Java EE 7 — what's new

Java EE 7 is out and brings functionality we’ve been waiting for. WebSocket API, JSON Processing, Batch API and improvements in JPA 2.1.

WebSocket API (JSR 356)¶

Standard WebSocket support. Full-duplex communication — ideal for dashboards and notifications. Annotation-based API: @ServerEndpoint, @OnMessage. Real-time updates without polling.

JSON Processing (JSR 353)¶

Native JSON support — JsonObject, JsonArray, JsonParser. You don’t need Jackson or Gson. Streaming API for large documents.

Batch API (JSR 352)¶

What Spring Batch has done for years is now a standard. Chunk-oriented processing, retry, skip policies. An alternative to PL/SQL for nightly batch jobs.

JPA 2.1¶

Stored procedure support via the JPA API. Entity Graphs — declarative fetch strategies. Resolves LazyInitializationException more cleanly. Criteria API update/delete.

When we’ll migrate¶

GlassFish 4 and JBoss/WildFly 8. New projects from Q1 2014. Existing projects gradually — backward compatibility preserved.

Conclusion¶

Java EE 7 is a solid evolution. WebSocket, JSON Processing and the Batch API replace external libraries. JPA 2.1 Entity Graphs are a game changer.