🏷 Native Code
2 patterns
Topic: Native Code
All Java patterns related to Native Code — java.evolved
Language
Calling out to C code from Java
Old
public class CallCFromJava {
static { System.loadLibrary("strlen-jni"); }
public static native long strlen(String s);
public static void main(String[] args) {
long ret = strlen("Bambi");
System.out.println("Return value " + ret); // 5
}
}
// Run javac -h to generate the .h file, then write C:
// #include "CallCFromJava.h"
// #include <string.h>
// JNIEXPORT jlong JNICALL Java_CallCFromJava_strlen(
// JNIEnv *env, jclass clazz, jstring str) {
// const char* s = (*env)->GetStringUTFChars(env, str, NULL);
// jlong len = (jlong) strlen(s);
// (*env)->ReleaseStringUTFChars(env, str, s);
// return len;
// }
Modern
void main() throws Throwable {
try (var arena = Arena.ofConfined()) {
// Use any system library directly — no C wrapper needed
var stdlib = Linker.nativeLinker().defaultLookup();
var foreignFuncAddr = stdlib.find("strlen").orElseThrow();
var strlenSig = FunctionDescriptor.of(ValueLayout.JAVA_LONG, ValueLayout.ADDRESS);
var strlenMethod = Linker.nativeLinker() .downcallHandle(foreignFuncAddr, strlenSig);
var ret = (long) strlenMethod.invokeExact(arena.allocateFrom("Bambi"));
System.out.println("Return value " + ret); // 5
}
}
// Your own C library needs no special Java annotations:
// long greet(char* name) {
// printf("Hello %s\n", name);
// return 0;
// }
hover to see modern →
JDK 22+
learn more →
I/O
Finalizers to deterministic resource cleanup
Old
@Override
protected void finalize() throws Throwable {
nativeHandle.release();
}
Modern
final class NativeResource implements AutoCloseable {
private static final Cleaner CLEANER = Cleaner.create();
private static final class State implements Runnable {
private final long handle;
State(long handle) {
this.handle = handle;
}
@Override
public void run() {
release(handle);
}
}
private final Cleaner.Cleanable cleanable;
NativeResource(long handle) {
cleanable = CLEANER.register(this, new State(handle));
}
@Override
public void close() {
cleanable.clean();
}
}
hover to see modern →
JDK 9+
learn more →