Java 8 is a major release of the Java programming language, which was first released in March 2014. It introduced several new features that aimed to make Java more expressive, functional and easier to use.
Some of the most significant features of Java 8 are:
Lambda Expressions: One of the most significant features introduced in Java 8 is the lambda expressions. A lambda expression is a way to represent a function as an object, which can be passed as an argument or returned as a value. This allows for functional programming constructs such as map, filter and reduce to be used in Java.
Functional Interfaces: Java 8 introduced functional interfaces, an interface that has exactly one abstract method. Java 8 introduced several functional interfaces, such as Predicate, Function and Consumer, that can be used in lambda expressions.
Stream API: The Stream API allows for functional-style operations on collections of data, such as filtering and mapping, without the need for explicit loops. This makes it easier to write parallel and concurrent code, since the API takes care of partitioning and parallelization.
Date and Time API: Java 8 introduced a new Date and Time API, which provides a more powerful and expressive way to work with dates and times. The new API is immutable and thread-safe and allows for working with both local and offset date-times, calendars and more.
Nashorn JavaScript Engine: Java 8 introduced the Nashorn JavaScript Engine, which allows for running JavaScript code within Java applications. This allows for developers to use JavaScript along with Java in their applications.
Default and Static methods in Interfaces: Java 8 allows interfaces to have default and static methods which provide a way to add new functionality to existing interfaces without affecting their existing implementations.
Optional class: Java 8 introduced a new class Optional<T> which is used to represent an optional value. The class is used to prevent NullPointerExceptions and make code more readable.
Base64 Encoding and Decoding: Java 8 introduced a new class Base64 which provides Base64 encoding and decoding functionality.
Java 8 brought a lot of new features that made it more expressive, functional and easier to use. These features provide new ways to improve the performance, readability and maintainability of Java applications.
In summary:
- Java 8 is a major release of the Java programming language, which was first released in March 2014.
- It introduced several new features such as lambda expressions, functional interfaces, the Stream API, the Date and Time API, Nashorn JavaScript Engine, Default and Static methods in Interfaces, Optional class and Base64 Encoding and Decoding.
- These features provide new ways to improve the performance, readability and maintainability of Java applications.
- The new features made Java more expressive and functional, and improved the developer experience.