What's new and exciting in JDK 26

"The HTTP Client API has been enhanced to include support for the latest HTTP/3 protocol. Rather than using TCP, which HTTP/2 and earlier versions rely on, HTTP/3 uses the UDP-based QUIC protocol. This delivers better performance without requiring any code changes, other than specifying the protocol when creating the connection."

"Cryptographic objects such as public keys, private keys, certificates, and certificate revocation lists are often transmitted using e-mail, and the Privacy-Enhanced Mail (PEM) format is ideal for this. This JEP adds a concise API for converting between PEM text and cryptographic objects, and back again."

"Structured Concurrency adds to this toolbox, treating groups of related tasks running in different threads as single units of work. This allows streamlined error handling and cancellation, improving reliability and enhancing observability. Developers will be familiar with the approach, since it is like the try-with-resources syntax."

"Lazy Constants offer greater flexibility in the timing of their initialisation. This was previously called “stable values,” but the new name better reflects the goal of this feature: to provide objects that hold unmodifiable data. Although Java has final fields, Lazy Constants offer greater flexibility in the timing of their initialisation."

The HTTP Client API is enhanced to support HTTP/3 using the UDP-based QUIC protocol instead of TCP, improving performance with minimal changes beyond specifying the protocol when creating a connection. A new API provides concise conversion between PEM text and cryptographic objects such as public keys, private keys, certificates, and certificate revocation lists. Structured Concurrency treats groups of related tasks running in different threads as single units of work, enabling streamlined error handling and cancellation, improving reliability and observability. Lazy Constants provide unmodifiable data with more flexible initialization timing than final fields. The Vector API is incubating again and relates to Project Valhalla, using wide processor registers for vector operations.

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