AEM Java 25 is coming; custom code still decides whether you are ready

An AEM team can pass yesterday’s Cloud Manager pipeline and still be unready for a new runtime. A recent Experience League checklist connects deprecated Java API usage with the Java 25 transition. The customer problem is not which JDK to install; it is whether custom code and its dependencies survive the platform move.

Separate two upgrade risks

Adobe’s release notes describe a deprecated API deadline and a targeted Java 25 runtime schedule. Treat those as separate workstreams. Scan code and transitive dependencies for removed packages, then confirm the production build no longer relies on them. A successful compile against an older target is not a runtime compatibility test.

Test the deployed behavior

Use the current AEM SDK and an appropriate lower environment to exercise OSGi activation, request handling, scheduled jobs, authoring and publishing flows, and integrations. Record the Java version, dependency versions, failing bundle or stack trace, and the customer journey affected. Test the actual deployment artifact, not only a developer workstation build.

Put a release gate on the migration

Adobe lists optional customer validation before the later staged migration. Use that window to retire brittle libraries and agree on rollback criteria. Keep the timetable linked to the latest Adobe notes because target dates can move.

Adovo’s view

A platform upgrade is a dependency audit disguised as a runtime change. The durable asset is a reproducible compatibility test for the experiences your business sells, not a green build badge.