What problem does it solve?
Java 21 introduces powerful features that can be misapplied or underutilized. This guide explains how to adopt records, sealed types, pattern matching, and virtual threads to write clearer, safer concurrent code.
Core Features & Use Cases
- Records for immutable data carriers with compact constructors and built-in validation hooks.
- Sealed interfaces and classes to model closed hierarchies with exhaustiveness guarantees.
- Pattern matching enhancements for concise and safe control flow in switches.
- Virtual threads for scalable I/O-bound concurrency in modern Java.
Use cases include building lightweight data transfer objects, modeling domain hierarchies, and implementing high-throughput I/O tasks with robust error handling.
Quick Start
Write a small Java 21 module that demonstrates records, sealed interfaces, pattern matching, and virtual threads in a concurrent example.