Compatibility Issue between OpenJPA 3.2.2 and Spring Boot 3.1.x

Problem:

The challenge arises when attempting to upgrade from Spring Boot (SB) version 2.7.x to SB 3.1.x due to compatibility issues with OpenJPA. No compatible version of OpenJPA has been found for Spring Boot 3.1.x. Upgrading to Spring Boot 3.1.x presents hurdles in terms of OpenJPA compatibility. The current version of OpenJPA lacks support for SB3, with its last release dating back 2 years. Additionally, the version in use supports only JPA2 and the javax namespace, whereas Spring Boot 3 exclusively uses the jakarta namespace. The encountered error message states: “return type javax.persistence.spi.PersistenceProvider is not compatible with jakarta.persistence.spi.PersistenceProvider”. Moreover, the OpenJPA Maven plugin enhancer fails to enhance the entity class, exacerbating the compatibility issues.

Process:

To address the compatibility issue between OpenJPA 3.2.2 and Spring Boot 3.1.x, follow these steps:

1. Install Hibernate 5.6 or a later version to ensure compatibility with Spring Boot 3.1.x.
2. Prevent the loading of older versions of Hibernate to avoid conflicts with the updated version.
3. For Gradle (build.gradle) and Maven (pom.xml) projects, ensure that the updated version of Hibernate is specified as a dependency to be used during the build process.
4. In the persistence.xml file, replace the usage of javax.persistence.spi.PersistenceProvider with org.hibernate.jpa.HibernatePersistenceProvider to align with the updated Hibernate version. This step addresses the deprecated class issue.
5. Add OpenJPA with the jakarta classifier as a dependency of the plugin, as suggested in this discussion thread (https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg23155.html).
6. Provide the file structure, logs, and any additional information required for a more detailed analysis and assistance in resolving any further issues that may arise during the implementation of the above steps. This will facilitate a thorough understanding of the environment and aid in troubleshooting specific issues.

Solution:

Option 2 of the recommended solutions worked effectively. Adding the OpenJPA dependency bundle with the jakarta classifier to the plugin resolved the issue. The collaborative efforts between our team and the provided solutions successfully addressed the OpenJPA compatibility challenges during the Spring Boot upgrade. The case emphasizes the importance of staying updated with dependencies and adapting to changes in package namespaces when upgrading frameworks.

Conclusion:

Adding the OpenJPA dependency bundle with the jakarta classifier to the plugin resolved the issue. The collaborative efforts between our team and the provided solutions successfully addressed the OpenJPA compatibility challenges during the Spring Boot upgrade.