Java 9 Modularity

Chapter 8. Migration to Modules

With all the module goodness from the previous chapters, you are hopefully excited to start using the Java module system. Writing new code based on modules is pretty straightforward now that you understand the basic concepts.

Back in the real world, there’s also a lot of existing code that we may want to migrate to modules. The previous chapter showed how to migrate existing code to Java 9, without transforming the codebase to modules. This is the first step in any migration scenario. With that taken care of, we can focus on migrating toward the Java module system in this chapter.

Note

We’re not suggesting that every existing application should be migrated to use the Java module system. If an application is not actively developed anymore, it might not be worth the work. Similarly, small applications may not really benefit from structuring in modules. Migrate to improve maintainability, changeability, and reusability when it makes sense—not just for the sake of it.

The amount of work required for a migration largely depends on how well-structured a codebase is. But even for a well-structured codebase, migration to a modular run-time can be a challenging task. Most applications use third-party libraries, which are an important factor when migrating. These libraries aren’t necessarily modularized yet, nor do you want to take on that responsibility.

Luckily, the Java module system is designed with backward compatibility and migration as a primary ...