Java 17: A Closer Look at Records, Text Blocks, Sealed Classes and Foreign-Memory Access API

Java 17 version is released in September 2021. It brings a number of new features and improvements to the language, including:

   

Records:

This is a new type of class that represents an immutable data structure. A record is defined by a compact syntax that includes the name of the record and the names and types of its fields. The Java compiler generates the necessary getters, constructors, and other methods for the record automatically, reducing the amount of boilerplate code that developers have to write Read More

   

Text Blocks:

This is a new kind of string literal that makes it easier to work with multi-line string values. A text block is defined by enclosing the string in triple quotes ("""), and the Java compiler automatically handles the necessary escaping and formatting of the string. This can make it easier to write and maintain code that deals with large or complex strings, such as JSON or HTML.Read More

   

Sealed Classes:

This is a new feature that allows developers to specify which classes can extend or implement a given class or interface. This can be used to create more flexible and powerful type hierarchies, as well as to enforce security and modularity in a codebase Read More

   

Pattern Matching for Instanceof:

This is an extension to the instanceof operator that allows developers to match against the type of an object and bind it to a variable in a single statement. This can make it easier to write concise and readable code that works with multiple types of objects Read More

   

Foreign-Memory Access API:

This is a new API that provides a way to access foreign memory from Java programs. This can be useful for scenarios where a Java program needs to work with large amounts of data that do not fit in the Java heap, or where it needs to interact with native code or hardware that requires access to memory outside of the Java heap Read More


   

Enhanced Enums:

This is a set of improvements to the enum type in Java, including the ability to define instance fields and methods, as well as to have private and protected constructors. These enhancements can make it easier to create more powerful and flexible enums in Java Read More

   

Concurrent Thread-Stack Processing:

This is a new feature that allows the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to process the thread stacks of multiple threads concurrently, which can improve the performance of Java programs that make heavy use of threads Read More

These are just some of the notable features in Java 17. Overall, the release is focused on improving the expressiveness and performance of the language, and on making it easier for developers to write and maintain high-quality code