Java Language Specification

Java SE 9 Edition

The Java Language Specification, Java SE 9 Edition, was the official, authoritative specification of the Java programming language. It was published in August 2017 and followed the Java SE 8 Edition of the JLS.

It specifies the Java programming language as implemented in Java SE 9.

This Java SE 9 Edition goes beyond the Java SE 8 Edition of the JLS by specifying features like:

• modules
• @SafeVarargs on private instance methods
• effectively-final variables as resources in try-with-resource statements
• Diamond with anonymous classes
• Prohibit _ as legal identifier
• Private methods in interfaces

All these language changes were introduced in Java SE 9 in 2017.