Java 17 New Features: A Beginner’s Deep Dive (10+

Pages)

Generated for Beginners

September 30, 2025

Abstract
This document provides a beginner-friendly, in-depth exploration of Java 17’s new
features, released on September 15, 2021, as a Long-Term Support (LTS) version.
Aimed at those with basic Java knowledge, it covers key enhancements like sealed
classes, pattern matching, and more, with practical examples and explanations to make
learning engaging and accessible. Spanning at least 10 pages, this guide equips
beginners to leverage Java 17 effectively.

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Contents
1 Introduction to Java 17 4

2 Sealed Classes (JEP 409): Controlling Inheritance 4

2.1 What Are Sealed Classes? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2 Why Beginners Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.3 How They Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.4 Example: Game Character Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.5 Try It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

3 Pattern Matching for switch (Preview, JEP 406) 5

3.1 What Is It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.2 Why Its Great for Beginners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.3 How It Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.4 Example: Formatting Mixed Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.5 Try It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

4 Foreign Function & Memory API (Incubator, JEP 412) 6

4.1 What Is It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4.2 Why Beginners Should Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4.3 How It Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4.4 Example: Calling C add . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4.5 Try It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

5 Enhanced Pseudo-Random Number Generators (JEP 356) 7

5.1 What Is It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
5.2 Why It Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
5.3 Example: Lottery Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
5.4 Try It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

6 Strict Floating-Point Semantics (JEP 306) 8

6.1 What Is It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
6.2 Why It Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
6.3 Example: Pi Approximation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

7 Context-Specific Deserialization Filters (JEP 415) 8

7.1 What Is It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
7.2 Example: Safe Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

8 Vector API (Incubator, JEP 414) 9

8.1 What Is It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
8.2 Example: Vector Addition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

9 Hex Formatting and Parsing 9

9.1 What Is It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
9.2 Example: Hex Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

10 macOS Rendering Pipeline (JEP 382) 9

10.1 What Is It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

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 10.2 Example: Swing Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

11 Strong Encapsulation of JDK Internals (JEP 403) 10

11.1 What Is It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
11.2 Example: Safe Atomic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

12 Conclusion 10

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 1 Introduction to Java 17
Java 17, released on September 15, 2021, is a Long-Term Support (LTS) version, meaning
it receives updates and support for years, making it ideal for beginners and production
systems. Unlike non-LTS releases every six months, LTS versions like Java 17 priori-
tize stability while introducing features that simplify coding, enhance safety, and boost
performance. This guide assumes you know basic Java (classes, methods, loops) and
dives into 10 key features with detailed explanations and code examples you can run. To
try these, download JDK 17 from Oracle or Adoptium and use javac –enable-preview
YourFile.java for preview features.
Why Java 17? Its a milestone that balances modern programming paradigms (like pattern
matching) with beginner accessibility, preparing you for real-world projects like web apps
or games. Lets explore!

2 Sealed Classes (JEP 409): Controlling Inheritance

2.1 What Are Sealed Classes?
Sealed classes let you restrict which classes can extend or implement a base class or
interface. Think of designing a game with specific character types (e.g., Warrior, Mage).
Without sealing, anyone could extend your Character class with an unintended Alien,
breaking your game logic. Sealed classes use the sealed keyword and a permits clause
to list allowed subclasses, finalized in Java 17 after previews.

2.2 Why Beginners Care

Sealed classes prevent errors from unexpected inheritance, making your code predictable.
They also enable compiler optimizations and work with pattern matching (Section 3),
reducing debugging time for beginners.

2.3 How They Work

• Declare a class/interface as sealed and list permitted subclasses with permits.
• Subclasses must be final (no further extension), sealed (limited further exten-
sion), or non-sealed (open extension).
• The JVM uses this for runtime checks and optimizations.

2.4 Example: Game Character Hierarchy

Heres a game example with sealed classes:
1 public sealed abstract class Character permits Warrior , Mage ,
Archer {
2 public abstract String attack () ;
3 }
4 final class Warrior extends Character {
5 public String attack () { return " Sword Slash ! " ; }
6 }

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 7 final class Mage extends Character {
8 public String attack () { return " Fireball ! " ; }
9 }
10 sealed class Archer extends Character permits Sniper {
11 public String attack () { return " Arrow Shot ! " ; }
12 }
13 final class Sniper extends Archer {
14 public String attack () { return " Precise Shot ! " ; }
15 }
16 public class Game {
17 public static void main ( String [] args ) {
18 Character [] chars = { new Warrior () , new Mage () , new
Sniper () };
19 for ( Character c : chars ) {
20 System . out . println ( c . attack () ) ;
21 }
22 // Error : class Rogue extends Character {} // Not permitted !
23 }
24 }

Output: Sword Slash!, Fireball!, Precise Shot!

