diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-checks.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-checks.yml
index 9712f6a..48571ee 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-checks.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-checks.yml
@@ -26,10 +26,10 @@ jobs:
     - name: Checkout code
       uses: actions/checkout@v4
       
-    - name: Set up JDK 11
+    - name: Set up JDK 21
       uses: actions/setup-java@v4
       with:
-        java-version: '11'
+        java-version: '21'
         distribution: 'temurin'
         
     - name: Cache Gradle packages
diff --git a/config/checkstyle/checkstyle.xml b/config/checkstyle/checkstyle.xml
index f0c3d80..aae600d 100755
--- a/config/checkstyle/checkstyle.xml
+++ b/config/checkstyle/checkstyle.xml
@@ -215,69 +215,7 @@ by Joshua Bloch in his book Effective Java -->
         -->
     </module>
     <!--
-    WHITESPACE CHECKS
+    Whitespace checks are disabled because they conflict with GoogleJavaFormat.
     -->
-    <!-- FORK: Whitespace enforcement is handled by other tools in google3, but we need this policy
-    to enforce consistency in GoB. -->
-    <module name="Indentation">
-      <property name="basicOffset" value="2"/>
-      <property name="braceAdjustment" value="0"/>
-      <property name="caseIndent" value="2"/>
-      <property name="throwsIndent" value="4"/>
-      <property name="lineWrappingIndentation" value="4"/>
-      <property name="arrayInitIndent" value="2"/>
-    </module>
-    <!-- ENDFORK -->
-    <module name="WhitespaceAround">
-      <!-- Checks that various tokens are surrounded by whitespace.
-           This includes most binary operators and keywords followed
-           by regular or curly braces.
-      -->
-      <property name="tokens" value="ASSIGN, BAND, BAND_ASSIGN, BOR,
-        BOR_ASSIGN, BSR, BSR_ASSIGN, BXOR, BXOR_ASSIGN, COLON, DIV, DIV_ASSIGN,
-        EQUAL, GE, GT, LAND, LE, LITERAL_CATCH, LITERAL_DO, LITERAL_ELSE,
-        LITERAL_FINALLY, LITERAL_FOR, LITERAL_IF, LITERAL_RETURN,
-        LITERAL_SYNCHRONIZED, LITERAL_TRY, LITERAL_WHILE, LOR, LT, MINUS,
-        MINUS_ASSIGN, MOD, MOD_ASSIGN, NOT_EQUAL, PLUS, PLUS_ASSIGN, QUESTION,
-        SL, SL_ASSIGN, SR_ASSIGN, STAR, STAR_ASSIGN"/>
-      <property name="severity" value="error"/>
-      <property name="ignoreEnhancedForColon" value="false"/>
-    </module>
-    <module name="WhitespaceAfter">
-      <!-- Checks that commas, semicolons and typecasts are followed by
-           whitespace.
-      -->
-      <property name="tokens" value="COMMA, SEMI, TYPECAST"/>
-    </module>
-    <module name="NoWhitespaceAfter">
-      <!-- Checks that there is no whitespace after various unary operators.
-           Linebreaks are allowed.
-      -->
-      <property name="tokens" value="BNOT, DEC, DOT, INC, LNOT, UNARY_MINUS,
-        UNARY_PLUS"/>
-      <property name="allowLineBreaks" value="true"/>
-      <property name="severity" value="error"/>
-    </module>
-    <module name="NoWhitespaceBefore">
-      <!-- Checks that there is no whitespace before various unary operators.
-           Linebreaks are allowed.
-      -->
-      <property name="tokens" value="SEMI, DOT, POST_DEC, POST_INC"/>
-      <property name="allowLineBreaks" value="true"/>
-      <property name="severity" value="error"/>
-    </module>
-    <module name="ParenPad">
-      <!-- Checks that there is no whitespace before close parens or after
-           open parens. Allows whitespace after open parens if it is followed
-           by the end of a line or by the start of a comment. Allows whitespace
-           before close parens if it is preceeded by the start of a line or by
-           the end of a block comment.
-      -->
-      <metadata name="altname" value="ParenPad"/>
-      <!-- FORK: This property isn't supported by the open-source implementation. -->
-      <!--      <property name="ignoreComments" value="true"/> -->
-      <!-- ENDFORK -->
-      <property name="severity" value="warning"/>
-    </module>
   </module>
 </module>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties b/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
index aa991fc..30006bd 100644
--- a/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
+++ b/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 distributionBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
 distributionPath=wrapper/dists
-distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-7.4.2-bin.zip
+distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-9.0-bin.zip
 zipStoreBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
 zipStorePath=wrapper/dists
diff --git a/kokoro/gcp_ubuntu/kokoro_build.sh b/kokoro/gcp_ubuntu/kokoro_build.sh
index ac2c86a..54ac525 100755
--- a/kokoro/gcp_ubuntu/kokoro_build.sh
+++ b/kokoro/gcp_ubuntu/kokoro_build.sh
@@ -17,8 +17,17 @@
 # Fail on any error
 set -e
 
-sudo update-java-alternatives --set java-1.11.0-openjdk-amd64
-JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-11-openjdk-amd64
+sudo apt update
+
+# Install OpenJDK 21
+sudo apt install -y openjdk-21-jdk
+
+# List available Java alternatives to confirm the name (optional, for debugging)
+# sudo update-java-alternatives --list
+
+# Set Java 21 as the default
+sudo update-java-alternatives --set java-1.21.0-openjdk-amd64
+export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-21-openjdk-amd64
 
 cd "${KOKORO_ARTIFACTS_DIR}/git/data-lineage-producer-java-library"
 ./tests.sh
diff --git a/lib/build.gradle b/lib/build.gradle
index b719761..ec1f3b6 100755
--- a/lib/build.gradle
+++ b/lib/build.gradle
@@ -14,16 +14,12 @@
 
 plugins {
     id 'java-library'
-//    TODO upgrade this to https://plugins.gradle.org/plugin/com.gradleup.shadow
-    id 'com.github.johnrengelman.shadow' version '7.1.2'
+    id("com.gradleup.shadow") version "9.2.1"
     id 'com.github.sherter.google-java-format' version '0.9'
     id 'checkstyle'
     id 'maven-publish'
     id 'signing'
-
-// v"2.2.5" is recommended, but it uses Java21 which is incompatible with other
-// plugins (e.g. "com.github.johnrengelman.shadow"), therefore, using latest compatible version
-   id("com.google.cloud.artifactregistry.gradle-plugin") version "2.1.5"
+    id("com.google.cloud.artifactregistry.gradle-plugin") version "2.2.5"
 }
 
 googleJavaFormat {
@@ -149,7 +145,7 @@ java {
 publishing {
     publications {
         mavenJava(MavenPublication) {
-            version = '1.1.0'
+            version = '1.1.1'
             group = 'com.google.cloud.datalineage'
             artifactId = 'producerclient'