Java Card Platform Specification 2.2.2

The latest version of the Java Card Platform Specification is available for download.

Java Card technology is the leading open, interoperable platform for smart cards and secure tokens. Providing the basis for cross-platform and cross-vendor applet interoperability, the Java Card Platform Specification includes three documents:

The Java Card Virtual Machine Specification Provide the instruction set of the Java Card Virtual Machine (VM), the supported subset of the Java language, and the file formats used to install applets and libraries into Java Card technology-enabled devices.
The Java Card Runtime Environment Specification defines the necessary behavior of the runtime environment (RE) in any implementation of the Java Card technology. The RE includes the implementation of the Java Card Virtual Machine, the Java Card API classes, and runtime support services such as the selection and deselection of applets.
APIs for the Java Card Platform complements the Java Card RE Specification, and describes the application programming interface of the Java Card technology. It contains the class definitions required to support the Java Card VM and the Java Card RE.

Java Card Platform 2.2.2 Overview

Version 2.2.2 of the Java Card Specification introduces several optional additions to the award-winning Java Card platform. These new features provide specific support for the latest contactless and ID cards. Java Card 2.2.2 also includes enhancements to align with future smart card and USIM card standards.

Key benefits of Java Card 2.2.2 include improved interoperability for cards with multiple communication interfaces, richer cryptography and security features, and standardized biometry support. It also provides a series of new APIs for a more memory-efficient application development. Java Card technology v2.2.2 is ready for the next generation of smart card standards, and is fully backward-compatible with previous versions.

New features in Java Card 2.2.2 :

Utility APIs for TLV, BCD, short, int
Management of multiple contact/contactless interfaces
Support for up to 20 logical channels
ISO7816-based Extended length APDU support
Additional cryptography algorithms : HMAC-MD5, HMAC-SHA1, SHA-256 and Korean Seed
Signature with message recovery
Partial message digest
External memory access API

Compatibility with previous versions

Version 2.2.2 is an incremental update to the Java Card specification. As such it continues to provide the same benefits brought to developers and smart cards issuers by versions 2.2 and 2.2.1 :