Java versions: features, improvements, innovations

[gotty]

Java 10

OpenJDK 10 was released on 20 March 2018 with twelve new features confirmed.

List of features and improvements:

• Local-Variable Type Inference (JEP 286);
• Consolidate the JDK Forest into a Single Repository (JEP 296);
• Garbage-Collector Interface (JEP 304);
• Parallel Full GC for G1 (JEP 307);
• Application Class-Data Sharing (feature to allow application classes to be placed in the shared archive) (JEP 310);
• Thread-Local Handshakes (JEP 312);
• Remove the Native-Header Generation Tool (javah) (JEP 313);
• Additional Unicode Language-Tag Extensions (JEP 314);
• Heap Allocation on Alternative Memory Devices (JEP 316);
• Experimental Java-Based JIT Compiler (experimental Graal compiler for the Linux/x64 platform) (JEP 317);
• Root Certificates (JEP 319);
• Time-Based Release Versioning (JEP 322).

[gotty]

Java 11

OpenJDK 11 was released on 25 September 2018 with seventeen new features confirmed.

List of features and improvements:

• Nest-Based Access Control (JEP 181);
• Dynamic Class-File Constants (JEP 309);
• Improve Aarch64 Intrinsics (JEP 315);
• Epsilon: A No-Op Garbage Collector (JEP 318);
• Remove the Java EE and CORBA Modules (JEP 320);
• HTTP Client (Standard) (JEP 321);
• Local-Variable Syntax for Lambda Parameters (JEP 323);
• Key Agreement with Curve25519 and Curve448 (JEP 324);
• Unicode 10 (JEP 327);
• Flight Recorder (JEP 328);
• ChaCha20 and Poly1305 Cryptographic Algorithms (JEP 329);
• Launch Single-File Source-Code Programs (JEP 330);
• Low-Overhead Heap Profiling (JEP 331);
• Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3 (JEP 332);
• ZGC: A Scalable Low-Latency Garbage Collector (experimental) (JEP 333);
• Deprecate the Nashorn JavaScript Engine (JEP 335);
• Deprecate the Pack200 Tools and API (JEP 336).

[gotty]

Java 12

OpenJDK 12 was released on 19 March 2019 with eight new features confirmed.

List of features and improvements:

• Shenandoah: Experimental Low-Pause-Time Garbage Collector (JEP 189);
• Microbenchmark Suite (JEP 230);
• Preview Switch Expressions (JEP 325);
• JVM Constants API (JEP 334);
• One AArch64 Port, Not Two (JEP 340);
• Default CDS Archives (JEP 341);
• Abortable Mixed Collections for G1 (JEP 344);
• Promptly Return Unused Committed Memory from G1 (JEP 346).

[gotty]

Java 13

OpenJDK 13 was released on 17 September 2019 with five new features confirmed.

List of features and improvements:

• Dynamic CDS Archives (JEP 350);
• ZGC: Uncommit Unused Memory (JEP 351);
• Reimplement the Legacy Socket API (JEP 353);
• Switch Expressions (preview language feature) (JEP 354);
• Text Blocks (preview language feature) (JEP 355).

[gotty]

Java 14

OpenJDK 14 was released on 17 March 2020 with sixteen new features confirmed.

List of features and improvements:

• Pattern Matching for instanceof (preview language feature) (JEP 305);
• Packaging Tool (incubator module) (JEP 343);
• NUMA-Aware Memory Allocation for G1 (JEP 345);
• JFR Event Streaming (JEP 349);
• Non-Volatile Mapped Byte Buffers (JEP 352);
• Helpful NullPointerExceptions (JEP 358);
• Records (preview language feature) (JEP 359);
• Switch Expressions (JEP 361);
• Deprecate the Solaris and SPARC Ports (JEP 362);
• Remove the Concurrent Mark Sweep (CMS) Garbage Collector (JEP 363);
• ZGC on macOS (JEP 364);
• ZGC on Windows (JEP 365);
• Deprecate the ParallelScavenge + SerialOld GC Combination (JEP 366);
• Remove the Pack200 Tools and API (JEP 367);
• Text Blocks (2nd preview language feature) (JEP 368);
• Foreign-Memory Access API (incubator module) (JEP 370).

[gotty]

Java 15

OpenJDK 15 was released on 15 September 2020 with fourteen new features confirmed.

List of features and improvements:

• Edwards-Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (EdDSA) (JEP 339);
• Sealed Classes (preview language feature) (JEP 360);
• Hidden Classes (JEP 371);
• Remove the Nashorn JavaScript Engine (JEP 372);
• Reimplement the Legacy DatagramSocket API (JEP 373);
• Disable and Deprecate Biased Locking (JEP 374);
• Pattern Matching for instanceof (2nd preview language feature) (JEP 375);
• ZGC: A Scalable Low-Latency Garbage Collector (JEP 377);
• Text Blocks (JEP 378);
• Shenandoah: A Low-Pause-Time Garbage Collector (JEP 379);
• Remove the Solaris and SPARC Ports (JEP 381);
• Foreign-Memory Access API (2nd incubator API) (JEP 383);
• Records (2nd preview language feature) (JEP 384);
• Deprecate RMI Activation for Removal (JEP 385).

[gotty]

Java 16

OpenJDK 16 was released on 16 March 2021 with seventeen new features confirmed.

List of features and improvements:

• Vector API (incubator module) (JEP 338);
• Enable C++14 Language Features (JEP 347);
• Migrate from Mercurial to Git (JEP 357);
• Migrate to GitHub (JEP 369);
• ZGC: Concurrent Thread-Stack Processing (JEP 376);
• Unix-Domain Socket Channels (JEP 380);
• Alpine Linux Port (JEP 386);
• Elastic Metaspace (JEP 387);
• Windows/AArch64 Port (JEP 388);
• Foreign Linker API (incubator API) (JEP 389);
• Warnings for Value-Based Classes (JEP 390);
• Packaging Tool (JEP 392);
• Foreign-Memory Access API (3rd incubator API) (JEP 393);
• Pattern Matching for instanceof (JEP 394);
• Records (JEP 395);
• Strongly Encapsulate JDK Internals by Default (JEP 396);
• Sealed Classes (2nd preview language feature) (JEP 397).

[gotty]

Java 17

OpenJDK 17 was released on 14 September 2021 with fourteen new features confirmed.

List of features and improvements:

• Restore Always-Strict Floating-Point Semantics (JEP 306);
• Enhanced Pseudo-Random Number Generators (JEP 356);
• New macOS Rendering Pipeline (JEP 382);
• macOS/AArch64 Port (JEP 391);
• Deprecate the Applet API for Removal (JEP 398);
• Strongly Encapsulate JDK Internals (JEP 403);
• Pattern Matching for switch (preview language feature) (JEP 406);
• Remove RMI Activation (JEP 407);
• Sealed Classes (JEP 409);
• Remove the Experimental AOT and JIT Compiler (JEP 410);
• Deprecate the Security Manager for Removal (JEP 411);
• Foreign Function & Memory API (incubator API) (JEP 412);
• Vector API (2nd incubator API) (JEP 414);
• Context-Specific Deserialization Filters (JEP 415).