diff --git a/.prow/config.yaml b/.prow/config.yaml
index 0c0e979b10d..e947f440189 100644
--- a/.prow/config.yaml
+++ b/.prow/config.yaml
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ presubmits:
     always_run: true
     spec:
       containers:
-      - image: maven:3.6-jdk-8
+      - image: maven:3.6-jdk-11
         command: [".prow/scripts/test-core-ingestion.sh"]
         resources:
           requests:
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ presubmits:
     always_run: true
     spec:
       containers:
-      - image: maven:3.6-jdk-8
+      - image: maven:3.6-jdk-11
         command: [".prow/scripts/test-serving.sh"]
 
   - name: test-java-sdk
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ presubmits:
     always_run: true
     spec:
       containers:
-      - image: maven:3.6-jdk-8
+      - image: maven:3.6-jdk-11
         command: [".prow/scripts/test-java-sdk.sh"]
 
   - name: test-python-sdk
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ presubmits:
     always_run: true
     spec:
       containers:
-      - image: maven:3.6-jdk-8
+      - image: maven:3.6-jdk-11
         command: [".prow/scripts/test-end-to-end.sh"]
         resources:
           requests:
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ presubmits:
         secret:
           secretName: feast-service-account
       containers:
-      - image: maven:3.6-jdk-8
+      - image: maven:3.6-jdk-11
         command: [".prow/scripts/test-end-to-end-batch.sh"]
         resources:
           requests:
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ postsubmits:
     decorate: true
     spec:
       containers:
-      - image: maven:3.6-jdk-8
+      - image: maven:3.6-jdk-11
         command:
         - bash
         - -c
diff --git a/core/pom.xml b/core/pom.xml
index e1567ae8fe3..720f80a8a9b 100644
--- a/core/pom.xml
+++ b/core/pom.xml
@@ -197,5 +197,11 @@
             <artifactId>spring-boot-test-autoconfigure</artifactId>
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
+
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>javax.xml.bind</groupId>
+            <artifactId>jaxb-api</artifactId>
+        </dependency>
+
     </dependencies>
 </project>
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/feast/core/util/PipelineUtil.java b/core/src/main/java/feast/core/util/PipelineUtil.java
index ef1b50d8c9a..71cbc892bd1 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/feast/core/util/PipelineUtil.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/feast/core/util/PipelineUtil.java
@@ -24,7 +24,9 @@
 import java.net.URL;
 import java.net.URLClassLoader;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 
 public class PipelineUtil {
 
@@ -45,12 +47,7 @@ public class PipelineUtil {
   public static List<String> detectClassPathResourcesToStage(ClassLoader classLoader)
       throws IOException {
     if (!(classLoader instanceof URLClassLoader)) {
-      String message =
-          String.format(
-              "Unable to use ClassLoader to detect classpath elements. "
-                  + "Current ClassLoader is %s, only URLClassLoaders are supported.",
-              classLoader);
-      throw new IllegalArgumentException(message);
+      return getClasspathFiles();
     }
 
     List<String> files = new ArrayList<>();
@@ -69,4 +66,11 @@ public static List<String> detectClassPathResourcesToStage(ClassLoader classLoad
     }
     return files;
   }
+
+  private static List<String> getClasspathFiles() {
+    return Arrays.stream(System.getProperty("java.class.path").split(File.pathSeparator))
+        .map(entry -> new File(entry).getPath())
+        .collect(Collectors.toList());
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/datatypes/java/pom.xml b/datatypes/java/pom.xml
index a6dfa8e345a..efda2e8ba31 100644
--- a/datatypes/java/pom.xml
+++ b/datatypes/java/pom.xml
@@ -68,5 +68,11 @@
         <groupId>io.grpc</groupId>
         <artifactId>grpc-services</artifactId>
       </dependency>
+
+      <dependency>
+          <groupId>javax.annotation</groupId>
+          <artifactId>javax.annotation-api</artifactId>
+      </dependency>
     </dependencies>
+
 </project>
diff --git a/docs/contributing.md b/docs/contributing.md
index 38caffd654b..702a58f6c55 100644
--- a/docs/contributing.md
+++ b/docs/contributing.md
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ The main components of Feast are:
 
 **Pre-requisites**
 
-* Java SDK version 8
+* Java SE Development Kit 11
 * Python version 3.6 \(or above\) and pip
 * Access to Postgres database \(version 11 and above\)
 * Access to [Redis](https://redis.io/topics/quickstart) instance \(tested on version 5.x\)
diff --git a/infra/docker/core/Dockerfile b/infra/docker/core/Dockerfile
index c4cfe34b71b..8f82e69f6af 100644
--- a/infra/docker/core/Dockerfile
+++ b/infra/docker/core/Dockerfile
@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@
 # Build stage 1: Builder
 # ============================================================
 
-FROM maven:3.6-jdk-8-slim as builder
+FROM maven:3.6-jdk-11-slim as builder
 ARG REVISION=dev
 COPY  . /build
 WORKDIR /build
 #
-# Setting Maven repository .m2 directory relative to /build folder gives the 
+# Setting Maven repository .m2 directory relative to /build folder gives the
 # user to optionally use cached repository when building the image by copying
 # the existing .m2 directory to $FEAST_REPO_ROOT/.m2
 #
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ RUN apt-get -qq update && apt-get -y install unar && \
 # Build stage 2: Production
 # ============================================================
 
