java.text package

Text Formatting and Display

Collation and Sorting

Text Normalization and Transformation

Text Boundary Detection

Bidirectional Text Support

Parsing and Formatting Custom Data

java.time package introduction

By javaplanet.io / 22 May 2025 / 1 minute of reading

The java.time package is a modern Date and Time API designed to overcome the limitations and inconsistencies of the older java.util.Date and java.util.Calendar classes. Inspired by the Joda-Time library, this package provides a comprehensive, fluent, and immutable approach to handling date, time, duration, and time zones.

Why java.time?

Before Java 8:

java.util.Date was mutable and not thread-safe.
Calendar was complex and error-prone.
Time zone and formatting issues were common.

With java.time:

Immutability makes it thread-safe.
Clear separation of date, time, and time zones.
Fluent API design enhances readability and maintainability.

Key Components of java.time

Benefits

Thread-safe: All classes are immutable.
Human-readable and intuitive.
Extensible: Easily supports different calendars and locales.
Accurate time zone handling using ZoneId and ZonedDateTime.
Cleaner APIs with clear methods and less boilerplate.

The java.time package:

Replaces the legacy Date and Calendar.
Offers classes for local, zoned, and global date/time operations.
Handles time zones, durations, and formatting cleanly.
Should be your default go-to for all date and time handling in Java.