The presentation showcases the transformative journey of JAPO Search Engine, spearheaded by Mohamed, a Java Developer, and the engine's creator. Initially offered exclusively as a REST API, one of JAPO's endpoints faced latency issues due to its serverless architecture. The presentation details the pivotal shift towards optimizing performance by integrating Helidon 4 and harnessing Java 21's capabilities. The discussion commences by highlighting the limitations faced by JAPO's original architecture, specifically the cold start times resulting in delays for user queries. To counter this, the presentation explores the evolution from Java 19's introduction of virtual threads to Helidon Níma, culminating in Helidon 4, coupled with Java 21. The study emphasizes the seamless migration from serverless to server-based architecture using Helidon 4 and Java 21. It highlights potential benefits such as native executable generation, quicker application startup, and reduced resource consumption. Moreover, the presentation encourages broader community involvement in testing Helidon 4 and Java 21 in various cloud environments beyond AWS. It seeks insights into performance variations across platforms and offers thoughtful considerations for developers contemplating architectural shifts. It emphasizes aligning choices with specific application needs, event-driven nature, scaling requirements, and billing implications. In summary, this presentation serves as a compelling case study, demonstrating how the integration of Helidon 4 and Java 21 significantly enhances application performance. It encourages developers to explore these technologies for their projects' optimization and potential migration strategies. The narrative showcases JAPO's evolution, inspiring the audience to delve into Helidon 4 and Java 21 for transformative improvements in their own Java-based applications.