Oracle has released version 27 of the Java programming language and virtual machine. As the second non-LTS release since JDK 25, the final feature set includes nine JEPs, five of which are still progressing through the preview and incubator stages. The JEPs in this final feature set are:
- JEP 523: Make G1 the Default Garbage Collector in All Environments
- JEP 527: Post-Quantum Hybrid Key Exchange for TLS 1.3
- JEP 531: Lazy Constants (Third Preview)
- JEP 532: Primitive Types in Patterns, instanceof, and switch (Fifth Preview)
- JEP 533: Structured Concurrency (Seventh Preview)
- JEP 534: Compact Object Headers by Default
- JEP 536: JFR In-Process Data Redaction
- JEP 537: Vector API (Twelfth Incubator)
- JEP 538: PEM Encodings of Cryptographic Objects (Third Preview)
This release focuses on strengthening security, future language innovation, and projects under the auspices of the Java Verified Portfolio.
Shown in the graph below, as presented in this blog post by Donald Smith, Vice President of Product Management at Oracle, are the number of cumulative JEPs in each Java release since JDK 8.
Since the release of JDK 24, Oracle has been adding security features that serve as a robust foundation for developers to build more secure applications. As described in this Oracle blog post:
Oracle is executing on a strategy to make post-quantum cryptography (PQC) broadly available across the Java ecosystem with a roadmap that brings standardized PQC algorithms and PQC-enabled TLS to current Long-Term Support (LTS) releases, helping reduce adoption friction for developers and enterprises.
These features include: JEP 496, Quantum-Resistant Module-Lattice-Based Key Encapsulation Mechanism; JEP 497, Quantum-Resistant Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Algorithm; JEP 510, Key Derivation Function API; JEP 527, Post-Quantum Hybrid Key Exchange for TLS 1.3; and JEP 542, PEM Encodings of Cryptographic Objects (to be finalized in JDK 28).
PEM Encodings of Cryptographic Objects (Third Preview)
JEP 538, PEM Encodings of Cryptographic Objects (Third Preview), proposes a third preview after two rounds of preview delivered in JDK 25 and JDK 26. This feature offers "an API for encoding objects that represent cryptographic keys, certificates, and certificate revocation lists into the widely-used Privacy-Enhanced Mail (PEM) transport format, and for decoding from that format back into objects." This JEP will support conversions between PEM text and cryptographic objects in PKCS #8 and X.509 binary formats. Changes include: a reclassification of the PEM record class to a regular class as a convenience for providing constructors that accept Base64-encoded content in byte arrays; and a rename of the DEREncodable interface to BinaryEncodable to more accurately describe the binary data stored in PEM text.
Post-Quantum Hybrid Key Exchange for TLS 1.3
JEP 527, Post-Quantum Hybrid Key Exchange for TLS 1.3, proposes to enhance the implementation of RFC 8446, Transport Layer Security (TLS) Protocol Version 1.3, using the Hybrid Key Exchange in TLS 1.3 specification, currently being drafted by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in conjunction with JEP 496, Quantum-Resistant Module-Lattice-Based Key Encapsulation Mechanism, delivered in JDK 24.
Java Verified Portfolio
Introduced at JavaOne 2026, the Java Verified Portfolio (JVP) is an ecosystem of Oracle-supported technologies. With this release, Helidon 27, JavaFX 27, Jipher 20 and a JVP extension for VS Code were introduced to the Java community.
The release of Helidon 27, now aligned with the OpenJDK versioning, is the first release that follows the Oracle Tip & Tail Model of Library Development. Helidon 27 will serve as the Tip while Helidon 4.5.5, still managed under the familiar semantic versioning, will serve as the Tail. This will allow development teams that require a longer-lived production baseline to remain on the Tail. InfoQ will follow up with a more detailed news story.
The release of JavaFX 27 delivers new features such as: a "metal rendering pipeline on macOS for smoother performance on modern Apple hardware;" enhanced text editing controls; and continued improvements for accessibility. More details on this release may be found in the release notes.
The release of Oracle Jipher 20, a Java Cryptographic Service Provider (CSP) that supports FIPS 140-3, Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules, delivers notable changes such as: expanded support for additional JDK versions (JDK 17, JDK 21, JDK 25 and JDK 27); and support for the aforementioned security features.
Java 27 Launch Stream
A three-hour JDK 27 launch stream event, hosted by Oracle Developer Advocates Ana-Maria Mihalceanu, Billy Korando and Nicolai Parlog, featured topics such as: performance improvements; security enhancements; Structured Concurrency; Compact Object Headers; JDK Flight Recorder updates; Helidon 27; and agentic AI.
JDK 28 and Future Java Innovation
The formal release date for JDK 28 is expected to be March 2027, soon to be proposed by Mark Reinhold, Chief Architect, Java Platform Group at Oracle. So far, six JEPs have been targeted for JDK 28 and include long-awaited features from Project Valhalla:
- JEP 539, Strict Field Initialization in the JVM (Preview), introduces strictly-initialized fields in the Java Virtual Machine that are required to be initialized before they are read. Therefore, default values such as 0 or null are never observed. This feature is available for use by compilers that emit class files.
- JEP 401, Value Classes and Objects (Preview), proposes to enhance the language with value objects, defined as objects that: only contain
finalfields; do not have identity; and are solely distinguished by the values of their respective fields.
This marks a significant milestone for Project Valhalla with these two features integrated in the JDK mainline. This will ultimately allow the Vector API to be elevated from Incubation to Preview.
JEP 537, Vector API (Twelfth Incubator), under the auspices of Project Panama, proposes a twelfth incubation, with no substantial implementation changes since JDK 25, after eleven rounds of incubation delivered in JDK 16 through JDK 26. This feature introduces an API to "express vector computations that reliably compile at runtime to optimal vector instructions on supported CPU architectures, thus achieving performance superior to equivalent scalar computations."
Developers can anticipate a JDK 28 feature freeze in early-December 2026. More details on additional JEPs released in JDK 27 and JDK 28 along with other Draft JEPs and candidates may be found in this more detailed InfoQ news story.
JDK 27 may now be downloaded from Oracle with binaries from other vendors expected to become available in the coming days.