The OpenJDK January 2026 Critical Patch Update and Patch Set Update have been released, providing a range of security enhancements and bug fixes. This quarterly update includes 11 new security patches and hundreds of additional bug fixes for all supported Java versions, including 8, 11, 17, 21, and 25. Organizations are encouraged to update their JDKs every three months to ensure security and system reliability.
Notably, two types of updates are offered. The Critical Patch Updates (CPU) are focused solely on security fixes, while the Patch Set Updates (PSU) incorporate both security and non-security bug fixes. As part of these updates, notable features such as CRaC (Checkpoint/Restore in Userspace) have been added to Azul’s distribution, including image encryption and alternative images for cloud environments.
Alongside these updates, early-access builds for JDK 26 (Build 33) and JDK 27 (Build 7) have been made available, offering developers a glimpse into upcoming improvements. The Jakarta EE 12 release, although delayed to year-end 2026, has several specifications reaching milestone 2 status, following extensive vendor work on Jakarta EE 11.
This period also saw various other advancements in the Java ecosystem. Key releases include Apache Tomcat enhancements, Open Liberty’s log throttling and security vulnerability fix, and Quarkus 3.31’s new support for JDK 25. Additionally, JHipster, Gradle, and Spring Shell projects have introduced significant changes, from new Spring Security annotations in JHipster to improved CLI parsing in Spring Shell.
The Oracle Critical Patch Update further strengthens Java’s security for versions 25.0.2, 21.0.10, 17.0.18, 11.0.30, and 8u481. In parallel, the release sees updates across multiple platforms, including BellSoft Liberica JDK addressing January 2026 CVEs, Payara Platform’s targeted security adjustments, and GraalVM’s fixes for memory leaks with the discontinuation of macOS x64 support.
These updates confirm continued development and security improvements across Java platforms, reflecting the collaborative efforts within the community to maintain robust, versatile, and secure environments for developers worldwide.

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OpenJDK's January 2026 Critical Patch Update delivers 11 security patches and hundreds of bug fixes across Java versions 8, 11, 17, 21, and 25. The update includes both security-focused CPU releases and comprehensive PSU releases with additional bug fixes. Early-access builds for JDK 26 and 27 are now available, while Jakarta EE 12 has been delayed to late 2026. The ecosystem sees concurrent updates from Apache Tomcat, Quarkus 3.31 with JDK 25 support, Open Liberty, JHipster, Gradle, and Spring Shell. Multiple JDK distributions including BellSoft Liberica, Payara Platform, and GraalVM have released corresponding security patches, with GraalVM discontinuing macOS x64 support.

OpenJDK January 2026 Update: Security Enhancements and New Features