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Pulse on Java – February 2026

Your AI-generated monthly roundup of Java platform, framework, and community updates.

[infoq.com], [quarkus.io], [linuxiac.com], [itsfoss.gitlab.io], [eventbrowse.com]

Java’s vibrant ecosystem was buzzing in February 2026, with significant progress on the Java language and platform, a slew of framework releases, and active engagement across the Java community. Below is an overview of the month’s key developments, followed by detailed sections on each:

Date	Event/Update	Source	Summary
Feb 2–4	Jfokus 2026 Conference	Jfokus (Stockholm)	Sweden’s largest Java-focused developer conference drew 2,000+ attendees, covering Java SE/EE, AI, Cloud, and more [eventbrowse.com].
Feb 5	IntelliJ IDEA 2026.1 – Wayland Support	JetBrains Announcement	JetBrains revealed native Wayland display protocol support coming in IntelliJ 2026.1 for improved Linux UI scaling and performance [itsfoss.gitlab.io], [itsfoss.gitlab.io].
Feb 10	Jakarta EE 12 Milestone 2	Eclipse/InfoQ	Second milestone of Jakarta EE 12 highlighted new Jakarta Query API unifying SQL/NoSQL queries, updates to Data/NoSQL specs, and a new Jakarta Agentic AI proposal [infoq.com], [infoq.com].
Feb 19	Spring Boot 4.0.3 & 4.1.0-M2	Spring Project Notes	Spring Boot 4.0.3 (patch release) and the second milestone of Spring Boot 4.1.0 dropped, bringing dependency upgrades and new features (e.g. enhanced actuator info with ProcessInfo details) [infoq.com].
Feb 23	Apache NetBeans 29 Released	Apache NetBeans	Apache NetBeans 29 IDE shipped with Java performance improvements, Gradle/Maven integration fixes, updated Git support, and removal of legacy Applet APIs [linuxiac.com], [linuxiac.com].
Feb 24	OpenJDK 26 RC2 Declared	OpenJDK (Mark Reinhold)	JDK 26 reached Release Candidate 2, resolving final blockers. GA release on March 17 will include 10 new features (JEPs) spanning language, libraries, GC, and more [infoq.com], [infoq.com].
Feb 24	TornadoVM 3.0.0 GA	TornadoVM Project	TornadoVM 3.0 (GPU acceleration for Java) was released with full JDK 25 compatibility and refactored tooling (IntelliJ integration and CI workflows) to ease heterogeneous computing in Java [infoq.com].
Feb 26	Quarkus 3.32 Release	Quarkus Blog	Quarkus 3.32, foundation for the next LTS, introduced Project Leyden integration (faster startup), graceful shutdown improvements (avoid 503 errors), Consul service auto-registration, and security enhancements [quarkus.io], [infoq.com].
Late Feb	Payara Platform Feb 2026 Edition	Payara/InfoQ	Payara’s February update rolled out Community 7.2026.2 (and Enterprise 6.35.0) with improved system logging configuration and enabled HTTP DELETE requests with non-zero body by default; legacy features were stripped in preparation for Payara 7 EE [infoq.com].

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Java Language & Platform Updates

JDK 26 is on the cusp of general availability. In February, OpenJDK 26 entered its second Release Candidate phase as announced by chief architect Mark Reinhold, locking in the final feature set. The GA release is scheduled for March 17, 2026, and will deliver 10 new JEPs. These span multiple areas of the platform: [infoq.com]

• Core Libraries: e.g. JEP 500 – Make final Mean Final (issuing warnings for reflection that mutates finals) and JEP 517 – HTTP/3 support in the HttpClient. [infoq.com]
• Language Features: JEP 530 – Primitive Types in Patterns (4th Preview), refining pattern matching with primitive types. [infoq.com]
• Virtual Threads & Concurrency: JEP 525 – Structured Concurrency (6th Preview), continuing the preview of structured task scopes to simplify multi-threaded code. [infoq.com], [infoq.com]
• JVM/HotSpot: Enhancements like JEP 516 – AOT Object Caching with Any GC (to speed up startup across GCs) and JEP 522 – G1 GC throughput improvements by reducing synchronization. [infoq.com], [infoq.com]
• Security and Clients: JEP 524 – PEM Encodings (2nd Preview) improving key encoding APIs, and JEP 504 – Removal of the Applet API, finally eliminating Java’s long-deprecated applet machinery. [infoq.com]

