Evolution of Java Libraries

• know exactly which version contains which methods, in which version a particular method is getting deprecated, when it is being removed etc. (only public methods from public classes)
• contains information about the most widely used ~1000 Maven libraries + the Java standard library (from Java 8 until Java 19)
• utility used for parsing https://github.com/csabagabor/Jar-Parser-Utility

Format of the files

• name of the file: groupId&artifactId.txt (for the Java standard libraries it is java&java.txt)
• inside the file:
  • ### indicates class
  • # indicates method
  • @ indicates version
  • + "introduced"
  • - "removed"
  • * changed (e.g. *#<init>(Z)V[deprecated] indicating that the method is being deprecated in that version)

Example for the Java standard library (Java 8-19): java&java.txt:

+###java/util/List
@8
+#size()I
+#isEmpty()Z
+#contains(Ljava/lang/Object;)Z
+#iterator()Ljava/util/Iterator;
+#toArray()[Ljava/lang/Object;
+#toArray([Ljava/lang/Object;)[Ljava/lang/Object;
+#add(Ljava/lang/Object;)Z
+#remove(Ljava/lang/Object;)Z
+#containsAll(Ljava/util/Collection;)Z
+#addAll(Ljava/util/Collection;)Z
+#addAll(ILjava/util/Collection;)Z
+#removeAll(Ljava/util/Collection;)Z
+#retainAll(Ljava/util/Collection;)Z
+#replaceAll(Ljava/util/function/UnaryOperator;)V
+#sort(Ljava/util/Comparator;)V
+#clear()V
+#equals(Ljava/lang/Object;)Z
+#hashCode()I
+#get(I)Ljava/lang/Object;
+#set(ILjava/lang/Object;)Ljava/lang/Object;
+#add(ILjava/lang/Object;)V
+#remove(I)Ljava/lang/Object;
+#indexOf(Ljava/lang/Object;)I
+#lastIndexOf(Ljava/lang/Object;)I
+#listIterator()Ljava/util/ListIterator;
+#listIterator(I)Ljava/util/ListIterator;
+#subList(II)Ljava/util/List;
+#spliterator()Ljava/util/Spliterator;
@9
+#of()Ljava/util/List;
+#of(Ljava/lang/Object;)Ljava/util/List;
+#of(Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;)Ljava/util/List;
+#of(Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;)Ljava/util/List;
+#of(Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;)Ljava/util/List;
+#of(Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;)Ljava/util/List;
+#of(Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;)Ljava/util/List;
+#of(Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;)Ljava/util/List;
+#of(Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;)Ljava/util/List;
+#of(Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;)Ljava/util/List;
+#of(Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/Object;)Ljava/util/List;
+#of([Ljava/lang/Object;)Ljava/util/List;
@10
+#copyOf(Ljava/util/Collection;)Ljava/util/List;

Explanation:

• java/util/List introduced in version 8 (we only go back to Java 8 for simplicity but for Maven libraries all versions are taken into account)
• methods size()I, isEmpty()Z,...,spliterator()Ljava/util/Spliterator are introduced in version 8
• methods of()Ljava/util/List, of(Ljava/lang/Object;)Ljava/util/List,... are introduced in version 9
• method copyOf(Ljava/util/Collection;)Ljava/util/List introduced in version 10

Example for Mockito Core: org.mockito&mockito-core.txt:

+###org/mockito/Matchers
@1.3
+#<init>()V
+#anyBoolean()Z
+#anyByte()B
+#anyChar()C
...
@2.0.83-beta
*#anyVararg()Ljava/lang/Object;[deprecated]
...
@2.0.85-beta
-#anyVararg()Ljava/lang/Object;[deprecated]
...
@4.0.0
-###org/mockito/Matchers

Explanation:

• class org/mockito/Matchers introduced in version 1.3 with methods <init>()V,...,anyChar()C
• anyVararg()Ljava/lang/Object; being deprecated in version 2.0.83-beta
• anyVararg()Ljava/lang/Object; being removed in version 2.0.85-beta
• class org/mockito/Matchers being removed in version 4.0.0

Most used Maven libraries - TOP 100

• analysis done by parsing all Java repositories on Github having more than 140 stars

Most used Maven libraries by version - TOP 100