Strong Java LTS arrives with the release of 25

Oracle has released JDK (Java Development Kit) 25, the first long term support (LTS) version since JDK 21 two years ago. New features include beginner-friendly compact source files, succinct module imports, and more flexible constructors.

An LTS release is impactful since many organizations choose not to use releases with a short support life. If one extends the "what's new" list to include JDK 22, 23, and 24, there are many significant updates, including the full release of the Foreign Function and Memory (FFM) API which will gradually replace JNI (Java Native Invocation) for interop with native libraries. The FFM API replaces "the brittle machinery of native methods and the JNI with a concise, readable, and pure-Java API," according to the official enhancement proposal which came out of preview in JDK 22.

The full set of new features in JDK 25 is in ...