Java

Java

The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is a marvel of engineering, optimized for long-running, high-performance applications. Its just-in-time (JIT) compiler analyzes code as it runs, making sophisticated optimizations to deliver incredible peak performance. But this strength becomes a weakness in a serverless model. When a Lambda function starts cold, the JVM must go through its entire initialization process: loading classes, verifying bytecode and beginning the slow warm-up of the JIT compiler. This can take several seconds - an eternity for a latency-sensitive workflow.

The JUnit team has released JUnit 6.0.0 (GA on September 30, 2025), unifying version numbers across Platform, Jupiter, and Vintage and raising the minimum to Java 17 (and Kotlin 2.2 for Kotlin test code). The update adds native support for Kotlin tests, a new API with fail-fast execution in the ConsoleLauncher, built-in Java Flight Recorder (JFR) listeners, adoption of JSpecify nullability across modules, and a switch to FastCSV for CSV-driven parameterized tests.

Version 8.1.0 of the Regression Test Harness for the JDK, , has been released and ready for integration in the JDK. The most significant changes are: improvements in the logging format and order relative to agents, actions and test-related execution points; and the XAUTHORITY environment variable is now preserved when launching tests on Unix-like platforms. More details on this release may be found in the release notes.

History loves to flatten the past: Java was the default enterprise language, and then came a wave of challengers - C#, Python, Ruby, Scala, Kotlin, and even Go. But in the mid-2000s there was one language that, on paper, had the best shot at replacing Java in its own territory: Scala. It had type safety, functional programming, JVM compatibility, and the academic weight of Martin Odersky's design.

Java 25 includes updates aimed at applications leveraging AI capabilities. According to Arnal Dayaratna, research vice president for software development at IDC, "As Java embarks on its fourth decade, it continues to deliver features to help ensure that applications, including those powered by and integrated with AI capabilities, will be highly efficient and scalable in hardware platforms." These enhancements support developers in building applications that can integrate machine learning and AI frameworks more effectively.

JEP 527, Post-Quantum Hybrid Key Exchange for TLS 1.3, has been elevated from its JEP Draft 8358541 to Candidate status. This JEP proposes to enhance the implementation of RFC 8446, Transport Layer Security (TLS) Protocol Version 1.3, using the Hybrid Key Exchange in TLS 1.3 specification, currently being drafted by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), used in conjunction with JEP 496, Quantum-Resistant Module-Lattice-Based Key Encapsulation Mechanism, delivered in JDK 24.

Records in Java are a newer kind of class for holding data. Instead of writing boilerplate code for constructors, accessors, equals(), hashCode(), and toString(), you just declare the fields and let the Java compiler handle the rest. This article introduces you to Java records, including examples of basic and advanced use cases and a few programming scenarios where you should not use them.