Java Persistence API (JPA): specification, release notes

[gotty]

The Java Persistence API (JPA) is a Java application programming interface (API) specification that describes the management of relational data in applications using Java Platform SE/EE.

JPA 2.0

The Java Persistence API (JPA) 2.0 was approved as final on 10 December 2009 in the Java Community Process as JSR 317. The focus of JPA 2.0 was to address features that were present in some of the popular ORM vendors, but could not gain consensus approval for JPA 1.0.

List of main features:

• Expanded object-relational mapping functionality:
  
  • support for collections of embedded objects, linked in the ORM with a many-to-one relationship;
  • ordered lists;
  • combinations of access types.
• A criteria query API;
• Standardization of SQL Hints;
• Standardization of additional metadata to support DDL generation;
• Support for validation;
• Shared object cache support.

[gotty]

JPA 2.1

The Java Persistence API (JPA) 2.1 was approved as final on 22 May 2013 in the Java Community Process as JSR 338.

List of main features:

• Converters - allowing custom code conversions between database and object types;
• Criteria Update/Delete - allows bulk updates and deletes through the Criteria API;
• Entity Graphs - allow partial or specified fetching or merging of objects;
• JPQL/Criteria enhancements - arithmetic sub-queries, generic database functions, join ON clause, TREAT option;
• Schema Generation;
• Stored Procedures - allows queries to be defined for database stored procedures.

[gotty]

JPA 2.2

The Java Persistence API (JPA) 2.2 was approved on 19 June 2017 in the Java Community Process as JSR 338 (also as JPA 2.1).

List of main features:

• Add @Repeatable to all relevant annotations;
• Allow all JPA annotations to be used in meta-annotations;
• Add ability to stream a query result;
• Allow AttributeConverters to be CDI injectable;
• Support Java 8 Date and Time types.