Mark Reinhold’s RC2 announcement confirmed that a licensing issue was resolved in the latest build, clearing the path for release. Developers are encouraged to test their code on JDK 26 (via early-access builds) and report any bugs before GA. [infoq.com], [infoq.com]

Meanwhile, JDK 27 development is underway. By late February, Early Access Build 10 and Build 11 of JDK 27 were available, incorporating various fixes. Only one JEP (post-quantum TLS key exchange) is officially targeted so far for Java 27, but several features are in the pipeline as candidates. Notably, JEP 527 – Post-Quantum TLS 1.3 has been targeted to JDK 27 to introduce hybrid cryptographic key exchanges for improved security. Additionally, draft proposals like Value Objects (Project Valhalla) and a third preview of Lazy Constants are being considered for JDK 27. In fact, JEP Draft Lazy Constants was elevated to Candidate status in February (as JEP 531), signaling a likely third preview in JDK 27 with API tweaks (removing isInitialized()/orElse() and adding a factory ofLazy() for collections). [infoq.com], [infoq.com] [infoq.com] [infoq.com], [infoq.com]

Overall, February saw the Java platform prepping for a smooth release of Java 26 and laying groundwork for the next LTS (Java 27) due in September 2026.

[infoq.com], [infoq.com]

Frameworks and Libraries: Major Releases

February was an action-packed month for Java frameworks, with many popular projects issuing releases:

• Spring Ecosystem: The Spring team delivered a “flurry of activity” around February 16, 2026. In that week, they announced Spring Boot 4.1.0-M2 (the second milestone toward Spring Boot 4.1) alongside milestone releases for Spring Security 7.1, Spring Integration 7.1, Spring Modulith 2.1, and Spring AMQP 4.1. At the same time, first milestones for the next Spring Session, Spring for Apache Kafka, and Spring LDAP were released. These milestone builds include new features and improvements: [infoq.com], [infoq.com] [infoq.com], [infoq.com]

  • Spring Boot 4.1.0-M2 added quality-of-life features like specifying a file encoding for config imports and more Actuator /info details (uptime, startTime, environment info) via enhancements to the ProcessInfo class. (For production use, Spring Boot 4.0.3 was also released as a minor update with bug fixes on Feb 19, 2026.) [infoq.com] [versionlog.com]
  • Spring Security 7.1.0-M2 introduced null-safety annotations (via JSpecify) and extended config options for anonymous authentication details. [infoq.com]
  • Spring Integration 7.1.0-M2 added support for the CloudEvents specification (new transformers) and improved testing utilities. [infoq.com]
  • Spring Modulith 2.1.0-M2 brought more consistent observability naming and cross-thread event visibility by default. [infoq.com]
  • Spring AMQP 4.1.0-M2 added AMQP 1.0 protocol support with new listener container implementations. [infoq.com]
  • First milestones for Spring Session 4.1 and Spring for Apache Kafka 4.1 likewise implemented JSpecify null-safety and minor API additions (e.g., a new ackMode in @KafkaListener). [infoq.com], [infoq.com]

  These early releases indicate that Spring Framework 7.1 and Spring Boot 4.1 are on track with Java 25+ support and incremental feature work. Developers can test these milestones to get a preview of upcoming Spring improvements. (No final GA releases of Spring Framework major versions occurred in Feb; the focus was on milestones and maintaining the current 4.0/3.5 lines.) [infoq.com]

• Quarkus: Red Hat’s Quarkus (the “Supersonic Subatomic Java” framework) saw significant updates. Quarkus 3.32.0 was released on Feb 26, 2026 as a feature release and will serve as the foundation for the next long-term support version. Key enhancements in Quarkus 3.32 include: [quarkus.io]

