Three Months with Java 26: My Thoughts After Using the Latest Release
Java 26 was officially released on March 17, 2026, and after spending the past three months exploring its improvements, experimenting with new APIs, and using it in personal projects, I think it's a good time to share my impressions.
Unlike launch-day articles that simply list every new feature, this is a practical look at what stood out to me after having some time to work with Java 26.
Some improvements are immediately noticeable, while others continue Java's long-term evolution toward a faster, safer, and more productive platform. Although Java 26 isn't a revolutionary release, it continues the predictable six-month release cycle with meaningful refinements.
In this article, I'll share the features and improvements I found most interesting, what I like, what I'll continue using, and whether I think Java 26 is worth upgrading to.
Why Upgrade to Java 26?
Every Java release makes the platform a little better by improving:
- Performance
- Security
- Developer productivity
- Runtime reliability
Even if you don't immediately use every new API, upgrading allows you to benefit from JVM optimizations, bug fixes, and tooling improvements.
1. Real Java 26 Highlights
While Java 26 doesn't introduce sweeping new stable language features, it does deliver meaningful improvements worth knowing about.
Post-Quantum and Cryptography Improvements
Java 26 takes security seriously with several new capabilities: hybrid public key encryption (HPKE), post-quantum ready JAR signing, and updated support for Unicode 17.0 and CLDR v48. These aren't flashy, but they matter for production applications.
G1 GC Throughput Gains
One of my favorite concrete improvements in this release: G1 Garbage Collector improvements reduce synchronization overhead between application and GC threads, delivering up to 15% throughput gains in workloads with heavy object-reference modifications. That's a real, measurable win for many server-side applications.
Foreign Function & Memory API Continues to Mature
The Foreign Function & Memory (FFM) API is one of the most important recent additions to Java. Finalized in JDK 22, it provides a modern way for Java applications to interact with native libraries while offering safer and more efficient memory management than traditional JNI.
Although most developers won't use it every day, it remains an important step toward making Java interoperability with native code much simpler.
Applet API Removed
Java 26 permanently removes the Applet API, which had been deprecated since Java 9 and marked for removal since Java 17. No modern browser has supported applets for years, so this is a long-overdue cleanup that trims legacy baggage from the platform.
AOT Object Caching with Any GC
Java 26 improves Ahead-of-Time (AOT) object caching by making it compatible with any garbage collector, including ZGC. Previously, AOT caching was limited to Serial, Parallel, and G1 collectors. This expands the performance benefits of AOT to teams running latency-sensitive applications on ZGC.
2. Better Performance Behind the Scenes
One thing I appreciate about Java is that every release includes work that most developers never directly notice.
Java 26 continues refining the JVM with improvements focused on runtime performance, startup time, memory efficiency, and overall stability. Many of these optimizations happen behind the scenes, allowing existing applications to benefit without requiring code changes.
3. Pattern Matching Makes Code Cleaner
Pattern matching isn't new in Java 26, but after using it regularly across several releases, I can't imagine going back.
Instead of writing:
if (obj instanceof String) {
String text = (String) obj;
System.out.println(text.length());
}
You can simply write:
if (obj instanceof String text) {
System.out.println(text.length());
}
The instanceof operator checks whether obj is actually a String. If it is, Java automatically creates the variable text, eliminating the need for an explicit cast.
It's a small change that makes everyday code much cleaner.
4. Records Continue to Be One of My Favorite Features
Records were introduced several Java releases ago, but they're still one of my favorite additions.
public record User(
Long id,
String name,
String email
) {}
Instead of writing constructors, getters, equals(), hashCode(), and toString() manually, Java generates them automatically.
5. Better Developer Experience
Another thing I appreciate is how Java continues improving the overall developer experience.
Small improvements to compiler diagnostics, debugging tools, profiling, runtime monitoring, and IDE support add up over time.
6. Virtual Threads Are Becoming More Practical
Virtual Threads were introduced before Java 26, but they continue to be one of the most exciting modern Java features and are increasingly well-supported across the ecosystem.
try (var executor = Executors.newVirtualThreadPerTaskExecutor()) {
executor.submit(() -> {
System.out.println("Running...");
});
}
Here, var allows Java to infer the variable type automatically, so you don't have to write the full type name.
Virtual Threads are especially useful for:
- REST APIs
- Microservices
- Web servers
- Background processing
7. Switch Expressions Make Code More Readable
String result = switch(day) {
case MONDAY -> "Work";
case SATURDAY, SUNDAY -> "Weekend";
default -> "Unknown";
};
No more forgotten break statements.
8. Immutable Collections Are Simple to Create
List<String> colors = List.of(
"Red",
"Green",
"Blue"
);
Creating immutable collections now takes a single line instead of several.
Should You Upgrade?
If your applications are running well on your current Java version, upgrading to Java 26 isn't a necessity. However, it's definitely worth exploring if you:
- Enjoy staying up to date with the latest Java releases
- Want the newest performance improvements, including G1 GC throughput gains
- Like experimenting with modern APIs before they reach the next LTS
- Want to prepare for future LTS releases
Final Thoughts
Java continues evolving without sacrificing backward compatibility, and that's one of the reasons it remains my favorite backend language.
After spending several months using Java 26, my biggest takeaway isn't a single headline feature. Instead, it's the continued refinement of the language and platform. Each release removes a little more boilerplate, improves performance, strengthens security, and makes development just a bit more enjoyable.
While Java 26 doesn't introduce sweeping new stable language features, it delivers real, concrete improvements: better GC throughput, continued work around native interoperability, post-quantum cryptography groundwork, and a cleaner platform overall.
If you're already developing with Java, it's definitely worth downloading and exploring.
What has been your favorite Java feature recently? Let me know in the comments!
About the Author
Deividas Strole is a Full-Stack Developer based in California, specializing in Java, Spring Boot, JavaScript, React, SQL, and AI-powered applications. He writes about software engineering, modern full-stack development, and digital marketing.
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Top comments (2)
Quick one on the String Templates section, and I might just be behind here. I had it in my head that STR and the template syntax got pulled after the JDK 22 preview because the design wasn't settled, and that it hadn't come back as a preview since. Did it actually return in 26, or is that example carried over from the 21/22 days? Want to make sure I'm not telling people the wrong thing.
Thanks for pointing that out! You’re absolutely right. I mistakenly carried over the String Templates example from the Java 21/22 preview. The feature was withdrawn before Java 23 for redesign and has not returned in Java 26. I'll update the article to remove that section. I appreciate you catching it!