The Apache Log4j team is pleased to announce the `2.25.0` release. Apache Log4j is a versatile, industrial-strength Java logging framework composed of an API, its implementation, and components to assist the deployment for various use cases. For further information (support, download, etc.) see the project website:
https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/index.html Download page: https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/download.html Release Notes ------------- This minor release introduces bug fixes, behavior improvements, and complete support for GraalVM native image generation. GraalVM Reachability Metadata ----------------------------- Log4j Core and all extension modules now include embedded GraalVM reachability metadata [1], enabling seamless generation of native images with GraalVM out of the box—no manual configuration required. For more information, refer to our GraalVM guide [2]. Note: When building third-party Log4j plugins, using the new `GraalVmProcessor` introduced in version `2.25.0` will automatically generate the required reachability metadata for GraalVM native images. However, the processor will fail the build if the required `log4j.graalvm.groupId` and `log4j.graalvm.artifactId` parameters are not provided. For detailed instructions, see Registering plugins [3]. Exception Handling in Pattern Layout ------------------------------------ Exception handling in Pattern Layout [4] has undergone a significant rewrite. This update resolves several bugs and ensures consistent behavior across all exception converters. Key improvements include: * Stack traces are now consistently prefixed with a newline. * The default exception converter has changed from extended [5] to plain [6], offering better performance. * Support for the `{ansi}` option in exception converters has been removed. Date & Time Formatting ---------------------- Log4j has historically provided custom date and time formatters for performance, such as FixedDateFormat [7] and FastDateFormat [8]. These are now deprecated in favor of Java’s standard DateTimeFormatter [9]. If you encounter formatting issues after upgrading—particularly with `n` or `x` directives—you can temporarily revert to the legacy formatters by setting the `log4j2.instantFormatter` property to `legacy` [10]. Please report any issues via our issue tracker [11]. ANSI Support on Windows ------------------------ Modern Windows versions (10 and newer) provide native ANSI escape sequence support. As a result, dependency on the outdated JAnsi 1.x library has been removed. For details, refer to ANSI styling on Windows [12]. Jakarta JMS Appender --------------------- A Jakarta-compatible version of the JMS Appender [13] is now included in the core distribution. Detailed release notes ----------------------- For all the changes in this release, see the website [14]. Links: [1] https://www.graalvm.org/latest/reference-manual/native-image/metadata/ [2] https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/manual/graalvm.html [3] https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/manual/plugins.html#plugin-registry [4] https://logging.staged.apache.org/log4j/2.25.0/manual/pattern-layout.html [5] https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/manual/pattern-layout.html#converter-exception-extended [6] https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/manual/pattern-layout.html#converter-exception [7] https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/javadoc/log4j-core/org/apache/logging/log4j/core/util/datetime/FixedDateFormat.html [8] https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/javadoc/log4j-core/org/apache/logging/log4j/core/util/datetime/FastDateFormat.html [9] https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/time/format/DateTimeFormatter.html [10] https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/manual/systemproperties.html#log4j2.instantFormatter [11] https://logging.apache.org/logging-services/support.html#issues [12] https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/manual/pattern-layout.html#jansi [13] https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/manual/appenders/message-queue.html#JmsAppender [14] https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/release-notes.html#release-notes-2-25-0
