Java 7, released in July 2011, is a significant update to the Java programming language and platform. It introduced several new features aimed at improving performance, security, and ease of use. Notable enhancements include the try-with-resources statement for automatic resource management, the diamond operator for simplified generic type declarations, and the Fork/Join framework for better parallel processing. Additionally, Java 7 brought improvements to the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and the Java Development Kit (JDK). It also included new libraries, such as the NIO.2 file system API, which made file handling more efficient and user-friendly. Overall, Java 7 aimed to enhance developer productivity and application performance.