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Since version 9, Java has new features every 6 months and it’s very hard to keep track of these new changes. Most of the information on the internet describes changes between the last 2 Java versions. However, if you’re in a similar situation as me, you’re not using one of the latest Java versions but a version several releases older.
Then it’s useful to know which new features were added since the version you use now, or between the versions that you use now and the one you want to start using next. Therefore I’ve compiled a table with all new features added since Java 8 for each new Java version and I keep it updated for every newer Java version.
Below you can find tables for:
- New Java language features – additions to the Java language or APIs
- New Java language features in preview/incubation – additions to the Java language or APIs which aren’t in their final state yet
- New tools and features in OpenJDK – additions outside of the language, such as command line tools or JVM improvements
- Deprecated/removed features and APIs
Note that I didn’t include all the new features and API additions, only those that are useful for a wide range of developers, to keep the list brief.
This article isn’t about choosing the right Java version for you to use. But I’ll at least summarize all the Java versions since Java 8 and for your convenience:
- Java 8 – LTS release (Long Term Support), last LTS release before JPMS (modules) were introduced in Java 9
- Java 11 – LTS release
- Java 17 – LTS release, the latest LTS release until September 2023
- Java 19 – non-LTS release, the latest version released in September 2022
- all other Java versions – non-LTS releases
In most cases, you should only use LTS releases in production. That is unless you have specific needs to use the greatest and latest and are willing to upgrade to a new Java version every 6 months. To find out more about Java LTS releases, you can read The art of long-term support and what LTS means for the Java ecosystem by Oracle.
Java language features and APIs
|
Feature/API
|
Since
|
Preview since
|
|
Simple Web Server (a.k.a com.sun.net.httpserver.SimpleFileServer)
SimpleFileServer.createFileServer(new InetSocketAddress(9000), path, logLevel).start();
Cmd Line: |
18
|
|
|
Code Snippets in Java API Documentation
{@snippet : lines of code}instead of <pre>{@code lines of code }</pre> |
18
|
|
|
UTF-8 by Default – instead of the charset defined by the system.
Run javac -encoding UTF-8 with JDK 8-17 to check for Java source encoding issues. |
18
|
|
|
Context-Specific Deserialization Filters – allow applications to configure deserialization filters, either specify a pattern via a system property, or a filter factory via a system property or via
ObjectInputFilter.Config |
17
|
|
|
Sealed classes (inheritance only for allowed classes):
public abstract sealed class Shape permits Circle, Rectangle, Square {...} |
17
|
15
|
|
Record type – data classes with implicit getters, constructor,
equals, hashCode and toString methods:record Point(int x, int y) { } |
16
|
14
|
|
Static members in inner classes (part of Record type JEP)
new Object() {static record MyData(String data) {};public static final int CONSTANT = 1;}; |
16
|
16
|
|
16
|
14
|
|
|
15
|
13
|
|
|
New String methods (formatted
, stripIndent, translateEscapes) |
15
|
|
|
Switch expressions:
boolean isWeekend = switch (day) {case SATURDAY, SUNDAY -> true;default -> false;}; |
14
|
12
|
|
12
|
||
|
12
|
||
|
11
|
||
|
11
|
||
|
11
|
||
|
TLS v1.3 – support for a new SSL/TLS protocol version
|
11
|
|
|
10
|
||
|
9
|
||
|
9
|
||
|
9
|
||
|
9
|
||
|
9
|
||
|
9
|
||
this.getClass().getPackageName() |
9
|
|
|
Process API updates (detailed info about processes, e.g. ID, onExit, destroy)
|
9
|
|
|
9
|
||
|
9
|
||
|
9
|
||
|
8
|
||
|
8
|
||
|
8
|
||
|
8
|
||
|
8
|
||
|
8
|
||
|
8
|
||
|
8
|
||
|
8
|
Java language features or APIs in preview/incubation
|
Feature/API
|
Since
|
Preview since
|
|
Virtual threads
Thread.startVirtualThread(runnable);Thread.ofVirtual().name("duke").unstarted(runnable);Executors.newVirtualThreadPerTaskExecutor();Executors.newThreadPerTaskExecutor(threadFactory); |
19
|
|
|
Record patterns
record Point(int x, int y) {} |
19
|
|
|
Structured concurrency
try (var scope = new ShutdownOnFailure()) { |
19
|
|
|
Pattern Matching for switch – like
instanceof for switch; switch is an expression and can be assignedString result = switch (o) {case 0 -> throw new RuntimeException("Cannot be 0"); // Special casescase Integer i when i > 0 -> "Positive number";case Integer i -> "Negative number"; // 0 and positive numbers handled by above rules |
17
|
|
|
Foreign Function & Memory API (an alternative to JNI)
|
16
|
|
|
Vector API – express computations that compile to optimal hardware instructions
|
16
|
New JDK tools and features since OpenJDK 8
|
Tool / feature
|
Since
|
Experimental since
|
|
14
|
||
|
11
|
||
|
Experimental Java-Based JIT Compiler (Graal VM)
|
10
|
|
|
15
|
12
|
|
|
15
|
11
|
|
|
14
|
||
|
11
|
||
|
Flight recorder (data collection framework for troubleshooting)
|
11
|
|
|
10,
8u191 |
||
|
10,
8u191 |
||
|
10
|
||
|
jlink – custom JRE image, subset of JRE
|
9
|
|
|
JShell (Java REPL) – run Java commands interactively
|
9
|
|
|
9
|
||
|
9
|
Deprecated/removed features and APIs:
|
Feature / API
|
Deprecated since
|
Removed since
|
|
Deprecate Finalization for Removal (
finalize() and similar methods) |
18
|
|
|
17
|
||
|
Constructors of primitive wrapper classes (e.g.
new Integer(1)) |
16
|
|
|
14
|
||
|
Applet API (Deprecated For Removal in Java 17)
|
9
|
|
|
15
|
17
|
|
|
Strongly Encapsulate JDK Internals (except sun.misc.Unsafe and some more)
– internal JDK classes won’t be available anymore |
9
|
17
|
|
11
|
15
|
|
|
14
|
15
|
|
|
CMS GC
|
9
|
14
|
|
11
|
14
|
|
|
11
|
||
|
Java Web Start (was only in Oracle JDK)
|
9
|
11
|
|
Java EE and CORBA modules (JAX-WS, JAXB, JAF, Common Annotations, CORBA, JTA)
Look here to find replacements for the removed modules |
9
|
11
|
|
10
|
||
|
9
|
||
|
9
|
||
|
9
|
||
|
9
|
||
|
8
|
9
|
For more details, the javaalmanac.io/ catalog is very useful to browse the changes in Java thoughout all its history. It can give you complete diff of APIs between selected Java versions, e.g. between Java 8 and Java 11. Very useful If you’re thinking about migrating to a specific Java version.
Dávid Csákvári also wrote a similar article as mine for new features between Java 8 and Java 17, which is more detailed and with a lot of useful examples.
If you want to get started with Java 17 quickly and try out all the new features, here’s a nice article to follow to get you started fast: Java 17 New Features Tutorial.
