Wowza Streaming Engine support for Java 21

This information applies to Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28Download a custom-packaged version of OpenJDK Java SE JRE 21.0.3.

With Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28, we started the shift towards Java 21. This transition allows us to leverage some Java 21 benefits, to integrate the latest Java Long-Term Support (LTS) version, and to avoid breaking changes in future updates.

  • Installer details  – Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28 is compiled using Java 11 (OpenJDK Java SE JRE 11.0.2), but new installations include Java 21 (OpenJDK Java SE JRE 21.0.3). You can roll back to Java 11 if needed.
  • Updater details – When using the Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28 updater, we respect the same JRE included with your original installation for Java 11 (OpenJDK Java SE JRE 11.0.2).

If you prefer, you can manually install a different Java version. We support Java versions 11, 12, or 21 with Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28. When you're updating to Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28 from a base installation of Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.27 or earlier, check these considerations.

While we tested Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28 to run with the Java 21 Runtime Environment (JRE), we didn't recompile it using Java Development Kit (JDK) 21. If you build a custom module using Java 21, it may not work with Wowza Streaming Engine if your source code includes Java 21 features.

Note: New installations of Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28 deliver generational support for the Z Garbage Collector (ZGC). To use Java 21 with Generational ZGC on Windows, you must be running a 64-bit version of Windows 10 (version 1803 or later) or Windows Server 2019 or later. You also need a 64-bit JVM.

If your Wowza Streaming Engine workflow uses custom modules or plugins, we suggest testing them with Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28 in a non-production environment before updating your media server software. The following Java modules are included with the JRE for the Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28 installer:

  • java.base
  • java.datatransfer
  • java.desktop
  • java.instrument
  • java.logging
  • java.management
  • java.management.rmi
  • java.naming
  • java.prefs
  • java.rmi
  • java.scripting
  • java.scripting.jgss
  • java.security.sasl
  • java.sql
  • java.transaction.xa
  • java.xml
  • jdk.crypto.cryptoki
  • jdk.crypto.ec
  • jdk.httpserver
  • jdk.management
  • jdk.management.agent
  • jdk.naming.rmi
  • jdk.unsupported
  • jdk.xml.dom
  • jdk.attach (available with Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28)
  • jdk.internal.jvmstat (available with Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28)
  • jdk.jcmd (available with Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28)
  • jdk.jfr (available with Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28)
  • java.net.http (available with Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.28)

If you have other dependencies, you must install a Java 11 JRE or JDK that includes these dependencies. For more information, see Manually install and troubleshoot Java on Wowza Streaming Engine.