This section provides an overview of how to keep your version of the Cloud Client Libraries for Java, up-to-date with ongoing releases of Java SE.
For new development
When starting a new project, we recommend choosing the latest Generally Available LTS version of Java. Java 21 is Generally Available since September 2023, and is the best choice for new development.
Java 17, Java 11, and Java 8 are also supported alternatives.
Keeping production systems current
Keeping your production systems on supported Java runtimes is the best way to ensure that you receive critical security and bug fixes. After a Java version goes end-of-life, the runtime will no longer receive critical updates.
Cloud Client Libraries for Java are compatible with, and tested against Java 8, Java 11, Java 17, and Java 21. Java 8 will continue to be supported by Cloud Client Libraries for Java until at least September 2026.
Legacy support
Google's client libraries support legacy versions of Java runtimes with long term stable libraries that don't receive feature updates on a best efforts basis as it may not be possible to backport all patches.
Google provides updates on a best efforts basis to apps that continue to use Java 7, though apps might need to upgrade to current versions of the library that supports their JVM.
Where to find version information
The latest versions and the supported Java versions are identified on
the individual GitHub repository github.com/GoogleAPIs/java-SERVICENAME
and on
google-cloud-java.