Java 17 Lts

Release Overview

Java 17 was released on September 15, 2021, as the first LTS release following the new two-year cadence (replacing the previous three-year cycle). This release delivers 14 JEPs focused on language enhancements, platform improvements, and developer productivity.

Key Metrics:

  • Release Date: September 15, 2021
  • Support Duration: 8+ years (until 2029+)
  • Previous LTS: Java 11 (September 2018, 3-year gap)
  • Next LTS: Java 21 (September 2023, 2-year gap)
  • JEPs Delivered: 14 enhancements

Major Language Features

1. Sealed Classes (Finalized)

JEP 409: Restrict which classes can extend or implement a type, enabling precise domain modeling and exhaustive pattern matching.

Key Benefits:

  • Explicit type hierarchies
  • Compiler exhaustiveness checking
  • Better security and encapsulation
  • Clear documentation of permitted subtypes

Example:

// Sealed interface with permitted implementations
public sealed interface PaymentMethod
    permits CreditCard, BankTransfer, Cash {

    BigDecimal getAmount();
    boolean process();
}

public final class CreditCard implements PaymentMethod {
    private final String cardNumber;
    private final BigDecimal amount;

    public CreditCard(String cardNumber, BigDecimal amount) {
        this.cardNumber = cardNumber;
        this.amount = amount;
    }

    @Override
    public BigDecimal getAmount() { return amount; }

    @Override
    public boolean process() {
        // Credit card processing logic
        return true;
    }
}

public final class BankTransfer implements PaymentMethod {
    private final String accountNumber;
    private final BigDecimal amount;

    @Override
    public BigDecimal getAmount() { return amount; }

    @Override
    public boolean process() {
        // Bank transfer logic
        return true;
    }
}

public final class Cash implements PaymentMethod {
    private final BigDecimal amount;

    @Override
    public BigDecimal getAmount() { return amount; }

    @Override
    public boolean process() {
        // Cash processing logic
        return true;
    }
}

// Exhaustive switch - compiler ensures all cases covered
public class PaymentProcessor {
    public void process(PaymentMethod payment) {
        switch (payment) {
            case CreditCard card ->
                System.out.println("Credit: " + card.getAmount());
            case BankTransfer transfer ->
                System.out.println("Transfer: " + transfer.getAmount());
            case Cash cash ->
                System.out.println("Cash: " + cash.getAmount());
            // No default needed - compiler checks exhaustiveness
        }
    }
}

Hierarchy Example:

// Sealed class with mixed modifiers
public abstract sealed class Transaction
    permits ZakatTransaction, GeneralDonation {

    protected final String id;
    protected final BigDecimal amount;
    protected final LocalDateTime timestamp;

    protected Transaction(String id, BigDecimal amount) {
        this.id = id;
        this.amount = amount;
        this.timestamp = LocalDateTime.now();
    }

    public abstract String getType();
}

// Final subclass (cannot be extended)
public final class ZakatTransaction extends Transaction {
    private final String donorId;
    private final ZakatCategory category;

    @Override
    public String getType() { return "ZAKAT"; }
}

// Sealed subclass (controlled extension)
public sealed class GeneralDonation extends Transaction
    permits EmergencyDonation, ProgramDonation {

    protected final String purpose;

    @Override
    public String getType() { return "DONATION"; }
}

public final class EmergencyDonation extends GeneralDonation {
    private final String emergencyType;
}

public final class ProgramDonation extends GeneralDonation {
    private final String programName;
}

2. Pattern Matching for Switch (Preview)

JEP 406: Enable pattern matching in switch statements and expressions with type patterns, guards, and null handling.

Status: Preview (requires --enable-preview)
Finalized in: Java 21

Example:

public class TransactionValidator {

    // Before Java 17 - verbose instanceof chain
    public String validateOld(Object tx) {
        String result;
        if (tx instanceof CreditCard) {
            CreditCard card = (CreditCard) tx;
            result = "Credit card: " + card.getAmount();
        } else if (tx instanceof BankTransfer) {
            BankTransfer transfer = (BankTransfer) tx;
            result = "Transfer: " + transfer.getAmount();
        } else {
            result = "Unknown";
        }
        return result;
    }

    // Java 17 - pattern matching for switch
    public String validate(Object tx) {
        return switch (tx) {
            case CreditCard card ->
                "Credit card: " + card.getAmount();
            case BankTransfer transfer ->
                "Transfer: " + transfer.getAmount();
            case Cash cash ->
                "Cash: " + cash.getAmount();
            case null ->
                "Null transaction";
            default ->
                "Unknown type";
        };
    }

    // Pattern matching with guards
    public String validateWithAmount(PaymentMethod payment) {
        return switch (payment) {
            case CreditCard card when card.getAmount().compareTo(BigDecimal.ZERO) > 0 ->
                "Valid credit card";
            case BankTransfer transfer when transfer.getAmount().compareTo(BigDecimal.ZERO) > 0 ->
                "Valid transfer";
            case Cash cash when cash.getAmount().compareTo(BigDecimal.ZERO) > 0 ->
                "Valid cash";
            default ->
                "Invalid amount";
        };
    }
}

3. Restore Always-Strict Floating-Point Semantics

JEP 306: All floating-point operations now strictly follow IEEE 754 standards. The strictfp keyword is no longer needed.

Before Java 17:

// Had to use strictfp for consistent results
public strictfp class FinancialCalculator {
    public double calculateInterest(double principal, double rate) {
        return principal * rate;
    }
}

Java 17 and Later:

// strictfp no longer needed - all operations strict by default
public class FinancialCalculator {
    public double calculateInterest(double principal, double rate) {
        return principal * rate;
        // Guaranteed IEEE 754 compliant on all platforms
    }
}

Core Library Enhancements

4. Enhanced Pseudo-Random Number Generators

JEP 356: New interfaces and implementations for PRNGs with better stream support and algorithm flexibility.

