Java 9 Modularity

Chapter 6. Advanced Modularity Patterns

The previous chapter presented general design guidelines and patterns for modular application development. This chapter contains more advanced patterns and module system APIs that may not apply to everyday development. Still, it is an important part of the module system. Not only is the module system meant to be used directly by application developers, but it also serves as a basis for other frameworks to build upon. The advanced APIs primarily revolve around such usage.

The next section explores the need for reflection that many libraries and frameworks currently have. Open modules and packages are introduced as a feature to relax strong encapsulation at run-time. It’s an important feature during migration too, so it will be revisited in Chapter 8.

After open modules and packages, the focus shifts to patterns for dynamically extensible applications. Think of plug-in-based systems or application containers. Central to these systems is the challenge of adding modules at run-time, instead of working only with a fixed configuration of modules from the module path.

Tip

Feel free to skip this latter part of the chapter when first learning about the module system. Most applications get by fine without ever using the module system’s more dynamic and advanced features. You can always come back later to gain a better understanding of these features after getting more experience with typical modular scenarios first.

Strong Encapsulation Revisited ...