CheerpJ WebAssembly JVM previews Java 17 support

Leaning Technologies has released CheerpJ 4.1, an update of its WebAssembly-based JVM for the browser that previews support for Java 17 and improves support for mobile devices.

Introduced May 28, CheerpJ 4.1 follows last month’s CheerpJ 4.0 release, which maintained Java 8 support while introducing Java 11 support.

With CheerpJ, Java applications can be executed from the browser with no Java installations. Stable Java 17 support is planned for the CheerpJ 5.0 release expected by the end of this year. Java 17, a long-term support (LTS) release of standard Java, was introduced in September 2021.

CheerpJ 4.1 introduces an unprecedented level of support for mobile devices, Leaning Technologies said, making complex Java applications available to users across smartphones and tablets for the first time. Both AWT-based and Swing-based applications are supported, the company said. Other features introduced in CheerpJ 4.1 include support for SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and audio in Java 11, performance optimizations, and an improved networking stack.

CheerpJ is billed as a complete Java platform for modern browsers. It comes with an OpenJDK runtime and an emulation layer to provide file system access, general networking support, and other OS-level features. The runtime provides full compatibility with any Java application and works via WebAssembly, JavaScript, and HTML5 technologies. Essentially, it is a JavaScript library with no server-side or cloud-based component, according to Leaning Technologies.