Java 8 continues to dominate the development landscape, even eight years after its release, according to a recent survey by Perforce Software. Despite its age, 37% of respondents indicated they still rely on Java 8 for their primary applications, underscoring its enduring popularity and stability. However, the survey also revealed a growing wave of interest in upgrading to Java 17, the latest Long-Term Support (LTS) release, signaling a shift in the development community toward more modern versions of the language.
The survey, which gathered responses from 876 Java development professionals between October 2021 and January 2022, highlighted Java 11 as the second most popular version, used by 29% of respondents. This reflects the strong presence of LTS releases in the Java ecosystem, as they provide several years of support and stability. Non-LTS versions, such as Java 9, 10, and others through Java 15, have seen less adoption due to their shorter, six-month support cycles, making them less appealing for long-term projects.
In addition to Java 8 and 11, the survey found that 12% of respondents use Java 12 or newer, followed by Kotlin at 8%, Groovy at 6%, Java 7 or older at 5%, and Scala at 3%. Among organizations planning to upgrade, 37% intend to move to Java 17 within the next six months, with an additional 25% aiming to adopt it within the next six to 12 months. Java 17’s release in September as an LTS version has made it a compelling choice for developers seeking a balance of modern features and long-term support.
The findings also point to the increasing importance of staying current in the Java ecosystem. With JDK 18, a non-LTS version, set to debut in March 2022, the industry is seeing a steady cadence of updates that offer new features and performance improvements. While non-LTS versions play a role in innovation, the survey underscores the critical role of LTS releases like Java 17 in driving adoption and supporting enterprise-scale applications.