[jira] [Created] (KAFKA-17842) Replace java.util.Date with java.time for microsecond/nanosecond precision and modern API usage

["APA (Jira)" <ji...@apache.org>]

APA created KAFKA-17842:
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             Summary: Replace java.util.Date with java.time for microsecond/nanosecond precision and modern API usage
                 Key: KAFKA-17842
                 URL: https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/KAFKA-17842
             Project: Kafka
          Issue Type: Improvement
          Components: connect
    Affects Versions: 3.8.0
            Reporter: APA


**Problem**:

Apache Kafka Connect currently uses `java.util.Date` for timestamp handling, which only supports millisecond precision. This is insufficient for applications requiring microsecond or nanosecond precision, which are increasingly common in modern distributed systems. Additionally, `java.util.Date` is considered outdated and has several limitations, including being mutable and lacking thread safety.

 

**Proposed Solution**:

I propose replacing the usage of `java.util.Date` with the modern `java.time`API (introduced in Java 8), specifically using classes like `Instant` from `java.time`, which supports nanosecond precision. The `java.time` API is immutable, thread-safe, and provides more comprehensive date/time handling capabilities.

 

**Advantages**:

- Support for microsecond and nanosecond precision.

- Cleaner, modern API.

- Better time zone and time arithmetic handling.

- Improved thread safety with immutable date/time objects.

 

**Backward Compatibility**:

Care should be taken to ensure backward compatibility where necessary, potentially providing conversion utilities for legacy systems still using `java.util.Date`.

 

**Priority**: 

This issue affects a lot of  use cases nowadays and forces people to find workarounds today, adopting `java.time` would future-proof Kafka Connect and align it with modern Java development practices.

 



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