Glassfish is an open source application server from Oracle. It is used for developing and deploying Java-based applications and web services. It provides a complete infrastructure for building, deploying, managing and running applications in a distributed environment. Glassfish has a modular architecture and is highly extensible. It supports multiple Java EE application servers and allows for clustering and load balancing. It also offers web application frameworks, such as JSF and JSP, along with web services, such as XML, SOAP, and REST. Glassfish also provides support for Java Message Service (JMS) and Java Transaction API (JTA). It is an ideal platform for developing enterprise applications and services.
Payara Server has everything that GlassFish has, plus some more modern features. They share a lot of common code, so they mostly work the same way, which means you can switch between them without having to learn new things first.
Payara Server was originally derived from GlassFish when Oracle dropped support.
Payara Server
JBoss
appserver.io
WebSphere Application Server
JOnAS
Mako Server
Apache Geronimo
Payara Server was derived from GlassFish, so they share many of the same features. However, Payara Server continues to receive frequent updates, full support, bug fixes, etc. for community users and support customers.