Java would get an API for processing Java class files, under a proposal afoot in the Java community.
The draft classfile API proposal calls for provision of an API for parsing, generating, and transforming Java class files. This classfile library initially would serve as an internal replacement for the ASM Java bytecode manipulation framework. Eventually, ASM would be removed entirely from the JDK.
The classfile API proposal notes that class file generation, parsing, and instrumentation are ubiquitous in the Java ecosystem, with many tools and libraries needing to process class files. Frameworks often perform on-the-fly bytecode instrumentation. The JDK, the proposal states, should provide an accurate, complete, up-to-date, performant API for reading, writing, and transforming Java class files.
