diff --git a/website_and_docs/content/blog/2023/java-8-support.md b/website_and_docs/content/blog/2023/java-8-support.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..31a62d521830 --- /dev/null +++ b/website_and_docs/content/blog/2023/java-8-support.md @@ -0,0 +1,42 @@ +--- +title: "Java 8 support in Selenium" +linkTitle: "Java 8 support in Selenium" +date: 2023-06-09 +tags: ["selenium", "java"] +categories: ["releases"] +author: Diego Molina ([@diegofmolina](https://twitter.com/diegofmolina)) +description: > + On September 30, 2023, Java 11 will be the minimum version supported by Selenium. +--- + + +“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a saying you may have heard, but sometimes +it’s necessary to move on from our old favorites. That’s why we’re announcing that +**Selenium will stop supporting Java 8 on September 30, 2023**. This applies for +both the Java bindings and the Selenium Grid. + +Selenium has long supported Java 8, but as technology evolves, so must we. One of +the primary reasons for this change is that Java 8 reached the end of active support +[over a year ago](https://endoflife.date/java). In addition, our default HTTP +Client has not had a major release in several years, and a +[bug](https://github.com/SeleniumHQ/selenium/issues/9528) has been found that we can not fix. +We have decided to move to [move to the native Java HTTP Client](blog/2022/using-java11-httpclient/), +but it requires using Java 11 or greater. The sooner we make this change, the sooner +we can avoid dealing with this issue. + +Our new minimum version will be Java 11. September 30, 2023 is also the end of +active support for Java 11. However, we want to take a cautious and conservative path +forward, and not force our users to make the big jump from Java 8 to Java 17, as we +understand the community might need longer to move to that version. We will revisit +this topic in the future to announce the plan to support Java 17 as a minimum version. + +We understand that this change may require some of our users to make adjustments, but +we believe that it’s a necessary step for the continued growth of Selenium. Please +take some time to check your infrastructure and ensure you’re running on Java 11 or +higher. We understand that some may be hesitant or may find it difficult to make +the switch, but we believe it will pay off in the long run. + +Please let us know your questions, concerns, and feedback through our +[community chat](https://www.selenium.dev/support/#ChatRoom). + +Happy testing!