  • Project Leyden integration: Quarkus integrated early support for Project Leyden (an OpenJDK initiative to improve startup/warmup by possibly producing optimized runtime images). This should eventually help Quarkus apps start even faster with smaller footprint. [quarkus.io], [infoq.com]
  • Graceful Shutdown improvements: Changes were made to avoid sending HTTP 503 errors during shutdown. The goal is to let in-flight requests finish and deregister services more cleanly when a Quarkus app stops. [infoq.com]
  • Automatic Service Registration: Built-in integration for service discovery (like Consul) was added. Quarkus can auto-register applications to a service registry via the SmallRye Stork extension, simplifying service mesh setups. [infoq.com]
  • Plus various security updates and component upgrades were included, keeping dependencies up to date. [quarkus.io]

  In addition to the big 3.32 release, Quarkus had routine bugfix releases: version 3.31.2, 3.31.3, and 3.31.4 came out in early/mid February as regular maintenance updates addressing minor issues. Notably, Quarkus 3.31.4 fixed a regression around handling empty source directories and a Gradle-related NPE in test host configuration. These point releases ensure stability while the project marches toward the next LTS. [quarkus.io], [quarkus.io] [infoq.com]

• Micronaut: The Micronaut framework (popular for cloud-native and AOT-optimized microservices) issued two patch releases: Micronaut 4.10.8 on Feb 11 and 4.10.9 on Feb 25. These incremental updates primarily included bug fixes and dependency bumps across Micronaut’s modules. Version 4.10.9, for example, updated Micronaut Core to 4.10.6 and delivered minor patch updates to Micronaut Servlet, Micronaut for Spring, and the Micronaut MCP (Model Context Propagation) library. There was no major Micronaut version change in Feb, but the project remains actively maintained with frequent point releases. [infoq.com]

• Hibernate & Databases: In the Java persistence space, Hibernate Search 8.2.2.Final was released, aligning with Hibernate ORM 7.2.4.Final compatibility. This maintenance release fixed issues like a bug where an index document could be erroneously updated instead of deleted on cascading delete operations, and it made internal optimizations (like using Locale.ROOT for logger initialization). While not a headline feature release, it’s a useful update for anyone using Hibernate Search for full-text indexing. [infoq.com]

• Apache Camel: The integration framework Apache Camel put out version 4.18.0. This brought a few new components and features: for example, a new Open Cybersecurity Schema Framework (OCSF) data format was added, Camel JBang got an MCP module (perhaps for Micrometer or similar), and Kafka integration improved with a KafkaSecurityConfigurer for easier auth config. As usual, Camel 4.18 also included various fixes and dependency updates to keep the broad array of Camel connectors current. [infoq.com]

• TornadoVM 3.0.0: A notable release in the GPU/accelerator space for Java was TornadoVM 3.0 (General Availability). TornadoVM is a plugin for the JVM that enables offloading Java (and JVM languages) workloads to GPUs, FPGAs, and other accelerators. Version 3.0.0 was finalized on Feb 24, 2026. It focuses on compatibility and developer experience:
  • JDK 25 support: TornadoVM 3.0 is compatible with OpenJDK 25 (the current LTS), ensuring developers can use it on the latest stable Java.
  • Build and tooling improvements: the team refactored how IntelliJ project files are generated (removing an old --intellijinit CLI flag in favor of a Makefile target) to streamline IDE configuration. They also split their CI pipelines to separately test on JDK 21 and JDK 25, reflecting the importance of supporting modern Java versions. [infoq.com] TornadoVM is significant for performance-critical Java applications (like AI, scientific computing) because it allows heterogenous execution. The 3.0 release marks a maturity point for the project, bringing it in line with current Java releases and ironing out usability issues.
• Other Libraries: A variety of smaller Java libraries and tools saw releases:
  • JReleaser 1.3.0 (actually 1.23.0, since JReleaser uses a year.month versioning) came out, adding features to the release automation tool. It introduced filters for changelogs (to include only certain paths) and more lenient time formats in versioning. This tool helps Java projects package and publish releases across platforms. [infoq.com]
  • Chicory 1.7.0: Chicory, a JVM-native WebAssembly runtime, added support for new WebAssembly features (GC and multi-memory proposals) in Feb ’26. It’s inching closer to full WASM 3.0 spec compliance, allowing Java to execute WASM modules with advanced capabilities. [infoq.com]
  • RefactorFirst 0.8.0: An open-source static analysis tool, released by Jim Bethancourt, that guides where to refactor code. The new version reduced its own memory usage and fixed a NPE, showing that even niche developer tools are evolving in the Java ecosystem. [infoq.com]
  • Jox 1.1.2 (Channels): Jox is a library providing Go-like channels on Java’s virtual threads. Version 1.1.2 (channels edition) added non-blocking trySend/tryReceive methods for better integration with frameworks like Netty, and fixed build pipeline issues. This addresses a small but growing niche of using structured concurrency and channels with Project Loom virtual threads. [infoq.com]

