Java 8 to Java 17: Key Features

Java has undergone significant enhancements between versions 8 and 17, introducing new features to improve performance, security, and developer productivity. Java 8, released in 2014, was a revolutionary update, while Java 17, released in 2021, is a Long-Term Support (LTS) version that consolidates many powerful additions. Here’s a concise journey through the most notable features from Java 8 to Java 17.

Java 8 (2014) – A Game-Changer

Java 8 introduced several foundational features:

Lambda Expressions: Simplified functional programming by allowing concise implementations of functional interfaces.

list.forEach(item -> System.out.println(item));

Stream API: Enabled functional-style operations on collections for data processing.

List<String> result = names.stream().filter(n -> n.startsWith("A")).collect(Collectors.toList());

Default Methods: Allowed interfaces to have method implementations.

Optional Class: Helped avoid NullPointerException by providing a container for optional values.

Date and Time API (java.time): Replaced outdated date/time classes with a cleaner, immutable model.

Java 9 to 11 – Modularity and Enhancements

Java 9: Introduced the Java Platform Module System (JPMS), improving scalability and modularization.

module my.module.name {

    requires java.base;

}

Also added jshell, an interactive REPL tool.

Java 10: Brought Local-Variable Type Inference using var, simplifying code:

var name = "Java";

Java 11 (LTS): Added useful methods like String.isBlank(), strip(), repeat(), and introduced the HTTP Client API.

Java 12 to 14 – Preview Features

Switch Expressions (Preview in 12, final in 14): Made switch statements more concise and expressive.

int result = switch (day) {

    case MONDAY -> 1;

    case FRIDAY -> 5;

    default -> 0;

};

Text Blocks (Preview in 13, final in 15): Simplified multiline string handling

String html = """

    <html>

        <body>Hello</body>

    </html>

    """;

Java 15 to 17 – Pattern Matching and Sealed Classes

Records (Java 16): Introduced compact syntax for data carriers:

record Person(String name, int age) {}

Sealed Classes (Java 17): Restricted which classes can extend a superclass:

sealed class Vehicle permits Car, Bike {}

Pattern Matching (Instanceof): Simplified type casting:

if (obj instanceof String s) {

    System.out.println(s.toLowerCase());

}

Conclusion

From Java 8 to Java 17, the language has evolved to become more expressive, concise, and powerful. Each version has contributed critical enhancements, and Java 17 serves as a solid foundation for modern Java development.

Learn  Full Stack Java Training

Java Collections Framework Deep Dive

Working with Java Streams and Lambda Expressions

Multithreading and Concurrency in Java

Working with Dates and Time in Java

Visit Our Quality Thought Training Institute 

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