Azul Prime is Azul Systems’ performance-oriented Java platform. The Azul Software Agreement calls it Azul Platform Prime. It includes the Azul Zulu Prime Builds of OpenJDK, Azul Zulu Prime System Tools (ZST), ZVision, Connected Compiler and Azul Mission Control.[1] Product pages call the JVM “Azul Zing Builds of OpenJDK” and add Optimizer Hub, which comprises Cloud Native Compiler and ReadyNow Orchestrator.[6] Azul Core carries a perpetual licence, but Azul Prime is licensed as “a time-based subscription license (during the applicable Software Services Term)”. Use is limited to Systems for which the customer has purchased a Unit, and to the customer’s internal business operations.[1] Azul prices Prime per vCore on an annual basis.[2]
Editions
Azul Prime is one product with two support tiers on the product page, Standard and Premium.[6] The pricing page says Prime is “priced per vCore on an annual basis – and available for Premium Support level”. It lists lower prices for higher volumes and longer terms, discounts for start-ups and companies with less than $25M in annual revenue, and deals for ISVs and manufacturers that embed Prime.[2] No list price is published. The Plans & Pricing page describes Prime as available for Linux on 64-bit x86 and Arm, covering Java 8, 11, 17 and 21, with Java 25 “coming soon”.[5] Catalog SKU: Azul Prime subscription - per vCore, annual. Catalog proof: Azul Prime is priced per vCore annually at the Premium Support level.
The documentation distinguishes two build types, and they have different licence consequences:[4]
| Build type | Vendor description | Who may use it in production |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Builds | Fast-moving monthly releases with all the latest features and changes | “Use in production requires an active subscription.”[4] |
| Stable Builds | Only CPUs, PSUs, CSPUs and Azul Prime critical fixes; no new features | “only available to Azul customers”[4] |
The FAQ adds that Stream Builds are free for development, testing and evaluation, and that production use of stable builds needs Prime licences.[3] Catalog proof: Production use of Azul Prime Stream Builds requires an active subscription; Stable Builds are customer-only; Azul Prime Stream Builds are free for development, testing and evaluation.
Metrics
| Azul term | Catalog row | Contract definition |
|---|---|---|
| Unit | Azul Prime Unit (Virtual Core) | Software Services with one or more instances of Azul Zulu Prime Builds of OpenJDK or Azul Zulu Builds of OpenJDK on one Virtual Core, and Azul Mission Control on an unlimited number of Virtual Cores[1] |
| Virtual Core | same row | Maps to a single hardware thread; each physical core equals two Virtual Cores where only physical cores can be counted[1] |
| Supported Instance (2019, Zing Enterprise) | Supported Instance (2019 agreement) | Physical Node of up to two sockets or Virtual Node of up to 32 virtual cores[8] |
A Prime Unit can also cover Azul Zulu Builds of OpenJDK on the same Virtual Core. A Prime customer that runs some workloads on the standard Zulu JVM within its Prime Units is therefore not required, by that definition, to buy Azul Core as well.[1] Catalog proof: Azul Prime Unit (Virtual Core).
Counting / floors
Per Virtual Core on licensed Systems (Rev July-2025). The customer may only use Prime “on Systems for which Customer has purchased a Unit”.[1] Units are counted per Virtual Core, meaning per hardware thread. Where only physical cores are known, each counts as two Virtual Cores.[1] Catalog proof: One Virtual Core equals one hardware thread; one physical core equals two Virtual Cores; Product may only be used on the number of Units purchased.
