

#Java 16 new features update
One of the most critical goals of these updates is to keep the Java environment safe.ĬVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) refer to vulnerabilities that are publicly known and available in the CVE List.Ī group of Java distributors maintains this list and defines their impact, resulting in a Common Vulnerability Severity Score (CVSS).īased on this score, the urgency is defined to fix the vulnerability.Īzul keeps a list of the CVEs and which Java update release contains a fix on the docs website.ĬVEs affect Java applications in two ways:

Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) In some cases, there are even backports of new features introduced in higher versions.įor instance, TLS 1.3, which was released in 2020, was backported for Java 8, which was released in 2014. New updates are released regularly that contain security fixes and/or new features. The release of a new version of OpenJDK is not an endpoint. Java Updates are Fixes and Improvements in Existing Versions In fact, the increased speed of new releases has led to more improvements, new features, and fast feedback on experimental additions. They are called experimental or incubator features, and they require additional actions to be usable, so most users don’t even know they are available.ĭespite some skepticism in the Java community, new versions have been released on schedule since OpenJDK 10.

Twice a year, a new version is published, including all the finished and agreed fixes and improvements.In 2018 Oracle introduced a new strategy with a fixed six-months release cycle: This approach led to versions with stable features but unpredictable release dates: It established a set of new features and released a new version whenever those features were finished. Until OpenJDK 9 in 2017, Oracle didn’t have a fixed schedule of new releases. Updates are security fixes and improvements to existing Java versions. So what’s the difference between a Java upgrade and an update?
#Java 16 new features Patch
Next to these six-month releases, OpenJDK distributor Azul, amongst others, provides four critical patch updates (CPU) and patch set updates (PSU) per year. Since 2018, every six months we get an upgrade to a new OpenJDK version, and this year versions 20 and 21 will be released. Update versus Upgrade: what’s the difference and what are the consequences of your decision? Frank Delporte is a Java Champion, Java developer, technical writer at Azul, blogger, author of "Getting started with Java on Raspberry Pi", and contributor to Pi4J.
