JCenter Sunset on August 15th, 2024

JFrog supported the Java community as the host of the JCenter repository for Java OSS libraries, packages and components as part of JFrog’s Bintray service for several years. When Bintray was deprecated on May 1st, 2021, to make way for the development and further advancement of the JFrog Platform, JFrog decided to continue the support and maintenance of JCenter as a read-only repository to ease the burden on the community and to provide ample time for users to migrate to other public repositories.

JCenter has served as both a read-only repository and a remote cache for Maven Central for the past three years. In order to streamline the distribution of Maven packages and encourage the use of more recently updated and maintained packages in Maven Central, a widely used and supported repository for Java libraries and dependencies, JFrog has decided to move forward with the sunset of JCenter.

The process of sunsetting JCenter will include several brown-outs, where requests to JCenter will be redirected to Maven Central. These brown-outs will begin as short periods of one hour, and will increase to a final period of 24 hours before a final shutdown on August 15th. At the end of the sunset, all JCenter requests will automatically be redirected to Maven Central and served from there.

Brownout Schedule:

• July 30th, 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM (UTC) (1 hour)
• July 30th, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (UTC) (1 hour)
• August 5th, 7:00 AM – 11:00 AM (UTC) (4 hours)
• August 5th, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM (UTC) (4 hours)
• August 7th, 1:00 PM – August 8th, 1:00 PM (UTC) (24 hours)

Final shutdown (redirect) on August 15th

As the sunset process progresses, here are some answers to questions you might have.

Why is JFrog making this change?

JFrog is making this change to streamline the distribution of Maven packages and encourage the use of Maven Central, which is the most commonly used and supported central repository for Java, Maven-compatible, libraries and dependencies.

What is happening with jcenter.bintray.com?

JFrog will automatically redirect all requests to fetch Maven packages from https://jcenter.bintray.com/ to instead request these packages from Maven Central – https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/.

Will this affect my existing projects that use jcenter.bintray.com?

Yes, if your existing projects rely on jcenter.bintray.com, you may need to update your project configurations to ensure compatibility with the new repository setup. This includes updating repository URLs and dependencies to use Maven Central (https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/) instead.

Will this affect my existing remote repos in Artifactory that use jcenter.bintray.com?

Although requests will be redirected to Maven Central if you continue to use a remote repository that is configured for JCenter (https://jcenter.bintray.com), you are highly encouraged to create and utilize a new remote repository configured to use Maven Central (https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/).

If you are using a virtual repository that includes JCenter, you can achieve minimal to zero impact on existing clients by simply adding the new Maven Central remote repository to the virtual repository. Make sure to place the new repository before JCenter under the virtual repository. To speed up artifact resolution, it is also recommended that you configure the JCenter remote repository as “offline”.

It is not advised to clear the cache of a remote repository that is configured for JCenter, as any files cached from JCenter that do not exist in Maven Central will be lost and also since reconstructing the cache from zero from Maven Central can take a relatively long time

If you are a JFrog user, and still have questions, please reach out to support@jfrog.com.

Will all Maven packages in JCenter be available in Maven Central?

While the vast majority of packages in JCenter are already available in Maven Central, you may encounter some packages that only exist in JCenter.

What should a user do if a package they need is not available in Maven Central?

If a specific package version you need is not available on Maven Central, you have the following options:

• Contact the package owner and request that they make it available on Maven Central
• Check for a more recent version of the package on Maven Central
• Remove your dependency on the package
• Copy the package to your organization’s internal repository

If you are a JFrog user, and none of these options work for you, please reach out to support@jfrog.com.

How can a user find the most recent version of a package?

A user can search for the most recent version of a package on Maven Central’s repository search page. Make sure to update your project dependencies to use the latest versions available.

For more information and relevant updates, please check back here for updates from JFrog and Maven Central documentation.