Novel Uses of Core Java for Low-Latency and High-Performance Systems

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2024-12-21 11:00:04

Standard Java libraries and idioms may only sometimes suffice in high-performance and low-latency Java systems. This article explores unconventional yet practical techniques that push Core Java to its limits, focusing on performance, diagnostics, and determinism. Drawing on experiences from building ultra-low-latency libraries and infrastructure, we will highlight patterns such as capturing stack traces without exceptions, system-wide unique timestamps, "trivially copyable" data types, zero-garbage strategies, and more. We will also discuss lessons from applying these approaches in production environments, where nanosecond-level considerations are the norm.

This is taken from the transcript for Novel Uses of Core Java for Low-Latency and High-Performance Systems Moderated by Melissa McKay.

Developers often rely on standard Java idioms—throwable hierarchies, BigDecimal for financial calculations, thread-local resources, or off-the-shelf message queues. While straightforward, these approaches can impose unwanted latency, garbage generation, or diagnostic blind spots. Even microseconds matter in low-latency trading, market data processing, or other time-sensitive domains.