September 14, 2021

Java 17 LTS released

Oracle and the OpenJDK community shipped JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data. 17 on September 14, 2021 — a long-term support release with sealed classes, pattern matching for switch (preview), and foreign memory APIs.

What it was for

Java (programming language)JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data. 17 became the baseline for Spring BootA Java framework for production-ready apps — auto-configuration and embedded servers for microservices. 3, AndroidGoogle's open mobile operating system — the dominant platform for smartphones worldwide. toolchain updates, and enterprise migrations off JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data. 8/11. Sealed classes and records (from 16) let teams model domain data safely; LTSLong-term support — a release branch maintained with security fixes for years, common in Linux and Node. status meant banks and vendors could standardize on one version for years.

Companies

  • Sun Microsystems

Why it's here

JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data. 17 is the modern LTSLong-term support — a release branch maintained with security fixes for years, common in Linux and Node. most enterprises target after the JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data. 8 era.

Why it mattered

It bundled years of incremental language improvements into a supported long-term release.

What it solved

Organizations on JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data. 8 needed a supported path to modern syntax without annual upgrade churn.

Media

  • Java (programming language)
    ImageJava (programming language)

    Peter Campbell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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