JDK 19 New Features: Everything You Must Know In 2022

JDK 19 New Features: Everything You Must Know In 2022

The Java Development Kit has been completed and is now ready for final testing before its release this September. Seven features are being targeted in the release including structured concurrency, record patterns, a preview of a foreign function and memory API, and support for the open-source Linux/RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA).

JDK 19 follows JDK 18 from March 22nd which was only weeks ago. Standard Java does follow a 6-month release cycle which can cause some conflict in development time.

It is set to be released for production use on September 20th after releasing build candidates starting from August 11th. A small-scale version of the development kit will be available before the large-scale launch next month, on JDK.JavaNet/19.

Features such as these are currently included in this beta version:

Recording patterns :

If you want to know how many records there are, and what fields they have in common. Or! If one set of records compares to another set, then you need record patterns. Pattern types can be applied to groups of records and nested together.

So, complex statements can execute elegantly. Things like extracting specific elements from a list all at once and getting only those matched within particular criteria are now possible. Moreover, Record Patterns will allow for more expressive data queries without sacrificing the simplistic beauty of existing type patterns when added.

If you want to build a solution that can provide seamless data accessibility, you must hire Java developers with expertise to accommodate Java SDK 19 features.

Virtual Threads:

A preview of virtual threads, which are lightweight threads that drastically reduce the time needed for development and maintenance. And, it will still support multi-threading to produce efficient, scalable web applications.

Goals include enabling server apps created using thread-per-request styles to run at optimal efficiency with near-perfect utilization rates when scaled accordingly; enabling developers who work off the interface provided by java.lang Threads to switch seamlessly over and maintain compatibility without too much disruption.

And! Finally, making it possible for programmers to debug their interactions in order to explore what might be causing any issues they come across on both the application side and user level.

Preview of pattern matching:

The third preview of pattern matching for switch expressions and statements, extending pattern matching to switch. It allows an expression to be tested against a number of patterns, each with a specific action. So that, complex data-oriented queries can be expressed concisely and safely.

Earlier, this capability was available in JDK 17 and JDK 18. However, the third preview can add refinements such as guarded pattern replacement and clauses in switch blocks.

Other goals include allowing developers to relax the historic hostility towards nulls in switches where desired. Moreover, increasing safety in switches or making sure that existing switches keep working without making any changes to them at all.

Continuing execution as they always had before without malfunctioning or causing anything else bad from happening afterward. Such features in Java development kit will make applications development seamless.

Vector APIs:

The fourth incubation of a Vector API that would express vector calculations reliably compiling to optimized Vector Instructions on supported CPUs. It is making it faster than its scalar equivalent. Developers using the API gain a new way to code complex Vector Algorithms in Java.

While it is still able to utilize the HotSpot auto-vectorizer with an easier user experience – which makes it more predictable and secure. The Vector API previously was incubated into JDK 16, JDK 17, and JDK 19.

Improvements proposed for JDK 19 include enhancements to Load & Store Vectors over MemorySegments through FFI/MEM (Foreign Function Interface/Memory). Also, adding two Cross-Lane Operations: Compress & Expand.

Compress allows you to filter out information you don’t need by shrinking it down. So, it only contains what you want – expanding reverses this effect. Both are useful when looking at data through Query Results.

In yet another iteration of the vector API, we would expand bitwise operations to include counting the number of one bit. It reverses the order of bits and compresses and expands bits.

This iteration was meant to provide a clear and concise interface that would work on multiple platforms without compromising speed or efficiency. Since it included benchmarks that proved it had better runtime performance than previous iterations in both x64 and AArch64 architectures.

We also wanted to ensure there were no sacrifices made for situations where some computations could not be expressed as sequences of linear vector operations. For Java application development, this feature will be a great convenience.

Hardware Instruction Set

With the Linux/RISC-V port, Java now supports a hardware instruction set that is already supported by many different language toolchains. The RISC-V family isn’t just one chip design, but rather it consists of many different designs (specifically RV64GV).

This particular chipset has features such as vector instructions which are currently unavailable in other languages such as java. However, because this subset of code is so new – no one knows yet what they might want to do if they add another processor type or interface later on.

Final Text

The port supports the following HotSpot VM options: the template interpreter, C1 (client) JIT compiler, and C2 (server) JIT compiler. Moreover, all current mainline garbage collectors including ZGC and Shenandoah.

The actual porting is complete; the focus of this new JDK Enhancement Proposal (JEP) is integrating it into the JDK mainline repository. Just like JDK 18, JDK 19 will be a short-term release with only six months of top-level Premier support.

This was followed by another LTS release – JDK 17 – which arrived on September 14th, 2021.If you want to leverage the true potential of this Java SDK, you should hire Java developers with outstanding skill set and expertise.

FAQs:

What is the latest version JDK?

Java 17 LTS is the latest long-term guide launch for the Java SE platform. JDK 18 and JDK 17 binaries are free to apply in production and free to redistribute, at no cost, under the Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions. JDK 17 will get hold of updates under these terms, till as a minimum September 2024.

Is Java JDK free?

Oracle JDK 8 and Oracle JDK 11 are free for Personal, Development and different uses. Oracle JDK 17 and later launch are available in a Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License.

Should I use OpenJDK or Oracle JDK?

There’s no actual technical difference among the two, because the construct method for Oracle JDK is primarily based totally on that of OpenJDK. When it involves performance, Oracle’s is much better concerning responsiveness and JVM performance. It places greater awareness on balance due to the importance it offers to its organization customers.