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Never use deprecated fields, methods, or classes in new code. Java also provides an @deprecated annotation to indicate the deprecation of specific fields, methods, and classes. For example, many methods of java.util.Date, such as Date.getYear(), have been explicitly deprecated. THI05-J. Do not use Thread.stop() to terminate threads describes issues that can result from using the deprecated Thread.stop() method.

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Obsolete fields, methods, and classes should not be used. Java lacks any annotation that indicates obsolescence; nevertheless, several classes and methods are documented as obsolete. For instance, the java.util.Dictionary<K,V> class is marked as obsolete; new code should use java.util.Map<K,V> instead [API 20062014].

Obsolete Methods and Classes

The following methods and classes listed in the following table must not be used:

Class or Method	Replacement	Rule
`java.lang.Character.isJavaLetter()`	`java.lang.Character.isJavaIdentifierStart()`


`java.lang.Character.isJavaLetterOrDigit()`	`java.lang.Character.isJavaIdentifierPart()`


`java.lang.Character.isSpace()`	`java.lang.Character.isWhitespace()`


`java.lang.Class.newInstance()`	`java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance()`	ERR06-J. Do not throw undeclared checked exceptions
`java.util.Date` (many methods)	`java.util.Calendar`


`java.util.Dictionary<K,V>`	`java.util.Map<K,V>`


`java.util.Properties.save()`	`java.util.Properties.store()`


`java.lang.Thread.run()`	`java.lang.Thread.start()`	THI00-J. Do not invoke Thread.run()
`java.lang.Thread.stop()`	`java.lang.Thread.interrupt()`	THI05-J. Do not use Thread.stop() to terminate threads
`java.lang.ThreadGroup` (many methods)	`java.util.concurrent.Executor`	THI01-J. Do not invoke ThreadGroup methods
java.util.Date	java.time (since Java 8)

The Java Virtual Machine Profiler Interface (JVMPI) and JVM Debug Interface (JVMDI) are also deprecated and have been replaced by the JVM Tool Interface (JVMTI) (see rule ENV05-J. Do not deploy an application that can be remotely monitored for more information).

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Using deprecated or obsolete classes or methods in program code can lead to erroneous behavior.

Rule	Severity	Likelihood	Remediation Cost	Priority	Level
MET02-J	Low	Unlikely	Medium	P2	L3

Automated Detection

Detecting uses of deprecated methods is straightforward. Obsolete methods have no automatic means of detection.

Tool

Version

Checker

Description

Parasoft Jtest

Include Page

	Parasoft_V
	Parasoft_V

CERT.MET02.DPRAPI
CERT.MET02.THRD

Do not use deprecated APIs
Avoid calling unsafe deprecated methods of 'Thread' and 'Runtime'

SonarQube

Include Page

	SonarQube_V
	SonarQube_V

S1874

"@Deprecated" code should not be used

Related Guidelines

ISO/IEC TR 24772:2010	Deprecated Language Features [MEM]
MITRE CWE	CWE-589, Call to Non-ubiquitous API

Android Implementation Details

The Android SDK has deprecated and obsolete APIs. Also, there may exist incompatible APIs depending on the SDK version. Consequently, it is recommended that developers refer to the "Android API Differences Report" and consider replacing deprecated APIs.