Best Docker Base Images and Performance Optimization for Java Applications in 2025

Selecting the optimal Docker base image for your Java Spring Boot application significantly impacts performance, security, and maintainability. As of May 2025, Java 21 LTS is the recommended version for new production applications, with Java 17 LTS still widely used and fully supported. This article provides current, validated recommendations for Docker base images and performance optimization strategies.

Latest Java Version Status

As of May 2025:

• Java 21 LTS: Current long-term support release (released September 2023)
• Java 17 LTS: Previous LTS release, fully supported until 2029
• Java 25: Latest feature release (non-LTS)

Top Recommended Docker Base Images

Comprehensive Comparison Table

Base Image	Latest Java Support	Image Size	Startup Time	Security	Memory Usage	OS Base	Best For	Update Cadence
Eclipse Temurin	Java 21, 17	325MB (JDK) 175MB (JRE)	Fast	Excellent	Medium	Ubuntu 22.04	General use	Weekly
Distroless	Java 21, 17	110MB	Very Fast	Superior	Low	Debian 12	High-security prod	Bi-weekly
Amazon Corretto	Java 21, 17	380MB (JDK) 190MB (JRE)	Fast	Excellent	Medium-High	Amazon Linux 2023	AWS workloads	Weekly
Red Hat UBI	Java 21, 17	290MB	Medium	Excellent	Medium	RHEL 9	Enterprise	Monthly
BellSoft Liberica	Java 21, 17	320MB (JDK) 160MB (JRE)	Fast	Excellent	Low-Medium	Alpine/Debian	Memory optimization	Weekly
GraalVM	Java 21, 17	390MB (build) 75MB (native)	Ultra Fast (native)	Excellent	Very Low (native)	Oracle Linux	Native compilation	Monthly
Alpine	Java 21, 17	120MB	Medium	Good*	Low	Alpine 3.19	Size-constrained	Variable

*Alpine poses compatibility risks due to musl libc

Detailed Analysis

1. Eclipse Temurin (Adoptium)

• Image: eclipse-temurin:21-jre-jammy (Latest recommendation)

• Why Choose It:

  • Industry standard with broad adoption and excellent security
  • Optimized for containerized environments
  • Full Java 21 features with Jakarta EE 10 compatibility
  • Example:

  FROM eclipse-temurin:21-jre-jammy
  WORKDIR /app
  COPY target/*.jar app.jar
  ENTRYPOINT ["java", "-XX:MaxRAMPercentage=75.0", "-jar", "app.jar"]
  

2. Distroless Java

• Image: gcr.io/distroless/java21-debian12

• Why Choose It:

  • Minimal attack surface (no shell, no package manager)
  • Top choice for security-focused deployments
  • Example (multi-stage build):

  FROM eclipse-temurin:21-jdk-jammy AS builder
  WORKDIR /build
  COPY . .
  RUN ./mvnw package -DskipTests
  
  FROM gcr.io/distroless/java21-debian12
  COPY --from=builder /build/target/*.jar /app.jar
  ENTRYPOINT ["java", "-jar", "/app.jar"]
  

3. GraalVM Native Images

• Image: ghcr.io/graalvm/native-image-community:21

• Why Choose It:

  • Compiles Java to native executables with near-instant startup
  • Up to 50% lower memory footprint
  • Best for serverless and microservices
  • Example:

  FROM ghcr.io/graalvm/native-image-community:21 AS builder
  WORKDIR /build
  COPY . .
  RUN ./mvnw -Pnative native:compile
  
  FROM gcr.io/distroless/base
  COPY --from=builder /build/target/myapp /app
  ENTRYPOINT ["/app"]
  

4. BellSoft Liberica

• Image: bellsoft/liberica-runtime-container:jre-21-slim-musl
• Why Choose It:
  • Optimized for memory usage with Alpine variants
  • Certified Java SE implementation with Alpine support

5. Amazon Corretto

• Image: amazoncorretto:21-al2023-jre
• Why Choose It:
  • Preferred for AWS deployments
  • Optimized for Graviton processors

Spring Boot Performance Optimization

JVM Parameters for Container Environments

-XX:MaxRAMPercentage=75.0 -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:+UseStringDeduplication -XX:+ExitOnOutOfMemoryError -Xshare:on

Spring Boot 3.x-Specific Optimizations

• Use Native Compilation: For ultra-fast startup times

  # In Maven pom.xml
  <plugin>
    <groupId>org.graalvm.buildtools</groupId>
    <artifactId>native-maven-plugin</artifactId>
  </plugin>

• Enable Layered JARs: For faster Docker builds

  # application.yaml
  spring:
    docker:
      compose:
        lifecycle-management: start_and_stop

• Reactive Stack: Use WebFlux for better resource utilization

  <dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-webflux</artifactId>
  </dependency>

• Virtual Threads (Java 21+): For enhanced throughput

  # application.yaml
  spring:
    threads:
      virtual:
        enabled: true

Best Practices for Containerized Spring Boot

1. Configure Container Memory Properly

   ENTRYPOINT ["java", "-XX:MaxRAMPercentage=75.0", "-jar", "app.jar"]

1. Use Multi-Stage Builds

   • Reduces image size by separating build and runtime stages

2. Security Hardening

   • Run as non-root user
   • Remove unnecessary dependencies
   • Use read-only filesystems where possible

   RUN addgroup --system --gid 1001 appuser && adduser --system --uid 1001 --gid 1001 appuser
   USER 1001

1. Leverage Spring Boot Actuator
   • Monitor health, metrics, and application state

   <dependency>
     <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
     <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-actuator</artifactId>
   </dependency>

1. Regularly Scan Images
   • Integrate Trivy, Snyk, or Grype into CI/CD pipelines

Recommendation Summary

• For General Use: Eclipse Temurin (Java 21 JRE) on Ubuntu
• For Highest Security: Distroless Java 21
• For Fastest Startup: GraalVM Native Image
• For Memory Optimization: BellSoft Liberica on Alpine (after compatibility testing)
• For AWS Environments: Amazon Corretto

The Eclipse Temurin images provide the best balance of performance, security, and compatibility for most Spring Boot applications. For applications with specific requirements around startup time or security, consider GraalVM native images or Distroless, respectively.

Regardless of which base image you choose, always apply container-aware JVM settings, implement security best practices, and keep your images updated to protect against emerging vulnerabilities.