Java 9 Modularity

Chapter 1. Modularity Matters

Have you ever scratched your head in bewilderment, asking yourself, “Why is this code here? How does it relate to the rest of this gigantic codebase? Where do I even begin?” Or did your eyes glaze over after scanning the multitude of Java Archives (JARs) bundled with your application code? We certainly have.

The art of structuring large codebases is an undervalued one. This is neither a new problem, nor is it specific to Java. However, Java is one of the mainstream languages in which very large applications are built all the time—often making heavy use of many libraries from the Java ecosystem. Under these circumstances, systems can outgrow our capacity for understanding and efficient development. A lack of structure is dearly paid for in the long run, experience shows.

Modularity is one of the techniques you can employ to manage and reduce this complexity. Java 9 introduces a new module system that makes modularization easier and more accessible. It builds on top of abstractions Java already has for modular development. In a sense, it promotes existing best practices on large-scale Java development to be part of the Java language.

The Java module system will have a profound impact on Java development. It represents a fundamental shift to modularity as a first-class citizen for the whole Java platform. Modularization is addressed from the ground up, with changes to the language, Java Virtual Machine (JVM), and standard libraries. While this represents ...