Have you heard about the new features of the latest versions of Java?

Yes, I keep up with the new features of the latest Java versions. Among the significant changes in recent releases, the following can be highlighted:

• Java 17 (LTS):

  • Sealed Classes (JEP 409): Managing class inheritance for increased security and predictability.
  • Pattern Matching for switch (Second Preview, JEP 420): Improved syntax for the switch statement, allowing type matching of objects.
  • Foreign Function & Memory API (Second Incubator, JEP 412): Safe and efficient interaction with native code and off-heap memory.
  • Vector API (Second Incubator, JEP 414): Support for vector operations to enhance computational performance.

• Java 18:

  • Simple Web Server (JEP 408): A simple built-in HTTP server for development and testing purposes.
  • UTF-8 by Default (JEP 400): Setting UTF-8 as the default encoding for the platform.
  • Code Snippets in Java API Documentation (JEP 413): Ability to include code fragments in Javadoc.

• Java 19:

  • Virtual Threads (First Preview, JEP 425): Lightweight threads to simplify writing highly scalable server applications.
  • Pattern Matching for switch (Third Preview, JEP 427): Further enhancement of object matching in switch.
  • Record Patterns (First Preview, JEP 405): Ability to destructure record objects in patterns.

• Java 20:

  • Scoped Values (First Incubator, JEP 429): A safe way to exchange data between threads without using mutable variables or InheritableThreadLocal.
  • Record Patterns (Second Preview, JEP 432): Additional improvements for record patterns.
  • Virtual Threads (Second Preview, JEP 436): Continued development of virtual threads.

• Java 21 (LTS):

  • Virtual Threads (JEP 444): Virtual threads became a standard feature.
  • Record Patterns (JEP 440): Record patterns became a standard feature.
  • Sequence Collections (JEP 431): New interfaces for ordered collections.
  • Pattern Matching for switch (JEP 441): Pattern matching in the switch statement became a standard feature.
  • Scoped Values (Second Preview, JEP 462): Continued work on Scoped Values.

Special attention is given to the development of virtual threads, which significantly simplify asynchronous programming and improve the performance of services that involve a large number of I/O waits. Work also continues on the Panama project (interfaces for native code interaction), the Valhalla project (new primitive types and performance improvements), and the Loom project (virtual threads).

Understanding these new features is important for writing modern, efficient, and maintainable Java code.