Java 17 (LTS)
Brief Release Summary
Java 17 is the current LTS release, finalizing many preview features from previous versions including sealed classes, pattern matching, and records. It's the recommended version for production deployments.
Release Date
September 14, 2021
Key Features Released
- Sealed Classes (Standard) - Finalized sealed classes for controlled inheritance
- Pattern Matching for switch (Preview) - Enhanced pattern matching
- Foreign Function & Memory API (Incubator) - Improved native interop
- Vector API (Second Incubator) - Continued SIMD operations
- Strongly Encapsulate JDK Internals - Better security and modularity
- New macOS Rendering Pipeline - Metal-based rendering
- macOS/AArch64 Port - Native support for Apple Silicon
- Enhanced Pseudo-Random Number Generators - New PRNG algorithms
- Context-Specific Deserialization Filters - Better security
- Deprecate Applet API for Removal - Cleanup of legacy APIs