Foreign Function Interfaces (FFI) are software APIs that permits programs to call methods/functions from a program written in a different language. In an upcoming version of the JDK, we are apt to see an FFI that allows developers to call upon shared libraries and operating-system kernels directly from java methods. The proposed FFI will reportedly also enable developers to manage native memory blocks.
The new FFI will be similar to Java Native Access (JNA) and Java Native Runtime (JNR). JNA is a library that permits access to native shared libraries without having to use the Java Native Interface (JNI). JNR is a Java API that is used for calling native code. The proposed FFI will permit and optimize native method ...
