Hand-picked collection of top Java resources
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.
-Albert Einstein
The future of the Java programming language looks strong and promising, especially in the enterprise, cloud, and Android development spaces. Here are several factors and trends that paint a clearer picture of Java's future:
The feature set for Java 26 was finalized in December 2025, with 10 JEPs included in the release. Java 26 is scheduled for release on March 17, 2026.
The following JEPs were targeted to this release of Java SE:
- JEP 500: Prepare to Make Final Mean Final
- JEP 504: Remove the Applet API
- JEP 516: Ahead-of-Time Object Caching with Any GC
- JEP 517: HTTP/3 for the HTTP Client API
- JEP 522: G1 GC: Improve Throughput by Reducing Synchronization
- JEP 524: PEM Encodings of Cryptographic Objects (Second Preview)
- JEP 525: Structured Concurrency (Sixth Preview)
- JEP 526: Lazy Constants (Second Preview)
- JEP 529: Vector API (Eleventh Incubator)
- JEP 530: Primitive Types in Patterns, instanceof, and switch (Fourth Preview)
Java 26 is currently scheduled for General Availability on March 17, 2026, and JDK 26 includes JEP 504: Remove the Applet API. The Applet API was previously deprecated for removal in JDK 17, which reached GA on September 14, 2021.
| Version | Type | Class File Format | Release Date | End of Public Updates (Free) | End of Extended Support (Paid) |
| JDK 1.0 | 45 | January 23, 1996 | May 1996 | — | |
| JDK 1.1 | 45 | February 18, 1997 | October 2002 | — | |
| J2SE 1.2 | 46 | December 4, 1998 | November 2003 | — | |
| J2SE 1.3 | 47 | May 8, 2000 | March 2006 | — | |
| J2SE 1.4 | 48 | February 13, 2002 | October 2008 | — | |
| J2SE 5.0 (1.5) | 49 | September 30, 2004 | October 2009 | — | |
| Java SE 6 (1.6) | 50 | December 11, 2006 | April 2013 | October 2018 for Oracle | |
| Java SE 7 (1.7) | 51 | July 28, 2011 | July 2015 | July 2022 for Oracle | |
| Java SE 8 (1.8) | LTS | 52 | March 18, 2014 | April 2019 | December 2030 for Oracle |
| Java SE 9 (1.9) | 53 | September 21, 2017 | March 2018 | — | |
| Java SE 10 | 54 | March 20, 2018 | September 2018 | — | |
| Java SE 11 | LTS | 55 | September 25, 2018 | April 2019 | January 2032 for Oracle |
| Java SE 12 | 56 | March 19, 2019 | September 2019 | — | |
| Java SE 13 | 57 | September 17, 2019 | March 2020 | — | |
| Java SE 14 | 58 | March 17, 2020 | September 2020 | — | |
| Java SE 15 | 59 | September 16, 2020 | March 2021 | — | |
| Java SE 16 | 60 | March 16, 2021 | September 2021 | — | |
| Java SE 17 | LTS | 61 | 14 September 2021 | September 14, 2021 | September 2029 for Oracle |
| Java SE 18 | 62 | March 22, 2022 | September 2022 | — | |
| Java SE 19 | 63 | September 20, 2022 | March 2023 | — | |
| Java SE 20 | 64 | March 21, 2023 | September 2023 | — | |
| Java SE 21 | LTS | 65 | September 19, 2023 | September 2028 | September 2031 for Oracle |
| Java SE 22 | 66 | March 19, 2024 | September 2024 | — | |
| Java SE 23 | 67 | September 17, 2024 | March 2025 | — | |
| Java SE 24 | 68 | March 18, 2025 | September 2025 | — | |
| Java SE 25 | LTS | 69 | September 16, 2025 | September 2030 | September 2033 for Oracle |
| Java SE 26 | 70 | March 17, 2026 | September 2026 | — |
1. Continued Evolution with Regular Updates
- Java has adopted a 6-month release cycle for faster innovation.
- Recent features include Pattern Matching, Records, and Sealed Classes.
- Java 21 introduces Virtual Threads (Project Loom) for better concurrency handling.
