diff --git a/.github/copilot-instructions.md b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
index 4c077c06..821808c4 100644
--- a/.github/copilot-instructions.md
+++ b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 The Akces Framework is a sophisticated CQRS (Command Query Responsibility Segregation) and Event Sourcing framework built on Apache Kafka. It provides a comprehensive infrastructure for building distributed, event-driven applications with a clear separation between write operations (commands) and read operations (queries).
 
 **Key Technologies:**
-- Java 21+
+- Java 25+
 - Apache Kafka 3.x (KRaft mode)
 - Spring Boot 3.x
 - Maven for build management
diff --git a/.github/workflows/codeql.yml b/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
index 720cbd77..34fa41c5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
@@ -64,11 +64,11 @@ jobs:
         # For more details on CodeQL's query packs, refer to: https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/code-scanning/automatically-scanning-your-code-for-vulnerabilities-and-errors/configuring-code-scanning#using-queries-in-ql-packs
         # queries: security-extended,security-and-quality
 
-    - name: Set up JDK 21
+    - name: Set up JDK 25
       uses: actions/setup-java@v5
       with:
         distribution: temurin
-        java-version: 21
+        java-version: 25
         check-latest: true
         settings-path: ${{ github.workspace }}
     - name: Cache Maven packages
diff --git a/.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml b/.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml
index 823f9208..cb6a3c5e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml
@@ -27,11 +27,11 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v5
-      - name: Set up JDK 21
+      - name: Set up JDK 25
         uses: actions/setup-java@v5
         with:
           distribution: temurin
-          java-version: 21
+          java-version: 25
           check-latest: true
           settings-path: ${{ github.workspace }}
       - name: Cache Maven packages
diff --git a/.github/workflows/maven-publish.yml b/.github/workflows/maven-publish.yml
index 7d9fc81a..35820792 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/maven-publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/maven-publish.yml
@@ -19,11 +19,11 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v5
-      - name: Set up JDK 21
+      - name: Set up JDK 25
         uses: actions/setup-java@v5
         with:
           distribution: temurin
-          java-version: 21
+          java-version: 25
           check-latest: true
           server-id: central # Value of the distributionManagement/repository/id field of the pom.xml
           server-username: MAVEN_USERNAME # env variable for username in deploy
diff --git a/.github/workflows/maven.yml b/.github/workflows/maven.yml
index 079b1a0c..1fa52bd8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/maven.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/maven.yml
@@ -33,11 +33,11 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v5
-      - name: Set up JDK 21
+      - name: Set up JDK 25
         uses: actions/setup-java@v5
         with:
           distribution: temurin
-          java-version: 21
+          java-version: 25
           check-latest: true
           settings-path: ${{ github.workspace }}
       - name: Cache Maven packages
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d5fe2340..e39bfc92 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ Akces is organized into several Maven modules:
 
 ### Prerequisites
 
-- Java 21 or higher
+- Java 25 or higher
 - Apache Kafka 3.x with KRaft mode enabled
 - Confluent Schema Registry
 - Maven 3.6 or higher
diff --git a/main/client/pom.xml b/main/client/pom.xml
index 2e25a109..1c2aa9fa 100644
--- a/main/client/pom.xml
+++ b/main/client/pom.xml
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
             <plugin>
                 <groupId>org.jacoco</groupId>
                 <artifactId>jacoco-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-                <version>0.8.12</version>
+                <version>0.8.14</version>
                 <executions>
                     <execution>
                         <goals>
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 0ea49bb4..df940311 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -70,8 +70,8 @@
 
     <properties>
         <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
-        <!-- java 21+ -->
-        <java.version>21</java.version>
+        <!-- java 25+ -->
+        <java.version>25</java.version>
         <!-- this is needed for surefire, needs to be kept in sync with the mockito-core version in spring-boot -->
         <mockito.version>5.18.0</mockito.version>
         <spring.version>6.2.11</spring.version>
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@
                     <artifactId>maven-javadoc-plugin</artifactId>
                     <version>3.12.0</version>
                     <configuration>
-                        <source>21</source>
+                        <source>25</source>
                     </configuration>
                 </plugin>
                 <plugin>