Java 15 Features: Everything you Need to Know

Since its inception, Java has always been one of the most popular and widely used languages worldwide. Only recently did Python and JavaScript surpass Java on the popularity list of some independent surveys. Due to its beginner-friendly approach, coupled with useful features, Java has cemented its name in the programming royalty.

The latest version of the Java Standard Edition (SE) was made available on 15 September 2020, by Oracle and was the Java Development Kit (JDK) 15. It is to be noted that JDK 15 is a short-term release. This is to be followed by another similar short-term release, JDK 16,  which is to come sometime around March of 2021. These two releases are supposedly the stepping stones toward the JDK 17. The JDK 17 is going to be the next long-term version in the Java SE by Oracle.

Let us go through why the JDK 15 is revolutionary in its own sense.

Features

• Java has always had interfaces or “abstract classes” to implement multiple inheritances. These interfaces restrict background details from merging with the surface information. Thus, Java displays data abstraction, which is a primary OOP(Object Oriented Programming) concept. With Java 15, Java offers sealed classes. With sealed classes, the authors of the classes and interfaces will be able to point out, in a more declarative manner, which code is responsible for the working of those interfaces or other classes.
• In public-key cryptography, EdDSA (Edward’s-curve Digital Signal Algorithm) is kind of elliptical curve cryptography focused around twisted Edward’s curves. It is a variant of Schnorr’s signature system (as opposed to DSA). EdDSA is in demand because of its stronger signature security compared to other signature schemes. JDK 15 offers the use of this signature scheme.
• In September of 2018, the developers introduced the ZGC (Z Garbage Collector)with the JDK 11. This was a complex feature, so the developers kept updating and adding new features with every version of JDK. Apart from this, the Shenandoah low-pause-time garbage collector moved out of the experimental stage and was added as a full-fledged feature.
• A concept called hidden classes has been introduced. Hidden classes are classes that cannot be used by the code of other classes. This feature specifically helps where short-lived classes are created during run-time to perform some task.
• Before JDK 15, biased locking had always been enabled. With the latest version, when HotSpot virtual machine is started, we have to set “-XX:+UseBiasedLocking” to the command line for biased locking to work explicitly.
• The brave and, quite frankly, bold feature of pattern matching for instance had been introduced with JDK 14. With the latest 15th edition, newer features have been added in an effort to scale this feature.
• Another important feature that renews and improves upon its JDK 14 debut is records. Records are meant to be classes that hold some immutable data but are transparent. This allows developers to focus on data-driven method creation as opposed to extensible behaviour.
• A text block was introduced as a feature that would automatically process several lines of string literals without the use of escape sequences, format the literals, and give the developer complete control over the formatted strings whenever required. This feature was introduced in JDK 13 and JDK 15 saw the improvement of it.
• The Activation Mechanism for the Remote Method Invocation (RMI) has been an obsolete part since Java 8. Hence, in Java 15, you get to deprecate this. However, no other part of RMI is allowed for deprecation.

Last Word

Java will stay popular for a long time to come, and staying up to date with every JDK version is paramount for any software engineer in the industry. Every short-term version mainly gives us small goals that need to be scaled and realized for the upcoming long-term versions. Similarly, Java 15 brings us new challenges and possibilities, while improving upon stunning features of the past elegantly.

Humand Talent Solutions can build your Java 15 projects for you, help you find more Java Engineers, Train your Developers on Java 15, migrate your software to new Java versions or help you find your next Java Developer job.

Reach out to us for more details.