Java 26 General Availability: HTTP/3, AOT Cache, and Ten JEPs
Java 26 reached General Availability on March 17, 2026, as the seventeenth feature release delivered on schedule through the six-month release cadence. As the first non-LTS release since JDK 25, the final feature set spans ten JEPs spread across language previews, library improvements, performance work, and security hardening.
The headline infrastructure improvement is JEP 521: HTTP/3 support, which extends the existing java.net.http.HttpClient API so that applications can communicate with HTTP/3 servers with minimal code changes. The existing request/response model carries over, meaning most existing code only needs an updated client configuration to gain multiplexing and reduced connection latency. Alongside this, JEP 516 enhances the ahead-of-time cache so that the HotSpot JVM can now use any garbage collector during AOT caching, including ZGC — previously, low-latency collectors were excluded.
On the security side, JEP 524 (PEM Encodings, Second Preview) continues refining the API for encoding cryptographic keys, certificates, and CRLs in the widely-used Privacy Enhanced Mail format. The release also removes the Java Applet API (deprecated for removal since JDK 17 in 2021) and adds Unicode 17.0 and CLDR v48 support. In the language preview track, Lazy Constants (Second Preview) introduces computed immutable holders initialized once, Structured Concurrency reaches its sixth preview, and Primitive Types in Patterns advances with a fourth preview pass.
Performance improvements include G1 GC synchronization tuning that reduces lock contention to boost throughput, and the Vector API continues incubating in its eleventh cycle. For security-forward environments, Java 27 already has one targeted JEP: Post-Quantum Hybrid Key Exchange for TLS 1.3, addressing quantum-computing threats by combining classical and post-quantum algorithms in a single TLS handshake.
Read more — InfoQ
Oracle announcement — Oracle
IntelliJ IDEA 2026.1: ACP Agent Registry, Spring Runtime Insight, and Kotlin 2.3.20
IntelliJ IDEA 2026.1 shipped in late March 2026 with Java 26 support from day one, resolving over 1,000 bugs while delivering targeted improvements for Java, Kotlin, Spring, and a brand-new AI-agent integration layer. The release marks the IDE's 25th anniversary, and JetBrains released a documentary tracing its evolution alongside the Java platform.
The most notable new capability for teams adopting agentic workflows is the ACP Registry: IntelliJ IDEA 2026.1 provides built-in support for any Agent Communication Protocol-compatible agent, including Codex and Cursor. Agents install with one click from the registry and gain access to git worktrees for parallel development work and direct database access — enabling them to query and modify data sources without leaving the IDE context. This positions IntelliJ IDEA as a coordination hub for multi-agent development rather than a passive IDE.
For Spring developers, the new Spring runtime insight feature lets you inspect running beans and HTTP endpoints without pausing execution. This fills a gap that previously required either attaching a separate monitoring tool or starting a debug session: you can now see live bean state and endpoint mappings as a resident panel while the application is running. Combined with Kotlin-aware JPA analysis that catches persistence issues specific to Kotlin's null-safety model and data classes, the Spring/Kotlin development experience receives a substantial quality-of-life upgrade.
On the productivity side, quota-free next edit suggestions propagate changes within the current file automatically, reducing the round-trips required after renaming a variable or refactoring a method signature. JavaScript support is now available without an Ultimate subscription (though advanced productivity features still require one), and C/C++ coding assistance is available in multi-language projects. TypeScript performance on large projects has improved, and native Dev Container workflows allow teams to open containerized projects without manual Docker orchestration.
Read more — JetBrains Blog
Amazon Corretto April 2026 Quarterly Security Updates
Amazon Corretto released its April 2026 quarterly security and critical updates covering all Long-Term Supported OpenJDK versions. The update train includes Corretto 25.0.2, 21.0.10, 17.0.18, 11.0.30, and 8u482, aligning with the upstream OpenJDK CPU (Critical Patch Update) cycle.
These quarterly updates are AWS's mechanism for keeping Corretto in sync with upstream security backports across all active LTS lines. Corretto 21 (LTS) and Corretto 17 (LTS) receive the most active attention as the two most widely adopted production versions; the 11 and 8 lines continue to receive security backports under Corretto's extended support commitment. Corretto 25 tracks the current JDK 25 LTS line that shipped in September 2025.
For teams running containerised Java workloads, it is worth noting that the official Amazon Corretto Docker images on Amazon ECR Public are updated to these versions simultaneously, so a simple image pull is sufficient. Developers on macOS or Linux can update through standard package managers or download installers from the Corretto distribution page. No API or behavioural changes accompany a quarterly CPU update; these releases are security-only with selected stability backports.
Read more — AWS
Links & Sources
- Java 26 Delivers Language Innovation, Library Improvements, Performance and Security — InfoQ
- Oracle Releases Java 26 — Oracle
- IntelliJ IDEA 2026.1 Is Out! — JetBrains Blog
- Java Annotated Monthly – April 2026 — JetBrains Blog
- Amazon Corretto January 2026 Quarterly Updates — AWS
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