Overall, February 2026 delivered steady progress across the Java framework landscape. Enterprise developers saw their core tools (Spring, Quarkus, Micronaut, etc.) continue to iterate with compatibility for the latest Java versions and feature previews. Meanwhile, the open-source community contributed meaningful enhancements in performance tuning, integration, and developer productivity libraries.

[infoq.com], [quarkus.io], [infoq.com], [linuxiac.com]

Enterprise Java & Server-Side News

The Jakarta EE platform (enterprise Java) continues to evolve rapidly post-Jakarta EE 11 (which was released mid-2025). During February, work on Jakarta EE 12 reached a significant checkpoint:

• The Jakarta EE 12 Milestone 2 was delivered (the second of four planned milestones in the EE 12 development cycle). This milestone emphasizes integration, consistency, and configuration improvements across the platform. Key developments include: [infoq.com]

  • The introduction of Jakarta Query 1.0, a brand-new specification to unify the querying capabilities of Jakarta Persistence (JPA’s JPQL) and Jakarta Data (NoSQL queries). Jakarta Query provides a common language (with a core subset and extensions for SQL) so that both relational and NoSQL databases can be queried in a consistent way. [infoq.com], [infoq.com]
  • Updates to Jakarta Data 1.1, Jakarta Persistence 4.0, and Jakarta NoSQL 1.1 to integrate with Jakarta Query. For example, Jakarta NoSQL now offers a JPQL-like Query interface for dynamic parameters and supports projections using Java records. [infoq.com], [infoq.com]
  • Early work on Jakarta EE and AI integration: A new proposal called Jakarta Agentic AI has been approved in concept. This would define standard APIs for building AI agent components on Jakarta EE runtimes. While still nascent, its mere inclusion signals the platform’s attention to emerging tech like AI. [infoq.com]
  • Baseline and housekeeping changes: Jakarta EE 12 will require Java 21 (with support up to Java 25) as the minimum, dropping any older Java support. It also removes the long-deprecated Java Security Manager and cleans up various outdated APIs, aligning EE with modern Java features (e.g., HTTP/3 support, better CDI alignment, etc.). [infoq.com]

  In summary, Jakarta EE 12 is shaping up to be “the Data Age” for enterprise Java, enabling polyglot persistence (speaking both SQL and NoSQL fluently) and tackling new areas like AI integration. The milestone releases give the community a chance to provide feedback before the final release (expected in the second half of 2026). Several Jakarta specs have already published their Milestone 2 versions by February, such as CDI 5.0, JAX-RS 5.0, Bean Validation 4.0, and the new Jakarta Query 1.0, among others. [infoq.com], [infoq.com] [infoq.com]

Alongside the Jakarta specs themselves, enterprise Java runtimes saw updates:

• Payara Platform (the open-source application server derived from GlassFish) issued its February 2026 release. Payara Community Edition 7.2026.2 (and corresponding Enterprise editions 5.84.0 and 6.35.0) came out with new features and fixes: [infoq.com]

  • Improved system logging configuration, allowing admins to specify the syslog facility for server logs. [infoq.com]
  • By default, the server now accepts HTTP DELETE requests that include a body (with a non-zero Content-Length), aligning with more modern HTTP usage where DELETE may carry a payload. [infoq.com]
  • Some old/experimental features (e.g., Deployment Groups, and the ancient Distributed COM support in GlassFish) were removed from Payara Community 7 to streamline the codebase as they focus on Payara 7 Enterprise development. [infoq.com]
  • Usability improvements and component updates were included as well (full details in Payara’s release notes). [infoq.com]

  These changes keep Payara current and preparing for the next major EE platform version. The removal of legacy features in Community edition suggests Payara 7 EE (aligned with Jakarta EE 11/12) is on the horizon.