New Interfaces:

  • RandomGenerator - Base interface
  • RandomGenerator.SplittableGenerator - For parallel streams
  • RandomGenerator.JumpableGenerator - Skip-ahead capability
  • RandomGenerator.LeapableGenerator - Large jumps
  • RandomGenerator.ArbitrarilyJumpableGenerator - Arbitrary distance jumps

Example:

import java.util.random.RandomGenerator;
import java.util.random.RandomGeneratorFactory;

public class DonationDistributor {

    // Use specific algorithm
    public void distributeRandomly() {
        RandomGenerator generator = RandomGeneratorFactory
            .of("L128X1024MixRandom")
            .create(12345L);  // Seed for reproducibility

        int beneficiaryIndex = generator.nextInt(100);
        double amount = generator.nextDouble(1000.0);

        System.out.println("Selected beneficiary: " + beneficiaryIndex);
        System.out.println("Amount: " + amount);
    }

    // Use default generator
    public void distributeWithDefault() {
        RandomGenerator generator = RandomGenerator.getDefault();

        // Stream-based operations
        generator.ints(10, 1, 101)
            .forEach(index ->
                System.out.println("Beneficiary " + index + " selected"));
    }

    // List available algorithms
    public void listAlgorithms() {
        RandomGeneratorFactory.all()
            .map(RandomGeneratorFactory::name)
            .sorted()
            .forEach(System.out::println);
    }
}

Platform and Performance

5. macOS/AArch64 Port

JEP 391: Native support for macOS on Apple Silicon (M1, M2, and later chips).

Benefits:

  • Native performance on Apple Silicon
  • Better battery life
  • Improved thermal efficiency
  • Feature parity with x64 macOS

6. New macOS Rendering Pipeline

JEP 382: Java 2D rendering using Apple’s Metal API instead of deprecated OpenGL.

Security and Encapsulation

7. Strong Encapsulation of JDK Internals

JEP 403: Internal JDK APIs are strongly encapsulated by default (except for critical APIs like sun.misc.Unsafe).

Impact:

  • Most internal APIs inaccessible via reflection
  • Improves security and maintainability
  • May require code changes if using internal APIs
  • Use --add-opens flag if necessary (not recommended)

Deprecations and Removals

Deprecated for Removal:

  • Security Manager (JEP 411) - Will be removed in future versions
  • Applet API (JEP 398) - Browser plugins obsolete

Removed:

  • RMI Activation (JEP 407) - Obsolete since Java 8
  • Experimental AOT and JIT Compiler (JEP 410) - Limited adoption

Incubator and Preview Features

Foreign Function & Memory API (Incubator)

JEP 412: API for interoperating with code and data outside the Java runtime, replacing JNI.

Status: Incubator in Java 17, finalized in Java 25

Vector API (Second Incubator)

JEP 414: Express vector computations that compile to optimal hardware instructions.

Use Cases:

  • Machine learning
  • Cryptography
  • Financial modeling
  • Image processing

Status: Incubator in Java 17, continues evolving

Context-Specific Deserialization Filters

JEP 415: Configure context-specific deserialization filters for better security.

Performance Improvements

Java 17 includes thousands of optimizations:

  • Garbage Collection: Better G1GC, ZGC, Shenandoah performance
  • JIT Compiler: Faster warm-up, better peak performance
  • Startup Time: Reduced application startup time
  • Memory Footprint: Lower memory consumption
  • Security Updates: Latest patches and cryptographic algorithms

Migration Considerations

From Java 11 to Java 17:

Breaking Changes:

  • Removed APIs (RMI Activation, Nashorn)
  • Strong encapsulation of internal APIs
  • Reflection changes may require --add-opens

Migration Steps:

  1. Update dependencies to Java 17-compatible versions
  2. Run comprehensive tests
  3. Address deprecation warnings
  4. Update build tools (Maven plugins, Gradle)
  5. Performance test thoroughly

Why Upgrade to Java 17?

For Java 8/11 Applications:

  • Long-term Support: 8+ years of updates
  • Performance: 10-25% better than Java 11
  • Security: Latest security features
  • Language Features: Sealed classes, pattern matching, records (Java 16)
  • Modern APIs: Enhanced collections, streams, HTTP client

For New Projects:

  • Industry Standard: Widely adopted LTS version
  • Rich Ecosystem: Excellent framework support
  • Best Tooling: IDE and build tool support
  • Future-Proof: Foundation for Java 21/25 migration

Feature Evolution

FeatureJava 17Java 21Java 25
Sealed Classes✅ Finalized✅ Available✅ Available
Pattern Matching🔬 Preview✅ Finalized✅ Enhanced
Records✅ Finalized✅ Available✅ Available
Text Blocks✅ Finalized✅ Available✅ Available

Migration Path

Java 17 serves as foundation for future LTS migrations:

Java 17 → Java 21:

  • Adopt virtual threads for I/O-bound services
  • Finalize pattern matching usage
  • Leverage sequenced collections

Java 17 → Java 25:

  • Two-phase migration recommended (17 → 21 → 25)
  • Direct migration possible but riskier
  • Gain all concurrency and performance improvements

Summary

Java 17 LTS (2021) established modern Java foundations with:

  • Sealed classes for precise type hierarchies
  • Pattern matching preview for cleaner conditionals
  • Enhanced PRNG for better randomness
  • macOS/AArch64 support for Apple Silicon
  • Strong encapsulation for better security

Next Steps:

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