Java 23 API for structured concurrency

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  • August 05,2025

Java 23 API for structured concurrency

Java 23’s Structured Concurrency API simplifies managing concurrent tasks by treating groups of related threads as a single unit. Centered on StructuredTaskScope, it improves error handling, cancellation, and code clarity by enforcing clear task lifecycles within structured blocks.

Java 23 API for Structured Concurrency

1 ) Introduction to Structured Concurrency

  Structured concurrency in Java treats a group of related tasks running in different threads as a single unit of work.

  This approach streamlines error handling, cancellation, improves reliability, and enhances observability.

  The core API is centered around the StructuredTaskScope class found in the `java.util.concurrent` package.

  This class enables coordination of concurrent subtasks by allowing them to be forked in separate threads and then joined as a unified task.

  Structured concurrency is currently a preview feature in Java 23, meaning it is subject to change and requires enabling preview features to use.

2 ) Main Features of StructuredTaskScope

  The fork(Callable) method launches subtasks concurrently, returning a Subtask rather than a traditional Future to represent them.

  The join() method waits for all subtasks to finish, ensuring the main task continues only after their completion.

  The API encourages use within a try with resources block, which automatically handles closing the task scope.

  The shutdown() method allows canceling all unfinished subtasks and prevents new ones from starting, enabling early termination policies.

  StructuredTaskScope ensures that the task lifecycle remains structured, restricting where subtasks can be joined and improving maintainability.

3 ) Benefits Over Traditional ExecutorService Model

  Traditional concurrency with `ExecutorService` and `Future` allowed subtasks to return arbitrarily to any thread or no specific parent, making it difficult to maintain clear task hierarchies.

  Structured concurrency confines the lifetime of subtasks within a scope, ensuring subtasks complete before the parent task proceeds.

  Error handling and cancellations become simpler and more reliable due to this strict structural approach.

4 ) Common Usage Pattern

  Create an instance of StructuredTaskScope with try with resources.

  Define subtasks as Callable instances.

  Fork subtasks using `scope.fork()`.

  Invoke `scope.join()` to wait for all subtasks to complete.

  Handle results or exceptions from subtasks.

  The scope automatically closes at the end of the try block, freeing resources.

Example:

 java

Callable<String> task1 = …;

Callable<Integer> task2 = …;

try (var scope = new StructuredTaskScope<>()) {

    var subtask1 = scope.fork(task1 );

    var subtask2 = scope.fork(task2 );

    scope.join();

    // Process results or handle exceptions

}

 

5 ) Subclasses for Common Policies

  Java 23 introduces subclasses such as `ShutdownOnSuccess` and `ShutdownOnFailure`.

  ShutdownOnSuccess shuts down the task scope as soon as any subtask completes successfully, useful for “invoke any” scenarios.

  ShutdownOnFailure shuts down the task scope upon the first subtask failure, allowing early error propagation.

6 ) Summary

  The Java 23 Structured Concurrency API, centered on StructuredTaskScope, introduces a new paradigm for managing multiple concurrent tasks as a cohesive unit.

  It improves code clarity by binding task lifetime within structured blocks, simplifies error handling, and improves thread management.

  Although still a preview feature, it represents a significant step toward more robust, maintainable, and observable multithreaded programming in Java.

 

 

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