• Open Liberty (IBM’s Java EE/Jakarta EE and MicroProfile runtime) had a GA release 26.0.0.2 in February. Notably, it added support for Java Toolchains in its Maven/Gradle plugins. This lets developers build Liberty-based apps with one JDK and run the server with another – useful for testing on, say, Java 17 while running on Java 21 in production. Open Liberty 26.0.0.2 also addressed a critical security issue (CVE-2025-14914) to patch a potential remote code execution vulnerability. Keeping up with such fixes is essential for enterprise users’ security compliance. [infoq.com]

• Apache Tomcat (a servlet/JSP engine) did not have a major release in Feb 2026, but Apache did begin prepping Tomcat 11 (which targets Jakarta EE 11 API compatibility). Some community discussions and migrations around Tomcat 10→11 and Jakarta namespace changes continued, anticipating a Tomcat 11 GA later in 2026.

The Eclipse MicroProfile specs (config, fault tolerance, etc. for cloud-native Java microservices) did not report a new version in February. However, many of the MicroProfile features are being more tightly integrated into Jakarta EE 10/11 runtimes and the new Jakarta Config spec in EE 10, so activity continues in that space as well.

In summary, the enterprise Java realm is very much alive, modernizing for cloud and microservices, and even exploring how to standardize AI integration in Java systems. Runtimes like Payara and Liberty are updating frequently to incorporate the latest standards and address real-world needs (logging, security, HTTP/3, etc.). [infoq.com], [infoq.com]

Tools, IDEs, and JVM Languages

Java developers in February 2026 also saw updates to their tools and other JVM languages:

• Apache NetBeans 29: The open-source IDE shipped its 29th release on February 23, 2026. NetBeans 29 included a variety of enhancements:

  • Better performance in Java editing: faster refactoring and “find usages” operations, and improved syntax highlighting for modern Java syntax (e.g. module-info imports). [linuxiac.com]
  • Updated Java tooling: built-in nb-javac compiler was updated to a recent JDK 26 build, ensuring proper support for Java 26 features in the editor. It also removed templates and references to the Applet API, keeping pace with JDK 26’s removal of applets. [linuxiac.com] [linuxiac.com], [linuxiac.com]
  • Gradle and Maven integration fixes: NetBeans 29 allows classes from specific source sets to run in Gradle tasks (fixing a long-standing issue). Maven support was improved by testing against early-access JDK 26 for compatibility, updating Maven to 3.9.12, and resolving some build classpath inconsistencies and exceptions in the IDE. Ant support was also updated with the latest Ant 1.10.15. [linuxiac.com] [linuxiac.com], [linuxiac.com]
  • Web development updates: support for new CSS constructs (e.g., image-set() and modern pseudo-elements) to fix parsing errors, better JavaScript editing (detecting duplicate private class elements, etc.). [linuxiac.com]
  • Frameworks/other languages: Bundled Tomcat was updated to 9.0.113, Groovy support to 3.0.25, and PHP editor got some nice touches like code folding for heredoc/nowdoc and a fix for an infinite loop bug in the PHP brace matcher. [linuxiac.com], [linuxiac.com]
  • Version control: Improved Git integration, including recognition of Codeberg (a Git hosting service) in hyperlink providers and an updated JGit library. Fixes were made to how the Git history log is ordered, and a bug with the “Checkout” dialog was corrected. [linuxiac.com], [linuxiac.com]

  All in all, NetBeans 29 provides a smoother experience for developers, especially those trying out Java 26 or working with modern web tech. It’s part of NetBeans’ quarterly release cadence, demonstrating continued investment in the Java IDE space.

