Groovy 5.0.6

Apache Groovy 5.0.6 is now available, released on May 4, 2026. This is a patch release on the 5.0.x stable line that addresses several regressions and introduces minor enhancements to the language runtime and its integration with the Java ecosystem.

Version History Context

Remember when Groovy 4.0 was the new hotness with JDK 17 support? That was 2023. The 5.0 line, which launched in late 2024, represented a fundamental re-architecting of the Groovy compiler toward a more modular, GraalVM-native-friendly design. 5.0.6 continues that trajectory with a measured set of fixes rather than headline features — exactly what you want from a mature JVM language.

Key Changes in 5.0.6

The release notes list 18 resolved issues, the majority of which are bug fixes. The most notable changes cluster around the static compilation engine, GraalVM compatibility, and the build-ecosystem integration:

• Static compilation fixes — the static compiler (a key Groovy differentiator that enables near-Java performance) received three targeted fixes for edge cases around @CompileStatic interaction with lambda metaprogramming and generic type inference in sealed-class hierarchies.
• GraalVM native-image — a reflection-config metadata file was updated to prevent UnsupportedFeature errors when building native images of Groovy-based CLI tools. If you have been fighting --initialize-at-build-time flags, this release cleans up several known problem patterns.
• Groovy 5.0 → 6.0 bridge — the groovy-all uber-JAR now properly excludes artifacts from the in-development 6.0 line, resolving classpath conflicts reported when both 5.0.x and early-access 6.0 modules ended up on the same classpath.
• AST transform regressions — two regressions affecting @Canonical and @TupleConstructor in record-like class hierarchies were rolled back. If you use these transforms with inheritance, upgrade to avoid compile-time StackOverflowError.
• Date/time API extensions — the Groovy JDK extensions for java.time gained support for Duration.days and Duration.hours arithmetic shorthand, a small but frequently requested ergonomic improvement from the community.

The Upgrade Path

As a patch release within the 5.0 line, 5.0.6 is a drop-in replacement for 5.0.5 and 5.0.4. There are no breaking changes, no API removals, and no configuration changes. Update your build.gradle or pom.xml version string and rebuild — your tests will pass.

For Maven users: bump <groovy.version>5.0.6</groovy.version>. For Gradle: implementation 'org.apache.groovy:groovy:5.0.6'.

Looking Ahead

Groovy 6.0.0-alpha1 support appeared in the Groovy-Eclipse plugin in early May 2026, signalling that the next major generation is taking shape. If you are a Groovy power user, now is a good time to start following the 6.0 early-access builds while benefiting from the stability of the 5.0.6 maintenance release in production.