Jdk 17 [best] — Java

If you are starting a new project today , both are excellent. However, JDK 17 has two to three more years of production battle-testing. Many enterprises will adopt 17 now and upgrade to 21 by 2026. The safe path is JDK 17 now , then 21 when your dependencies are ready.

javac --release 11 MyApp.java

Here are the standouts:

One of the most significant syntax additions in JDK 17 (formally finalized in this release) is . This feature addresses a long-standing tension in Object-Oriented Programming: the desire to model closed domain hierarchies versus the open nature of inheritance. java jdk 17

First introduced in JDK 14 and finalized in 16, records are now a permanent, trusted part of Java. They provide transparent, immutable data carriers with virtually no boilerplate. A Point(int x, int y) record replaces dozens of lines of equals , hashCode , and getters. If you are starting a new project today , both are excellent