Java 9 introduced more efficient CDS and Java 10 further improved upon the feature, specifically to support the addition of application classes to the shared archive. The intention of JEP 310, application CDS, was not to bloat the archives, slow startup times, or consume more memory than needed. Those outcomes are nonetheless possible without a purposeful approach to CDS.
We use a three-step process with CDS archives: determine what classes to include, create the archive, and use the archive:
- Class determination
- AppCDS archive creation
- Using the AppCDS archive
Let's examine the details of each step.