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Published on: October 22, 2025
4 min read
Modernize Java applications quickly with GitLab Duo with Amazon Q
Transform legacy Java 8 applications to Java 17 in minutes instead of weeks using AI-powered automation.
Upgrading applications to newer, supported versions of Java has traditionally been a tedious and time-consuming process. Development teams must spend countless hours learning about deprecated APIs, updated libraries, and new language features. In many cases, significant code rewrites are necessary, turning what should be a straightforward upgrade into a multi-week project that diverts resources from building new features.
GitLab Duo with Amazon Q changes this paradigm entirely with AI-powered automation. What once took weeks can now be accomplished in minutes, with full traceability and ready-to-review merge requests that maintain your application's functionality while leveraging modern Java features.
How it works: Upgrade your Java application
Let's walk through how you can modernize a Java 8 application to Java 17.
Start with an issue
First, create an issue in your GitLab project describing your modernization goal. You don't need to specify version details - GitLab Duo with Amazon Q is able to detect that your application is currently built with Java 8 and needs to be upgraded. Simply describe that you want to refactor your code to Java 17 in the issue title and description.
Trigger the transformation
Once your issue is created, invoke GitLab Duo with Amazon Q using the /q transform command in a comment on the issue. This simple command sets in motion an automated process that will analyze your entire codebase, create a comprehensive upgrade plan, and generate all necessary code changes.
Automated analysis and implementation
Behind the scenes, Amazon Q analyzes your Java 8 codebase to understand your application's structure, dependencies, and implementation patterns. It identifies deprecated features, determines which Java 17 constructs can replace existing code, and creates a merge request with all the necessary updates. The transformation updates not just your source code files — including CLI, GUI, and model classes — but also your build configuration files like pom.xml with Java 17 settings and dependencies.
Review and verification
The generated merge request provides a complete view of all changes. You can review how your code has been modernized with Java 17 language features and verify that all tests still pass. The beauty of this approach is that all functionality is preserved and your application works exactly the same way, just with improved, more modern code.
Why use GitLab Duo with Amazon Q
Leveraging GitLab Duo with Amazon Q for application modernization has a number of advantages for development teams:
Time reduction: What traditionally takes weeks of developer effort is reduced to hours or minutes, freeing your team to focus on building new features rather than managing technical debt.
Minimized risk: The automated analysis and transformation process reduces the risk of human error that often accompanies manual code migrations. Every change is traceable and reviewable through GitLab's merge request workflow.
Complete audit trail: Every transformation is documented through GitLab's version control, providing a clear record of what changed and why, which is essential for compliance and troubleshooting.
Enterprise-grade security: The integration leverages GitLab's end-to-end security features and AWS's robust cloud infrastructure, helping to ensure your code and data remain protected throughout the modernization process.
Are you ready to see GitLab Duo with Amazon Q in action? Watch our complete walkthrough video demonstrating the Java modernization process from start to finish:
To learn more about GitLab Duo with Amazon Q visit our web site or reach out to your GitLab representative.