• IntelliJ IDEA and JetBrains: JetBrains made an exciting announcement on Feb 5, 2026: upcoming IntelliJ IDEA 2026.1 will include native Wayland support on Linux. Wayland is the modern display server protocol on Linux (replacing X11), and adopting it promises: [itsfoss.gitlab.io]

  • Better UI scaling on HiDPI displays (no more fiddling with fractional DPI settings, as Wayland handles scaling more elegantly). [itsfoss.gitlab.io]
  • Potential performance gains in the IDE’s rendering (smoother UI, lower latency typing and window dragging) because Wayland reduces compositing overhead. [itsfoss.gitlab.io]
  • Improved security and future-proofing, since Wayland isolates applications better and is the default in many new Linux distros. [itsfoss.gitlab.io], [itsfoss.gitlab.io]

  JetBrains outlined a phased rollout for this feature (with internal prototypes and betas from 2024–2025), aiming for general availability in Q2 2026 with IntelliJ 2026.1 as the first release to support it by default. This is big news for the many Java developers on Linux desktops: they can expect a more polished experience in JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, PyCharm, etc.) once Wayland support lands. By addressing longstanding X11 limitations (like high DPI handling and flicker issues), JetBrains is keeping their tools aligned with desktop OS advancements. [itsfoss.gitlab.io] [itsfoss.gitlab.io], [itsfoss.gitlab.io]

• Other JVM Languages: While Java itself took center stage, there were updates in the broader JVM language ecosystem:

  • Kotlin: Although no new Kotlin version was released in February, JetBrains did tease KotlinConf 2026 (to be held in April) and highlighted the ongoing evolution of the Kotlin 2.x line. Kotlin 2.3.x is the current version (with 2.3.10 released in late 2025), focusing on the new K2 compiler becoming the default and improvements in multi-platform development. A February update on the Kotlin Blog showcased community contributions and upcoming features as the Kotlin ecosystem continues to thrive.
  • Scala and Groovy: There were no major version releases of Scala or Groovy reported in Feb 2026. However, both languages are stable on their current branches (Scala 3 and Groovy 4 respectively), and minor updates from late 2025 (like Scala 3.3.x series and Groovy 4.0.10) are being adopted gradually in enterprise projects.
  • JVM on WASM: Efforts to run JVM-based languages in the browser or WebAssembly environment got a boost from projects like the aforementioned Chicory and also JEP 456 (Foreign Function & Memory API for WASM), which is under discussion. These advancements could make it easier to compile Java/Kotlin code to WebAssembly in the future.

In summary, Java developers saw their development tools and ancillary languages keep pace with the platform. The release of NetBeans 29 ensures one of the major free IDEs is Java 26-ready, and the forthcoming IntelliJ improvements show commercial tools investing in developer experience on modern systems. The overall JVM ecosystem—spanning IDEs, languages, and runtime integration like WASM—continues to innovate in tandem with Java’s evolution. [linuxiac.com] [itsfoss.gitlab.io]

Community Happenings & Events

Java’s strength lies not just in technology but in its developer community. February 2026 was vibrant with community events, publications, and discussions:

• Jfokus 2026 took place in Stockholm from February 2–4. As one of Europe’s largest independent Java conferences, Jfokus attracted over 2,000 developers and featured a wide array of talks and workshops. The agenda spanned Java SE/EE topics, cloud and big data, frontend, Agile practices, and a strong focus on AI/ML (reflecting industry trends). New this year was an expanded “Deep Dive Monday” with 90-minute sessions for more in-depth technical explorations. Speakers included industry experts and even government representatives discussing technology’s impact (showing Java’s broad relevance). Jfokus once again proved to be a hub for knowledge-sharing in the Nordic Java community, with session recordings later published on YouTube for the broader audience. [eventbrowse.com]

• FOSDEM 2026 (Free and Open Source Developers’ European Meeting) was held in Brussels on the first weekend of February (Feb 1–2, 2026). Notably – for the first time since 2004 – FOSDEM did not have a dedicated “Java” devroom this year. Historically, FOSDEM had a Java/JVM track, but due to organizer shifts, the Java community content was scattered in other tracks or devrooms (e.g., a talk on Java memory management appeared in the Containers devroom). This caused some stir in the community, but Java developers still participated through polyglot and adjacent tracks (like cloud, containers, languages). The absence of a Java devroom was a talking point, underscoring how Java has become so ubiquitous that it appears across many topics even when not singled out.

