# Highlights of the Newest and Latest JEPs in Java 16 > The JDK Enhancement Proposal (or JEP) is a community process for proposals for enhancements to the OpenJDK. Which ones made it into Java 16? - URL: https://foojay.io/today/highlights-of-new-jeps-in-java-16/ - Published: 2021-03-16 - Authors: Geertjan Wielenga - Categories: Records, Sealed Classes The JDK Enhancement Proposal (or JEP) is a community process for collecting proposals for enhancements to the OpenJDK. Java 16, released today, incorporates the JEPs below: | | | | |---------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | **JEP** | **Name** | **Summary** | | 338 | [**Vector API (Incubator)**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/338) | Provide an initial iteration of an [incubator module](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/11), `jdk.incubator.vector`, to express vector computations that reliably compile at runtime to optimal vector hardware instructions on supported CPU architectures and thus achieve superior performance to equivalent scalar computations. | | 347 | [**Enable C++14 Language Features**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/347) | Allow the use of C++14 language features in JDK C++ source code, and give specific guidance about which of those features may be used in HotSpot code. | | 357 | [**Migrate from Mercurial to Git**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/357) | Migrate the OpenJDK Community's source code repositories from Mercurial (hg) to Git. | | 369 | [**Migrate to GitHub**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/369) | Host the OpenJDK Community's Git repositories on [GitHub](https://www.github.com/). In concert with [JEP 357 (Migrate from Mercurial to Git)](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/357), this would migrate all single-repository OpenJDK Projects to GitHub, including both [JDK feature releases](https://openjdk.java.net/projects/jdk/) and [JDK update releases](https://openjdk.java.net/projects/jdk-updates/) for versions 11 and later. | | 376 | [**Concurrent Thread-Stack Processing**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/376) | Move ZGC thread-stack processing from safepoints to a concurrent phase. | | 380 | [**Unix-Domain Socket Channels**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/380) | Add Unix-domain (`AF_UNIX`) socket support to the [socket channel](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/15/docs/api/java.base/java/nio/channels/SocketChannel.html) and [server-socket channel](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/15/docs/api/java.base/java/nio/channels/ServerSocketChannel.html) APIs in the `java.nio.channels` package. Extend the [inherited channel mechanism](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/15/docs/api/java.base/java/nio/channels/spi/SelectorProvider.html#inheritedChannel()) to support Unix-domain socket channels and server socket channels. | | 386 | [**Alpine Linux Port**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/386) | Port the JDK to Alpine Linux, and to other Linux distributions that use musl as their primary C library, on both the x64 and AArch64 architectures, | | 387 | [**Elastic Metaspace**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/387) | Return unused HotSpot class-metadata (i.e., *metaspace*) memory to the operating system more promptly, reduce metaspace footprint, and simplify the metaspace code in order to reduce maintenance costs. | | 388 | [**Windows/AArch64 Port**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/388) | Port the JDK to Windows/AArch64. | | 389 | [**Foreign Linker API (Incubator)**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/389) | Introduce an API that offers statically-typed, pure-Java access to native code. This API, together with the Foreign-Memory API ([JEP 393](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/393)), will considerably simplify the otherwise error-prone process of binding to a native library. | | 390 | [**Warnings for Value-Based Classes**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/390) | Designate the primitive wrapper classes as *value-based* and deprecate their constructors for removal, prompting new deprecation warnings. Provide warnings about improper attempts to synchronize on instances of any value-based classes in the Java Platform. | | 392 | [**Packaging Tool**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/392) | Provide the `jpackage` tool, for packaging self-contained Java applications. | | 393 | [**Foreign-Memory Access API (Third Incubator)**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/393) | Introduce an API to allow Java programs to safely and efficiently access foreign memory outside of the Java heap. | | 394 | [**Pattern Matching for instanceof**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/394) | Enhance the Java programming language with *pattern matching* for the`instanceof` operator. [Pattern matching](https://cr.openjdk.java.net/~briangoetz/amber/pattern-match.html) allows common logic in a program, namely the conditional extraction of components from objects, to be expressed more concisely and safely. | | 395 | [**Records**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/395) | Enhance the Java programming language with [records](https://cr.openjdk.java.net/~briangoetz/amber/datum.html), which are classes that act as transparent carriers for immutable data. Records can be thought of as *nominal tuples*. | | 396 | [**Strongly Encapsulate JDK Internals by Default**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/396) | Strongly encapsulate all internal elements of the JDK by default, except for [critical internal APIs](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/260#Description) such as `sun.misc.Unsafe`. Allow end users to choose the relaxed strong encapsulation that has been the default since JDK 9. | | 397 | [**Sealed Classes (Second Preview)**](https://openjdk.java.net/jeps/397) | Enhance the Java programming language with [sealed classes and interfaces](https://cr.openjdk.java.net/~briangoetz/amber/datum.html). Sealed classes and interfaces restrict which other classes or interfaces may extend or implement them. | **Tip:** For a full list of fixes in Java 16, [see the JDK 16 release notes](https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase/16-relnote-issues.html).