Non-production. Development, testing and evaluation on Stream Builds are free.[3] Any production use needs an active subscription.[4] Because Stable Builds are only available to customers, a Stable Build found in an estate indicates a subscription relationship.[4]
Floors. The retrieved documents publish no minimum Unit quantity. The FAQ gives a minimum technical configuration of Linux on x86-64 or Arm64 with 1 GB of memory and two cores. This is a system requirement, not a licensing floor.[3]
Virtualization & partitioning
Prime uses the same Virtual Core definition as Azul Platform Core. Processing power in a single hardware virtualization is counted by hardware thread.[1] The retrieved documents publish no partitioning policy and no host-level option. Optimizer Hub services (Cloud Native Compiler and ReadyNow Orchestrator) run outside the JVM in the customer’s cloud or data centre.[6] The published Exhibit A-1 does not list Optimizer Hub by name and gives no separate metric for the compute it uses. Customers should check their Order for how Optimizer Hub capacity is counted. Under the 2019 paper, Zing Enterprise used the Supported Instance model of two-socket Physical Nodes and 32-core Virtual Nodes.[8] Catalog proof: 2019 agreement: one Supported Instance per two-socket Physical Node or 32-core Virtual Node.
Cloud / BYOL
Prime is licensed per vCore wherever it runs. The contract offers no cloud-specific licence mapping or authorized-cloud list.[1] Cloud marketplace purchases are outside the retrieved documents.
Programs
- Evaluation License. Free or nominal-charge use of a Product is governed by a separate Evaluation License Agreement. The Software Agreement’s indemnity and warranty do not apply to it.[1] Prime trials start from Stream Builds.[3] Catalog proof: Free or nominal-charge use falls under a separate Evaluation License Agreement.
- Open source developer access program. Open source committers can get free annual subscriptions, renewable each year. Development, qualification and testing run under the Azul open source agreement accepted at download. “Commercial users of your open source project will need to purchase Azul Prime subscriptions from Azul.”[3] Catalog proof: Azul Prime is free for open source committers; their commercial users need subscriptions.
- Embedding and ISVs. Software vendors may include Azul Prime with their software. “Your users or buyers will need a production license in order to deploy the software on Azul Prime.”[3] Formal redistribution uses Distribution Rights under Exhibit C.[1]
- Support tiers. Exhibit A-1 sets CVE security fix targets of 48 hours for Platinum, 7 days for Premium and 15 days for Standard. Other updates follow within 30 days for every tier.[1] The Prime product page shows a CPU SLA maximum of 48 hours for Premium and 15 days for Standard.[6] Designated Support Contacts range from 2 contacts for Standard up to 15 for Platinum at 20,001 Units and over.[1]
Contract terms
Licence ends with the subscription (Rev July-2025). The Prime licence is time-based and non-sublicensable. It is non-transferable, except in a permitted assignment under Section 14.[1] On termination, all non-perpetual licences end. The customer must cease use and return or destroy all copies, and certify that it has done so.[1] A lapsed Prime subscription therefore leaves no right to run Prime in production. Catalog proof: Azul Platform Prime is a time-based subscription licence for internal business operations; On termination all licences end except perpetual ones, absent customer breach.
Internal business operations (Rev July-2025). Use is “solely in connection with Customer’s internal business operations”. Section 3 also bars service-bureau use and use for the benefit of third parties unless Azul authorizes it in writing.[1] Catalog proof: No external distribution, public posting or third-party use without authorisation.
Indemnification. For Platinum or Premium tiers, the Section 8 indemnity covers the Product together with its Third-Party Software, plus the anti-contamination certification.[1]
Renewal, fees and compliance. Renewal, fees and compliance follow the common Azul Software Agreement terms. Terms renew automatically unless notice is given 60 days before the end. Fees are paid up front and are non-refundable. On request, no more than once per calendar year, the customer certifies its compliance.[1] See Azul Systems licensing.
Lifecycle. The roadmap’s Azul Prime column ends Production Support for Java 8 in December 2030, Java 11 in January 2032, Java 17 in September 2029, Java 21 in September 2031 and Java 25 in September 2033. For Java 6 and 7, Prime support ended in April 2017 and December 2021.[7]
Out of scope
This page does not cover Azul Core (see Azul Core and Zulu OpenJDK licensing), Azul Intelligence Cloud, cloud marketplace offers, or the separate Evaluation License Agreement and Azul open source agreement, neither of which is published on azul.com. Performance and cost-saving claims on Azul’s pages are marketing statements and are not licence terms.