This is the framework-7.x branch: the maintenance line for the framework's 7.x releases. It exists for users who cannot move to 8.x, and it is where fixes for them are made.
For documentation on how to use, launch, and/or embed the framework, see doc/README.txt. A full change history is in doc/changelog.txt.
Framework 8.0.0 removed the OSGi security layer and raised the minimum Java version to 11, because Java SE 24 permanently disabled the Security Manager (JEP 486). master is now the 8.x line.
Everything 7.x users depend on is still here: this branch starts at a6b84a9596, the last commit before those changes landed, which is also tagged framework-7.x-last.
| 7.x (this branch) | 8.x (master) | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Java version | 8 | 11 |
| Runs on Java 24 and later | no | yes |
| OSGi security layer | supported (framework.security) | removed |
Require-Capability: osgi.ee | JavaSE 1.8 | JavaSE 11 |
Use 7.x if you need the security layer, or must run on Java 8. Use 8.x if you need to run on Java 24 or later.
The latest 7.x release is 7.0.5. The version in pom.xml is 7.1.0-SNAPSHOT.
master.Make a fix on master first and backport it here with a pull request against framework-7.x, so that it is not lost from 8.x. Much of the framework was changed when the security layer was removed (SecureAction, BundleImpl, Felix, EventDispatcher among others), so a fix touching those files will not cherry-pick cleanly and needs porting by hand. Fixes in code that 8.x left alone usually apply as they are.
CI runs on JDK 17 and 21. JDK 25 is deliberately not in the matrix: 7.x does not run on Java 24 and later, where the Security Manager is permanently disabled.