Java News Roundup: Key Developments in JDKs, Jakarta EE, and Spring Framework

In this week’s Java News Roundup for December 2nd, 2024, we spotlight several exciting updates from the Java community, including significant developments in JDK 24 and 25, an important milestone for Jakarta EE 11, and major updates in Spring Cloud and GraalVM. Here’s what you need to know!

JDK 24: Entering Rampdown Phase One

This week, JDK 24 reached a pivotal moment as it officially entered Rampdown Phase One, as declared by Mark Reinhold, Chief Architect of the Java Platform Group at Oracle. This marks the transition of JDK 24's mainline source repository into a stabilization repository, meaning no new Java Enhancement Proposals (JEPs) will be introduced. Instead, focus turns towards finalizing the existing features ahead of its general availability (GA) release scheduled for March 2025.

Prominent features slated for the GA release include: - JEP 404: Generational Shenandoah (Experimental) - JEP 472: Prepare to Restrict the Use of JNI - JEP 475: Late Barrier Expansion for G1 - JEP 486: Permanently Disable the Security Manager - JEP 497: Quantum-Resistant Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Algorithm

Further updates are available in the release notes for JDK 24’s early-access builds.

JDK 25: Expert Group Announced

In another major development, the JDK 25 Expert Group has been officially formed with a four-member team consisting of prominent industry professionals: Simon Ritter from Azul Systems, Iris Clark from Oracle, Andrew Haley from Red Hat, and Christoph Langer from SAP SE. Iris Clark will lead as the specification lead. The public review of JDK 25 is scheduled from June to August in 2025, ahead of its planned GA release in September 2025.

Jakarta EE 11: A Significant Milestone Achieved

Ivar Grimstad, Jakarta EE Developer Advocate at the Eclipse Foundation, recently announced that the ballot for Jakarta EE 11 Core Profile has successfully concluded, marking its ratification and imminent release. This development signifies a crucial step forward, as the Core Profile has been independently released from other specifications, demonstrating the project's enhanced flexibility.

Jakarta EE 11 has seen the successful completion of four milestone releases, with the potential for additional release candidates before the general availability of the Platform and Web Profile in the first quarter of 2025.

Spring Framework Updates: Spring Cloud 2024.0.0 Release

In the Spring ecosystem, the newly released Spring Cloud 2024.0.0, codenamed Moorgate, brings several enhancements and bug fixes across its sub-projects including Spring Cloud Kubernetes, Spring Cloud Function, Spring Cloud OpenFeign, Spring Cloud Stream, and Spring Cloud Gateway—all built upon Spring Boot 3.4.0.

Additionally, Spring Tools has received an update to version 4.27.0, enhancing its capabilities with new features like support for the Spring Boot @ConditionalOnProperty annotation.

Noteworthy Developments in Other Java Technologies

- GraalVM: Oracle Labs has released version 4.6.0.6 of the Graal Development Kit for Micronaut, aligning with Micronaut 4.6.0 and streamlining cloud application development. - Open Liberty: IBM's Open Liberty has rolled out version 24.0.0.12, introducing support for MicroProfile 7.0 and addressing critical vulnerabilities, ensuring a more secure development environment. - Quarkus: The release of Quarkus 3.17.3 offers vital dependency upgrades and resolves issues that enhance performance and stability. - Apache Camel: The latest version, Apache Camel 4.9.0, now provides support for OAuth2 within its HTTP component, among other important updates.

Java Operator SDK and Keycloak Releases

The Java Operator SDK has reached its first beta release with version 5.0.0, introducing significant enhancements such as improved monitoring of resources and handling capabilities. Meanwhile, Keycloak 26.0.7 has been released, focusing on bug fixes and documentation improvements.

As developers continue to innovate within the Java ecosystem, these updates signify a thriving community, pushing the boundaries of Java technology into new realms. Stay tuned for more exciting news in the world of Java!