2. Strong Presence in Enterprise and Cloud
- Widely used in enterprise applications with frameworks like Spring, Jakarta EE, and Micronaut.
- Cloud-native development enabled by GraalVM, Quarkus, and Spring Boot.
3. Continued Use in Android Development
- Though Kotlin is preferred, Java remains widely used and supported in Android apps.
- Java developers can easily learn Kotlin and transition into mobile development.
4. Integration with Modern Technologies
- Java is used in Big Data (e.g., Hadoop, Spark), AI/ML (e.g., DJL), and Blockchain (e.g., Web3j).
- New JVM-based libraries and frameworks are bridging the gap with emerging domains.
5. Developer Community and Tooling
- Massive global community and corporate backing.
- Rich ecosystem of IDEs: IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, VS Code.
- Excellent support for CI/CD, testing, and deployment tools.
6. Backward Compatibility and Stability
- Java prioritizes backward compatibility, critical for enterprise longevity.
- Older applications can still run with minimal modifications.
7. Industry Support
- Backed by major tech firms: Oracle, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Red Hat.
- Used extensively in Finance, Telecom, Banking, and Retail sectors.
Summary: The Future in a Nutshell
| Area | Outlook |
| Enterprise Apps | Strong and Growing |
| Cloud-native Development | Rapidly Evolving |
| Android Development | Still Relevant |
| Modern Features | Continuously Improving |
| Developer Jobs | High Demand Continues |
| Community Support | Extremely Active |
- JavaOne returns in 2026
- https://www.oracle.com/javaone/
- Java Software | Oracle
- https://www.oracle.com/java/
- Oracle for Developers | Programming languages, Tools, Community
- https://www.oracle.com/developer/
- Developer Community - Oracle forums
- https://forums.oracle.com/ords/apexds/domain/dev-community
- Oracle Blogs | Oracle Developers Blog
- https://blogs.oracle.com/developers/
- Java | Oracle
- https://www.java.com/en/
- Learn Java
- https://dev.java/learn/
- The Java Tutorials
- https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/
- Java Documentation
- https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/
- What's New in Java 25 in 2 Minutes - Sip of Java
- https://inside.java/2025/10/17/new-in-jdk-25-2-mins/
- Performance Improvements in JDK 25
- https://inside.java/2025/10/20/jdk-25-performance-improvements/
- For people who have passion for Java technology!
- https://www.jpassion.com
- JavaRanch - A friendly Place for Java Greenhorns
- https://javaranch.com/
- Java - Resources and Tools - IBM Developer
- https://developer.ibm.com/languages/java/
- Collected concise presentations of Java practices, tasks, and designs
- http://www.javapractices.com/home/HomeAction.do
- Evolving Java news and case studies
- https://www.infoq.com/java
- Java Corner at Artima.com
- https://www.artima.com/java/index.html
- Learn Java and Spring
- https://mkyong.com/
- Baeldung - Latest articles on Java
- https://www.baeldung.com/
- Java Tutorial for Beginners
- https://www.tutorialspoint.com/java/index.htm
- Java T Point - Java Tutorial
- https://www.javatpoint.com/java-tutorial
- Vogella Java Tutorials
- https://www.vogella.com/tutorials/java.html
- How to do in Java - Java blog for smart concepts and coding practices
- https://howtodoinjava.com/
- Java resources for professionals
- https://www.concretepage.com/java/
- Java Tutorial
- https://jenkov.com/tutorials/java/index.html
- Java Tutorial
- https://www.w3resource.com/java-tutorial/
- Core Java APIs and programming techniques | Resources and Information from TechTarget
- https://www.theserverside.com/resources/Core-Java-APIs-and-programming-techniques
- Further resources for Java Performance Tuning
- https://www.javaperformancetuning.com/resources.shtml
- Java 17 features: A comparison between versions 8 and 17. What has changed over the years?
- https://pretius.com/blog/java-17-features/
- Java 21 features: A detailed look at the most important changes in the new LTS release
- https://pretius.com/blog/java-21-features/
- Java 23 features: A deep dive into the newest enhancements
- https://pretius.com/blog/java-23-features/