OpenJDK Proposes First Native JSON API for the JDK After 15-Year Gap

OpenJDK published JEP 540 on 2026-07-23, proposing the first native JSON parsing and generation API for the JDK. JSON has been the de facto interchange format for over fifteen years; the platform never shipped a built-in API for it. The incubating module targets strict RFC 8259 conformance with deliberately minimal scope — no data binding, no streaming, no syntax extensions.