2.5 Try It
Compile and run. Try adding an unpermitted Rogue classthe compiler stops you, teaching
inheritance control.

3 Pattern Matching for switch (Preview, JEP 406)

3.1 What Is It?
Traditional switch statements handle simple types but struggle with objects, requiring
casts and null checks. Pattern matching (a preview feature in Java 17) lets switch
deconstruct objects, binding variables to types and conditions. Use –enable-preview to
try it.

3.2 Why Its Great for Beginners

It replaces clunky if (obj instanceof Type) blocks with readable switches, reducing
errors like NullPointerException. Its like writing English conditions.

3.3 How It Works

• case Type var: Matches type, binds to var.
• case Type var when condition: Adds a guard.
• Handles null explicitly.
• Ensures exhaustiveness with sealed classes.

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 3.4 Example: Formatting Mixed Data
1 public class Formatter {
2 public static String format ( Object obj ) {
3 return switch ( obj ) {
4 case String s -> " Text : " + s . toUpperCase () ;
5 case Integer i when i > 100 -> " Big : " + i ;
6 case Integer i -> " Small : " + i ;
7 case null -> " Null input ! " ;
8 default -> " Type : " + obj . getClass () . getSimpleName () ;
9 };
10 }
11 public static void main ( String [] args ) {
12 System . out . println ( format ( " hello " ) ) ; // Text : HELLO
13 System . out . println ( format (50) ) ; // Small : 50
14 System . out . println ( format (150) ) ; // Big : 150
15 System . out . println ( format ( null ) ) ; // Null input !
16 System . out . println ( format (3.14) ) ; // Type : Double
17 }
18 }

3.5 Try It
Run with preview flags. Notice no manual castsclean and safe!

4 Foreign Function & Memory API (Incubator, JEP

412)
4.1 What Is It?
This incubator API (use –add-modules jdk.incubator.foreign) lets Java call na-
tive C functions and manage off-heap memory, replacing the error-prone JNI. Its for
performance-critical tasks like graphics.

4.2 Why Beginners Should Know

While advanced, it introduces systems programming concepts, like calling fast C math
libraries for games.

4.3 How It Works

• MemorySegment: Off-heap memory allocation.
• Linker: Binds to native functions.
• Safety: Bounds checks, no raw pointers.

4.4 Example: Calling C add

Assuming a C library libmath.so with int add(int, int):

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 1 import jdk . incubator . foreign .*;
2 public class NativeMath {
3 static { System . loadLibrary ( " math " ) ; }
4 public static void main ( String [] args ) throws Throwable {
5 MethodHandle add = Linker . nativeLinker ()
6 . downcallHandle (
7 Linker . newNativeSymbol ( " add " ) ,
8 Fun ct io nD es cr ip to r . of ( C_INT , C_INT , C_INT ) ) ;
9 int result = ( int ) add . invokeExact (5 , 3) ;
10 System . out . println ( " 5 + 3 = " + result ) ; // 8
11 }
12 }

4.5 Try It
Requires a C library setup; else, study the code for concepts.

5 Enhanced Pseudo-Random Number Generators (JEP

356)
5.1 What Is It?
Upgrades Random with a factory for algorithms and stream support, ideal for games or
simulations.

5.2 Why It Matters

Stream-friendly randomness simplifies generating test data or game elements.

5.3 Example: Lottery Numbers

1 import java . util . random .*;
2 public class Lottery {
3 public static void main ( String [] args ) {
4 RandomGenerator rng =
Ran do m G ene r a t o r F a c t or y . of ( " Xos hi ro 25 6P lu sP lu s " ) . create () ;
5 var numbers = rng . ints (6 , 1 ,
50) . distinct () . sorted () . toList () ;
6 System . out . println ( " Lottery : " + numbers ) ;
7 }
8 }

5.4 Try It
Run multiple timesunique sequences each time!

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 6 Strict Floating-Point Semantics (JEP 306)
6.1 What Is It?
Makes strict IEEE 754 floating-point math default, ensuring consistent decimal results
across platforms.

6.2 Why It Matters

Reliable math for calculations like grades or physics.