-FROM openjdk:8-jre as production
+FROM openjdk:11-jre as production
 ARG REVISION=dev
 COPY --from=builder /build/core/target/feast-core-$REVISION.jar /opt/feast/feast-core.jar
 COPY --from=builder /build/core/target/feast-core-$REVISION /opt/feast/feast-core
diff --git a/infra/docker/core/Dockerfile.dev b/infra/docker/core/Dockerfile.dev
index 34fb63f1b56..3903badd712 100644
--- a/infra/docker/core/Dockerfile.dev
+++ b/infra/docker/core/Dockerfile.dev
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-FROM openjdk:8-jre
+FROM openjdk:11-jre
 ARG REVISION=dev
 ADD $PWD/core/target/feast-core-$REVISION.jar /opt/feast/feast-core.jar
 CMD ["java",\
diff --git a/infra/docker/serving/Dockerfile b/infra/docker/serving/Dockerfile
index 3517183d782..48ca18462ac 100644
--- a/infra/docker/serving/Dockerfile
+++ b/infra/docker/serving/Dockerfile
@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@
 # Build stage 1: Builder
 # ============================================================
 
-FROM maven:3.6-jdk-8-slim as builder
+FROM maven:3.6-jdk-11-slim as builder
 ARG REVISION=dev
 COPY  . /build
 WORKDIR /build
 #
-# Setting Maven repository .m2 directory relative to /build folder gives the 
+# Setting Maven repository .m2 directory relative to /build folder gives the
 # user to optionally use cached repository when building the image by copying
 # the existing .m2 directory to $FEAST_REPO_ROOT/.m2
 #
@@ -19,10 +19,10 @@ RUN mvn --also-make --projects serving -Drevision=$REVISION \
 # Build stage 2: Production
 # ============================================================
 
-FROM openjdk:8-jre-alpine as production
+FROM openjdk:11-jre-alpine as production
 ARG REVISION=dev
 #
-# Download grpc_health_probe to run health check for Feast Serving 
+# Download grpc_health_probe to run health check for Feast Serving
 # https://kubernetes.io/blog/2018/10/01/health-checking-grpc-servers-on-kubernetes/
 #
 RUN wget -q https://github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-health-probe/releases/download/v0.3.1/grpc_health_probe-linux-amd64 \
diff --git a/infra/docker/serving/Dockerfile.dev b/infra/docker/serving/Dockerfile.dev
index 74b7d0ba9be..2075061f98a 100644
--- a/infra/docker/serving/Dockerfile.dev
+++ b/infra/docker/serving/Dockerfile.dev
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-FROM openjdk:8-jre-alpine as production
+FROM openjdk:11-jre-alpine as production
 ARG REVISION=dev
 #
-# Download grpc_health_probe to run health check for Feast Serving 
+# Download grpc_health_probe to run health check for Feast Serving
 # https://kubernetes.io/blog/2018/10/01/health-checking-grpc-servers-on-kubernetes/
 #
 RUN wget -q https://github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-health-probe/releases/download/v0.3.1/grpc_health_probe-linux-amd64 \
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 821d3b72321..8e4ed7d459a 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -298,6 +298,18 @@
                 <type>pom</type>
                 <scope>import</scope>
             </dependency>
+
+            <dependency>
+                <groupId>javax.xml.bind</groupId>
+                <artifactId>jaxb-api</artifactId>
+                <version>2.3.1</version>
+            </dependency>
+            <dependency>
+                <groupId>javax.annotation</groupId>
+                <artifactId>javax.annotation-api</artifactId>
+                <version>1.3.2</version>
+            </dependency>
+
         </dependencies>
     </dependencyManagement>
 
@@ -378,8 +390,7 @@
                 <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
                 <version>3.8.1</version>
                 <configuration>
-                    <source>1.8</source>
-                    <target>1.8</target>
+                    <release>11</release>
                     <compilerArgs>
                         <arg>-Xlint:all</arg>
                           <!-- -Xdoclint:all breaks on a false positive in JDK < 9 -->
@@ -392,6 +403,13 @@
                 <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
                 <artifactId>maven-enforcer-plugin</artifactId>
                 <version>3.0.0-M2</version>
+                <dependencies>
+                    <dependency>
+                        <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
+                        <artifactId>extra-enforcer-rules</artifactId>
+                        <version>1.2</version>
+                    </dependency>
+                </dependencies>
                 <executions>
                     <execution>
                         <id>valid-build-environment</id>
@@ -401,10 +419,10 @@
                         <configuration>
                             <rules>
                                 <requireMavenVersion>
-                                    <version>[3.5,4.0)</version>
+                                    <version>[3.6,4.0)</version>
                                 </requireMavenVersion>
                                 <requireJavaVersion>
-                                    <version>[1.8,1.9)</version>
+                                    <version>[1.8,11.1)</version>
                                 </requireJavaVersion>
                                 <reactorModuleConvergence />
                             </rules>