Upgrading to JDK 17 is more challenging than a minor version bump. Here’s a migration checklist.

To understand the weight of JDK 17, one must understand the release cadence adopted by Oracle in 2017. Java now operates on a six-month release train. Every March and September, a new version of the JDK arrives. This keeps the language evolving rapidly.

For teams still on Java 8 or 11, the case for moving to is overwhelming:

Previously, if you created an abstract class or an interface, any developer could extend or implement it. This made it difficult to model strict hierarchies, such as a "Shape" that can only be a "Circle" or "Square."