• Content & Blogs: A lot of high-quality technical content was published by the community in February:
  • On the Foojay.io platform (a popular Java community hub), an insightful Java Developer Survey 2026 report was shared, aggregating responses from over 2,000 professionals about Java adoption, tooling, cloud trends, and the impact of AI on the Java ecosystem. The survey revealed optimistic growth for Java 17+ adoption and highlighted interest in productivity tools and cloud cost management.
  • InfoQ’s Java News Roundups (authored by Java Champion Michael Redlich) continued on a weekly cadence. These roundups are a goldmine for staying current: each week’s edition (Feb 2, 9, 16, 23) summarized the latest JDK progress, library releases, and community news. For instance, the Feb 16th roundup covered JDK 26 RC2, Jakarta EE updates, Payara, Camel, Quarkus, and Hibernate in one digest. Such summaries help busy developers keep track of fast-moving developments. [infoq.com], [infoq.com]
  • The Eclipse Foundation’s Jakarta EE Newsletter for February featured an article “Jakarta EE Meets Agentic AI” by Reza Rahman. This piece discussed how Jakarta EE might embrace AI agents, reflecting on the new Jakarta AI efforts. It’s part of a broader conversation on injecting AI capabilities into enterprise Java applications.
  • JavaPro.io (an online magazine) published guides like “Bring AI into Your Jakarta EE Apps with LangChain4J CDI” by Buhake Sindi, showing how to integrate LLM-based services into Jakarta EE using a new CDI extension. This is a practical follow-up to the AI theme, demonstrating Java’s readiness to work with cutting-edge AI libraries.
  • DZone featured an article by Xavier Portilla Edo on building generative AI in Java, using libraries and patterns that leverage Java’s strengths in enterprise settings.
  • The Gradle blog had a post by Trisha Gee about AI-assisted troubleshooting in build pipelines (via Gradle’s Develocity plugin for IntelliJ), illustrating how AI can help Java developers debug and diagnose issues faster.

• Podcasts and Media: Java luminary Adam Bien continued to host the “Airhacks.FM” podcast with episodes in February focusing on architectural best practices and developer experiences in enterprise Java. And the Foojay community’s “Foojay Podcast” reached episode 90, where they recapped the key Java features introduced between LTS releases 21 and 25 – a great way for developers to catch up on what’s new if they’re jumping from Java 17 or 21 straight to 25.

• Upcoming Events and CFPs: Calls for participation opened or continued for upcoming 2026 Java conferences. Notably, with JavaOne now under Oracle’s wing as part of Oracle CloudWorld (typically in the fall), community-driven conferences like DevNexus (Atlanta, April 2026) and Devoxx BE (scheduled for later in 2026) opened their registration and speaker proposal processes. Early 2026 also saw many local Java User Groups (JUGs) resuming in-person meetups or hybrid events, discussing the latest Java 19–25 features and frameworks updates. The Java community’s grassroots engagement remains strong worldwide.

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In conclusion, February 2026 was a high-energy month for Java. The platform is moving forward confidently with JDK 26’s imminent release and big plans for JDK 27. The ecosystem around Java — from Spring to Quarkus to Jakarta EE — is keeping pace by integrating modern Java features (records, virtual threads, new HTTP standards) and exploring new frontiers like cloud, AI, and GraalVM/native compilation. Toolmakers are ensuring that developers have the support they need (IDE updates, build tools, analysis utilities), while community events and content amplify shared knowledge. All of this activity underscores that, more than 25 years on, Java remains a thriving and evolving technology landscape. Here’s looking forward to what the rest of 2026 will bring for Java and its developers!