Nashorn is a JavaScript engine that comes bundled with Java Development Kit (JDK) versions 8 and earlier. It provides an efficient way to execute JavaScript code within a Java application. However, starting from JDK version 11, Nashorn has been deprecated and is no longer included in the JDK. In this article, we will explore the compatibility of Nashorn with different versions of Java.

JDK 8 and earlier

Nashorn was introduced in JDK 8 as a replacement for the Rhino JavaScript engine. It provided improved performance and compatibility with the ECMAScript 5.1 specification. If you are using JDK 8 or an earlier version, Nashorn is fully supported and can be used without any issues.

// Example Java code using Nashorn
import javax.script.ScriptEngine;
import javax.script.ScriptEngineManager;

public class NashornExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        ScriptEngineManager manager = new ScriptEngineManager();
        ScriptEngine engine = manager.getEngineByName("nashorn");
        engine.eval("print('Hello, Nashorn!');");
    }
}

JDK 9 and 10

Nashorn continued to be available in JDK 9 and 10, but it was marked as deprecated. This means that while it can still be used in these versions, it is recommended to migrate to an alternative JavaScript engine if possible. The GraalVM project provides a high-performance JavaScript engine called Graal.js, which can be used as a replacement for Nashorn.

JDK 11 and later

With the release of JDK 11, Nashorn was officially removed from the JDK. This means that if you are using JDK 11 or a later version, Nashorn is no longer available out of the box. If you still need to execute JavaScript code within your Java application, you can explore alternative JavaScript engines like Graal.js or other third-party libraries.

// Example Java code using Graal.js (GraalVM JavaScript engine)
import org.graalvm.polyglot.Context;
import org.graalvm.polyglot.Value;

public class GraaljsExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try (Context context = Context.create()) {
            Value result = context.eval("js", "print('Hello, Graal.js!');");
        }
    }
}

In conclusion, while Nashorn was a reliable JavaScript engine bundled with JDK 8 and earlier versions, it has been deprecated and removed from JDK 11 and later. It is important to consider alternative JavaScript engines like Graal.js or other third-party libraries when working with newer versions of Java.