Java New Features

A project to explore more about the new features of Java 8, 9, ...

JDK Release Notes

Resume by Version

• Java 18

  • UTF-8 by Default
  • Simple Web Server
  • Code Snippets in Java API Documentation
  • Pattern matching for switch (preview 2)
  • Deprecated method finalize

• Java 17

  • Sealed classes (standard)
  • Enhanced Pseudo-Random Number Generator
  • Deprecate the Applet API for Removal
  • New macOS rendering for Java 2D API
  • Remove the experimental AOT and JIT compiler

• Java 16 (Mar, 2021)

  • Records (standard)
  • Pattern matching for instanceof (standard)
  • Sealed classes (preview 2)
  • Unix-Domain Socket Channels
  • Warnings for Value-Based Classes
  • Foreign-Memory Access API (incubator)
  • Vector API (Incubator)
  • Foreign Linker API (Incubator)
  • Packaging Tool

• Java 15 (Sep, 2020)

  • Sealed classes (preview)
  • Hidden classes
  • DatagramSocket reimplementation
  • Pattern matching for instanceof (preview 2)
  • Records (preview 2)
  • Foreign-Memory Access API (incubator)
  • GCs ZGC and Shenandoah turned final

• Java 14 (May, 2020)

  • Switch expression (standard)
  • Pattern matching for instanceof (preview)
  • Text blocks improvements (preview 2)
  • Records (preview)
  • Helpful NullPointerExceptions
  • Packaging tool
  • JFR even streaming

• Java 13

  • Switch expression (preview 2)
  • Text blocks (preview)
  • String API updates
  • NIO updates
  • Socket and ServerSocket reimplementation (Project Loom)
  • Dynamic CDS Archives
  • ZGC: Uncommit Unused Memory

• Java 12

  • Switch expression (preview)
  • Compact Number Format
  • Collectors improvements
  • CompletableFuture improvements
  • CDS enable by default
  • New GC and improvements

• Java 11

  • Removal of Java EE Modules, JavaFX and deprecated API
  • Http Client (incubator)
  • var in lambda expressions
  • API improvements
  • Null I/O

• Java 10 (March, 2018)

  • Process API improvements
  • Collections improvements
  • Application Class-Data Sharing
  • var keyword to declare variables

• Java 9

  • Milling Project Coin
  • Process API
  • Platform Logging API and Service
  • Concurrency improvements
  • Collections improvements
  • Project Jigsaw
  • Segmented code cache
  • JShell
  • much more (see JEPs)

• Java 8

  • API
  • Stream API
  • Project Lambda
  • Repeating annotations

Helpful Links

• Dev.java - tutorials, news and more
• Inside.java - Sip of Java
• Considerations Bumping Java EE
• The Role of Preview Features in Java and Beyond
• Place to get early releases from Oracle's JDK