Java / Quarkus Interview questions
What are the two runtime modes of Quarkus?
Quarkus applications can run in two distinct modes, and the choice between them is mainly a trade-off between build simplicity/portability and raw startup performance.
| JVM Mode | Native Mode |
| Runs as a standard executable JAR on any JVM. | Compiled ahead-of-time into a platform-specific native binary via GraalVM. |
| Faster, simpler build; portable across JVM versions/platforms. | Slower, more resource-intensive build tied to a specific OS/architecture. |
| Startup in the hundreds of milliseconds, still fast for Java. | Startup typically in tens of milliseconds. |
| Good default for local development and most CI pipelines. | Good for extreme cold-start sensitivity, e.g. serverless functions. |
Most teams develop and test in JVM mode day-to-day, then build a native image specifically for production if their cold-start and memory requirements justify the extra build complexity and time.
Which mode has a build tied to a specific OS/architecture?
Which mode is typically used for everyday local development?
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