Found this interesting article on updates that have happened in Java since version 8- https://ondro.inginea.eu/index.php/new-features-in-java-versions-since-java-8/
Java 8 is still the most popular version of Java, though Java 17 is a recent Long term support version. Java 8 was an instant hit with the release of features like functional interfaces, Lambda expressions, Streams, Optional classes, etc. The post mentioned above talks about updates since Java 8. Here are some important features introduced as per my understanding