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All About JLS 16
JLS 16 • 2021 • Records finalized
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Records finalData carriersConcise declarations

All About JLS 16

JLS 16 formalized records, making a once-preview feature part of the stable language and sharpening Java's support for immutable data carriers.

Specification edition

JLS 16

JLS 16 formalized records, making a once-preview feature part of the stable language and sharpening Java's support for immutable data carriers.

Records finalData carriersConcise declarations
What shifted

How the specification changed

Locked in the source-level rules for compact, transparent data classes and their generated members.

It changed how developers think about DTO-style and value-oriented types in Java.

Reading note

Why this edition matters

This is a major spec milestone even if it looks small compared with JLS 3 or JLS 8.

Start here when you want the specification view of records beyond blog-level summaries.

Related pages

Continue through the language-spec path

Common JLS Return to the JLS timeline and compare this edition with neighboring spec milestones. Common Java See the broader language-release story that this specification edition belongs to. Common Class File Compare source-language evolution with the class file and JVM side of Java evolution. Compatibility Cross-check this specification milestone with Java, JDK, and runtime layers.