The Apache Software Foundation has announced the general availability of Apache Wicket 8.0. Apache Wicket is a open-source Java web framework designed to build complex web apps that leverage the benefits of object oriented programming.

The Wicket team set out on a mission with version 8 to help developers write less, but achieve more. With this release, Java 8 idioms are fully embraced, enabling developers to use lambda expressions. Other features include Java 8 or newer requirements, Servlet 3.1 requirements, component databinding as a functional interface, native JSR 310 date/time support, Java’s optional type and the removal of deprecated features from previous versions.

“Apache Wicket 8’s flagship feature, support for Java 8 idioms, started off a few years ago, and allows for a really great development experience where you can achieve the same functionality in a more secure, readable way,” said Martijn Dashorst, vice president of Apache Wicket. “I think our users are going to be very happy with the benefits it brings.”

Wicket was first developed in 2004 and joined the ASF in 2007. According to the foundation, the project is one of the few remaining survivors of the “Java server-side web framework wars.” The solution enables developers to build custom components, complex user interfaces, and ensure apps are sure and maintainable.

“Wicket 8 is a long awaited milestone for the project,” said Andrea del Bene, Apache Wicket committer and Apache Wicket v8.0 release manager. “We are proud to provide all the new functionality to Web developers who can leverage Java 8 to remove many lines of code throughout their code bases. The new features are essential for modern Java developers. With Wicket 8, developers can create more maintainable and better performant applications.”