#jdk-26

#jdk-26

JDK 26, the first non-LTS release since JDK 25, has reached its second release candidate as declared by Mark Reinhold, Chief Architect, Java Platform Group at Oracle. The main-line source repository, forked to the JDK stabilization repository in early-December 2025 (Rampdown Phase One), defines the feature set for JDK 26. Critical bugs, such as regressions or serious functionality issues, may be addressed, but must be approved via the Fix-Request process. As per the release schedule, JDK 26 will be formally released on March 17, 2026.

Version 8.1.0 of the Regression Test Harness for the JDK, , has been released and ready for integration in the JDK. The most significant changes are: improvements in the logging format and order relative to agents, actions and test-related execution points; and the XAUTHORITY environment variable is now preserved when launching tests on Unix-like platforms. More details on this release may be found in the release notes.

JEP 527, Post-Quantum Hybrid Key Exchange for TLS 1.3, has been elevated from its JEP Draft 8358541 to Candidate status. This JEP proposes to enhance the implementation of RFC 8446, Transport Layer Security (TLS) Protocol Version 1.3, using the Hybrid Key Exchange in TLS 1.3 specification, currently being drafted by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), used in conjunction with JEP 496, Quantum-Resistant Module-Lattice-Based Key Encapsulation Mechanism, delivered in JDK 24.