Java is an open language. Every developer or organization can contribute to its open source components (libraries & frameworks) and even to the language specifications itself. This way, the community helps to improve the language continuously. While this gives developers a lot of freedom, it makes it hard to standardize. The software architecture of a Java application starts with its runtime (that is the combination of frameworks, specifications and application server). For years, monolitic JEE applications were hosted on heavy application servers. But is this platform the best option for fast, flexible and controlled delivery of business value embedded in cloud native-applications running on both IAAS-platforms and CAAS-containers? In this session Java-champion Bert Ertman will give his view.