Upstream tracking status: java.util.json moved to jdk.incubator.json

[simbo1905]

Upstream Tracking Status — May 2026

What We Were Tracking

• Repository: https://github.com/openjdk/jdk-sandbox
• Branch: json
• Package: java.util.json (in java.base module)
• Internal: jdk.internal.util.json

What Happened

On 2026-02-05, commit b956ae0 ("preview -> incubator") moved the entire JSON API from java.base/java.util.json to a new incubator module jdk.incubator.json with package jdk.incubator.json. The internal impl moved from jdk.internal.util.json to jdk.incubator.json.impl.

The Transition Was Purely Structural

Diff between c1a4f80 (last pre-incubator) and b956ae0 (incubator move) shows:

• 37 files changed — all renames + package/import updates
• Zero logic changes — only package names, import paths, and @PreviewFeature removal
• The API method names stayed the same at the transition point

Subsequent Incubator Changes (after the move)

The incubator branch then evolved with significant API changes:

• Method renames: bool()→asBoolean(), toLong()→asLong(), string()→asString(), elements()→asList(), members()→asMap(), element(int)→get(int), getOrAbsent()→tryGet(), valueOrNull()→tryValue()
• New method: asInt() on JsonValue/JsonNumber
• Removed: equals()/hashCode() on all JsonValue subtypes
• Renamed: JsonAssertionException → JsonValueException
• JsonParseException made final, added input validation

Our Current State

• Our backport tracks the pre-toInt() era (based on 2025-09-04 sync)
• The toInt() prototype was added in commit 682d268 (2026-02-03)
• Two more commits followed before the incubator move: c1a4f80 and 6640eb3 (2026-02-05)

Plan

1. Update to the last java.util.json state (commit c1a4f80) — this is the "final sandbox release"
2. Tag and release that milestone
3. Create a jdk.incubator.json branch from main for the full incubator upgrade