JDK 26 Released with Native HTTP/3, Ahead-of-Time Caching, and Applet API Removal
Java 26 has reached general availability with ten JEPs including native HTTP/3 support in the HTTP Client API, ahead-of-time object caching for all garbage collectors, and the final removal of the Applet API. The release also brings lazy constants, PEM encodings, and Vector API improvements for high-performance numerical computing.
Java 26 has reached general availability on March 17, delivering ten JDK Enhancement Proposals that continue Java's steady evolution as a platform for both enterprise applications and modern cloud-native workloads. The release's headline feature — native HTTP/3 support — required one of the largest pull requests in OpenJDK history, reflecting the complexity of integrating the QUIC-based protocol into Java's networking stack.
HTTP/3 in the HTTP Client API
The HTTP Client API, introduced in Java 11, now supports HTTP/3 natively. Unlike HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2, which run over TCP, HTTP/3 uses the QUIC transport protocol — a UDP-based protocol that eliminates head-of-line blocking and provides faster connection establishment through zero-round-trip handshakes. For Java applications making many concurrent HTTP requests, the performance improvement can be substantial.
HTTP/3 is enabled by default when the server supports it, with automatic fallback to HTTP/2 and HTTP/1.1. No code changes are required for existing HttpClient users — the upgrade is transparent.
Ahead-of-Time Object Caching
JDK 26 extends ahead-of-time class loading and linking (introduced in JDK 24) with object caching that now works with all garbage collectors. Previously limited to the Serial GC, the feature allows frequently used objects to be pre-loaded from a cache file, reducing startup time significantly for applications with large class hierarchies. Framework-heavy applications like those built on Spring Boot see the most benefit.
Applet API Removal
After a long deprecation period beginning in JDK 9 and marked for removal in JDK 17, the Applet API has finally been deleted from the platform. The removal cleans up a significant amount of legacy code and removes a class of potential security concerns that have lingered since browser vendors dropped Java plugin support years ago.
Other Notable Features
Lazy constants reach their second preview, allowing field values to be computed on first access rather than during class initialization — useful for expensive computations that may never be needed. PEM encodings also reach second preview, providing a standard API for reading and writing PEM-encoded keys and certificates without relying on third-party libraries. The Vector API enters its eleventh incubation with continued optimizations for ARM SVE and x86 AVX-512 platforms.
JDK 26 is a short-term release with six months of Premier support. The next long-term support release will be JDK 29, expected in September 2027.
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