (built-in)	✅
jersey-client	Jersey client *1	🔶
jersey-media-jsonp	Jersey JSON-P	✅
jersey-server	Jersey server *1	🔶
media-jackson-server	Jackson suppport	👍
media-jsonb-server	JSON-B suppport	👍
media-jsonp-server	JSON-P suppport	✅
metrics	Metric support	✅
metrics-prometheus	Prometheus client support	❓
openapi	OpenAPI support	✅
security	Security	✅
security-abac-policy	ABAC provider	✅
security-abac-policy-el	ABAC extension for Expression language	❓
security-abac-role	ABAC extension for RBAC	✅
security-abac-scope	ABAC extension for scopes	✅
security-abac-time	ABAC extension for time based rules	❓
security-integration-jersey	Security integration with Jersey server	✅
security-integration-jersey-client	Security integration with Jersey client	✅
security-integration-webserver	Security integration with webserver	✅
security-providers-abac	ABAC provider	✅
security-providers-google-login	Google login button support	❓
security-providers-header	Header based security	❓
security-providers-http-auth	HTTP Basic authentication provider	✅
security-providers-http-sign	HTTP Signatures provider	👍
security-providers-idcs-mapper	IDCS role mapping	❓
security-providers-jwt	JWT provider (use OIDC)	❓
security-providers-oidc	Open ID Connect provider	✅
tracing	Tracing builder	✅
tracing-jaeger	Jaeger tracing support	✅
tracing-jersey	Tracing support for Jersey server	✅
tracing-jersey-client	Tracing support for Jersey client	✅
tracing-zipkin	Zipkin tracing support	👍
webclient-jaxrs	Helidon extension of Jersey client	👍
webclient	Helidon reactive web client	❓
webserver	HTTP Server	✅
webserver-access-log	Access Log	✅
webserver-jersey	Jersey support	✅
websocket	WebSocket support	❓

*1: Jersey Server and Client: Jersey core currently contains a dependency on "rendered image writer" - this depends on Image I/O. As a result, you can build such an image on an environment that supports Image I/O (such as a MacOS or a Linux distribution with X). Unfortunately this is not supported when building a native image within a Docker (as is one option in our quickstart example) Also there is quite a wide filter to include classes for reflection. This results in long image builds.

Helidon MP

Module	Description	native-image status
microprofile-cdi	CDI	✅
microprofile-server	Server Impl	✅
microprofile-access-log	Access Log Support	✅
microprofile-config	Configuration Spec Impl	✅
microprofile-fault-tolerance	Fault Tolerance Spec Impl	✅
microprofile-health	Health Spec Impl	✅
microprofile-jwt-auth	JWT-Auth Spec Impl	✅
microprofile-metrics	Metrics Spec Impl	✅
microprofile-oidc	OIDC Security Support	✅
microprofile-openapi	OpenAPI Spec Impl	✅
microprofile-rest-client	REST-Client Spec Impl *1	🔶
microprofile-security	Security Support	✅
microprofile-tracing	Tracing Spec Impl	✅

*1 - MP REST-Client: calling a default method on an interface does not work (limitations of native image due to complicated method reference implementation).

Helidon gRPC

Modules of gRPC implementation.

gRPC SE

Module	Description	native-image status
grpc-server	gRPC server	❓
grpc-client	gRPC client	❓
grpc-metrics	Metrics for gRPC	❓
security-integration-grpc	gRPC security	❓

gRPC MP

Module	Description	native-image status
microprofile-grpc-server	gRPC Server	❓
microprofile-grpc-client	gRPC Client	❓
microprofile-grpc-metrics	gRPC Metrics	❓

CDI extensions

Module	Description	native-image status
integrations-cdi-datasource-hikaricp	Hikari Data Source	👍
integrations-cdi-datasource-ucp	Oracle UCP Data Source	❓
integrations-cdi-jta	JTA	👍
integrations-cdi-eclipselink	JPA - Eclipse Link	❓
integrations-cdi-hibernate	JPA - Hibernate	👍
integrations-cdi-jedis	Jedis Support	❓
integrations-cdi-oci-objectstorage	Object Storage	❓
serviceconfiguration-api		❓
serviceconfiguration-config-source		❓
serviceconfiguration-hikaricp		❓
serviceconfiguration-hikaricp-accs		❓
serviceconfiguration-hikaricp-localhost		❓
serviceconfiguration-system-kubernetes		❓
serviceconfiguration-system-oracle-accs		❓
serviceconfiguration-ucp		❓
serviceconfiguration-ucp-accs		❓
serviceconfiguration-ucp-localhost		❓