Consider use of Java 8 `LambdaMetafactory` for Afterburner getter/setter access

As per:

https://www.optaplanner.org/blog/2018/01/09/JavaReflectionButMuchFaster.html

it seems like there is a way to actually get near-static access for getters, without (explicit) code generation, using Java 8 added class LambdaMetafactory. Whether it will actually work out or not remains to be seen – and, if it does, could it actually be added in jackson-databind? – but seems like a promising lead. While mechanism is probably not enough to cover all code generation needs (field access, constructor calls), getter/setter access is significant on its own.

[stevenschlansker]

Hi @cowtowncoder, I am prototyping a new Afterburner that does this: https://github.com/stevenschlansker/jackson-blackbird

Currently, we run this in production with good results, although obviously the approach is very new and requires additional proving out.

Is this something I could contribute to jackson-modules-base? It would be nice to have the source in-tree so it does not drift from Jackson versions, and it would make release management easier. Some projects have already expressed interest: https://github.com/jhipster/generator-jhipster/issues/9934

[cowtowncoder]

@stevenschlansker That sounds good, I appreciate caution wrt first using it, getting module mature and field-tested. That sounds like a good plan to me. With different maven coordinates can easily publish 2.10 version, and later replace “standard” Afterburner when proven stable.