# Using Java's Foreign Function & Memory API to simplify Pi4J native interactions

DevFeed: [Using Java's Foreign Function & Memory API to simplify Pi4J native interactions](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/the-ffm-api-how-openjdk-changed-the-game-for-native-interactions-and-made-pi4j-better-23017.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.javaadvent.com/2025/12/ffm-api-for-java-on-raspberry-pi.html>)

Author: Frank Delporte

Published: 2025-12-16T03:03:39Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Java Advent Calendar](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/java-advent-calendar.md>)

Topics: [Raspberry Pi](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/raspberry-pi.md>), [openjdk](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/openjdk.md>), [Java](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/java.md>), [Library](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/library.md>), [Memory Safety](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/memory-safety.md>)

Tags: [2025](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/2025.md>), [code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code.md>), [java](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/java.md>), [library](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/library.md>), [memory-safety](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/memory-safety.md>), [openjdk](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/openjdk.md>), [raspberry-pi](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/raspberry-pi.md>)

## AI overview

The article explains how Java's Foreign Function & Memory API, finalized in Java 22, can simplify Pi4J's interaction with native libraries and memory on Raspberry Pi. It contrasts the API with Pi4J's earlier JNI and Java Native Access approach, focusing on memory safety, easier native-library access, and maintainability.

## Source excerpt

The Pi4J project is a Java library that allows you to control the GPIO pins and electronic components connected to a Raspberry Pi with pure Java code. It removes the complexity of using native libraries and the Java Native Interface (JNI), allowing you to focus on your application logic. In the Java Advent of 2020, I published "Light up [...] The post The FFM API: How OpenJDK Changed the Game for Native Interactions (And Made Pi4J Better!) appeared first on JVM Advent.