Introducing Java 8

Java SE 8 is perhaps the largest change to Java in its history, led by its flagship feature—lambda expressions. If you’re an experienced developer looking to adopt Java 8 at work, this short guide will walk you through all of the major changes before taking a deep dive into lambda expressions and Java 8’s other big feature: the Streams API.

Author Raoul-Gabriel Urma explains how improved code readability and support for multicore processors were the prime movers behind Java 8 features. He’ll quickly get you up to speed on new classes including CompleteableFuture and Optional, along with enhanced interfaces and the new Date and Time API. You’ll also:

• Understand why lambda expressions are considered a kind of anonymous function
• Learn how lambda expressions and the behavior parameterization pattern let you write flexible and concise code
• Discover various operations and data processing patterns possible when using the Streams API
• Use Collector recipes to write queries that are more sophisticated
• Consider factors such as data size and the number of cores available when using streams in parallel
• Work with a practical refactoring example to bring lambda expressions and streams into focus