Dropping Java 8 support in Sentry Java SDK 9.0.0 #6469

We're dropping support for Java 8 in the next major version of the Sentry Java SDK. Starting with 9.0.0, the SDK requires Java 11 or newer.

Why

• Java 8 is old. It came out in 2014. It is not supported by Oracle except for paid support plans.
• Few events still come from it. In the last 30 days, Java 8 accounted for about 0.6% of all error events sent by the Sentry Java SDK, and about 1.3% of events from non-Android JVM apps.
• Supporting it has a real cost. Covering everything from Java 8 to Java 25 keeps us from using newer JDK APIs and language features. It also needs extra build tooling (Java 8 API signature checks), makes CI slower, and adds work when we investigate bugs on old runtimes.

What this means for you

• On Java 11 or newer: nothing changes.
• Need Java 8: you can stay on the 8.x major version. It keeps working with Java 8.
• Upgrade path: upgrade to Java 11 or later before upgrading to Sentry Java SDK 9.
• Android:: No action is needed since AGP 7+ requires JDK 11 older versions are not supported.

Let us know if you have any feedback or concerns.