Java records, available since Java 16 (LTS in 17 and 21), act as transparent carriers for immutable data and auto-generate constructors, toString, hashCode, and equals methods. A key pitfall is shallow immutability: record fields are immutable references, but mutable objects like ArrayList stored in them can still be modified. To achieve true immutability, use defensive constructors with List.copyOf() (which is free after the first copy since it just copies a pointer for already-immutable lists), or throw exceptions on invalid input. For updating records with changed fields, domain-specific 'wither' methods or Lombok's @With annotation are practical options until JEP 468 (record withers) lands in a future Java release. Migration can be done incrementally using IntelliJ hints or OpenRewrite's 'Lombok Value to Record' recipe. Records reduce cognitive load, help surface hidden mutability bugs, and eliminate the need for Lombok in modern Java projects.
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