A new version of GraalVM 22.2.0 released on July 26 has many new features and enhancements in stock! You can find the complete list of updates in the release notes, and we will review the most important ones, boosting the technology efficiency and making native image generation even more convenient.
Key improvements
- The size of the base binary was reduced by 42%. For instance, GraalVM CE shrank to 251 MB from 431 MB. This was achieved by separating the JavaScript, LLVM, and VisualVM from the main package: developers can add them if necessary
- Apple Silicon support was added to GraalVM Enterprise as an experimental feature and enhanced in GraalVM Community
- The compatibility of GraalVM Native Image and 3d party libraries was improved. Now, developers can use the GraalVM Reachability Metadata Repository to provide metadata for libraries unreachable to the Native Image during the build process
- The memory footprint was reduced. Many applications now need only 2 GB of Java heap to build a native executable
- GraalVM CE now supports heap dump at run time. In addition, developers can dump heaps of native executables with a new option
-XX:+DumpHeapAndExit - The GraalVM CE JIT-Compiler now uses less memory by releasing the unused memory in a stable state
Liberica NIK with GraalVM open source at the core
Liberica Native Image Kit (NIK) builds based on the latest GraalVM version are already out! Liberica NIK brings you all the benefits of GraalVM plus
- AWT/Swing support for Linux, macOS, and Windows
- JavaFX support
- musl support
- Latest versions of Liberica JDK 11&17 with security patches and bug fixes
- Support from a major OpenJDK contributor
In addition, Liberica NIK is the default native-image compiler in Spring Native, a framework that supports the compilation of Spring applications into native executables. Try out Liberica NIK now and see how you can enhance your applications with native image technology!