6.3 Example: Pi Approximation

1 public class PiCalc {
2 public static double piApprox ( int terms ) {
3 double sum = 0;
4 for ( int i = 0; i < terms ; i ++) {
5 sum += 4.0 / (2 * i + 1) * (( i % 2 == 0) ? 1 : -1) ;
6 }
7 return sum ;
8 }
9 public static void main ( String [] args ) {
10 System . out . println ( piApprox (1000000) ) ; // ~3.14159
11 }
12 }

7 Context-Specific Deserialization Filters (JEP 415)

7.1 What Is It?
Filters unsafe deserialization, preventing attacks when loading objects from files/net-
works.

7.2 Example: Safe Filter

1 import java . io .*;
2 public class SafeReader {
3 public static void main ( String [] args ) throws Exception {
4 ObjectInputFilter . Config . s e t S e r i a l F i l t e r F a c t o r y ( ctx ->
5 new ObjectInputF ilter () {
6 public Status checkInput ( FilterInfo info ) {
7 Class <? > c = info . serialClass () ;
8 if ( c == String . class || c == Integer . class ) {
9 return Status . ALLOWED ;
10 }
11 return Status . REJECTED ;
12 }
13 }) ;
14 System . out . println ( " Deserialization secured . " ) ;
15 }

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16 }

8 Vector API (Incubator, JEP 414)

8.1 What Is It?
Enables SIMD operations for parallel array processing, great for ML or graphics.

8.2 Example: Vector Addition

1 import jdk . incubator . vector .*;
2 public class VectorSum {
3 public static void main ( String [] args ) {
4 int [] a = {1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8};
5 int [] b = {10 , 20 , 30 , 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 , 80};
6 VectorSpecies < Integer > species = IntVector . SPEC IES_PR EFERR ED ;
7 IntVector va = IntVector . fromArray ( species , a , 0) ;
8 IntVector vb = IntVector . fromArray ( species , b , 0) ;
9 va . add ( vb ) . intoArray (a , 0) ;
10 System . out . println ( java . util . Arrays . toString ( a ) ) ;
11 }
12 }

9 Hex Formatting and Parsing

9.1 What Is It?
HexFormat simplifies byte-to-hex conversions for debugging or crypto.

9.2 Example: Hex Conversion

1 import java . util . HexFormat ;
2 public class HexDemo {
3 public static void main ( String [] args ) {
4 byte [] bytes = {0 x1A , ( byte ) 0 xFF , 0 x0B };
5 String hex = HexFormat . of () . formatHex ( bytes ) ; // 1 aff0b
6 System . out . println ( hex ) ;
7 }
8 }

10 macOS Rendering Pipeline (JEP 382)

10.1 What Is It?
Uses Metal API for smoother GUIs on macOS.

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 10.2 Example: Swing Window
1 import javax . swing .*;
2 public class MetalWindow {
3 public static void main ( String [] args ) {
4 SwingUtilities . invokeLater (() -> {
5 JFrame frame = new JFrame ( " Metal Test " ) ;
6 frame . add ( new JLabel ( " Hello , macOS ! " ) ) ;
7 frame . setSize (300 , 200) ;
8 frame . s et D e f a u l t C l o s e O p e r a t i o n ( JFrame . EXIT_ON_CLOSE ) ;
9 frame . setVisible ( true ) ;
10 }) ;
11 }
12 }

11 Strong Encapsulation of JDK Internals (JEP 403)

11.1 What Is It?
Hides internal APIs like sun.misc.Unsafe, promoting public APIs.

11.2 Example: Safe Atomic

1 import java . lang . invoke .*;
2 public class SafeAtomic {
3 private static final VarHandle INT_HANDLE ;
4 private int counter = 0;
5 static {
6 try {
7 INT_HANDLE = MethodHandles . lookup () . findVarHandle (
8 SafeAtomic . class , " counter " , int . class ) ;
9 } catch ( Exception e ) { throw new RuntimeException ( e ) ; }
10 }
11 public void increment () { INT_HANDLE . getAndAdd ( this , 1) ; }
12 public static void main ( String [] args ) {
13 SafeAtomic obj = new SafeAtomic () ;
14 obj . increment () ;
15 System . out . println ( obj . counter ) ; // 1
16 }
17 }

12 Conclusion
Java 17s features, from sealed classes to pattern matching, empower beginners to write
cleaner, safer, and faster code. Experiment with these examples, explore JEPs at https:
//openjdk.org, and join communities like Reddits r/java. Happy coding!

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