Jenetics is a comprehensive Java library for implementing various evolutionary algorithms, including Genetic Algorithms, Genetic Programming, Grammatical Evolution, and Multi-objective Optimization. It's designed for researchers and developers needing a robust, flexible, and modern Java-based framework for complex optimization tasks, offering seamless integration with the Java Stream API.

How It Works

Jenetics employs a clear separation of evolutionary concepts (Gene, Chromosome, Genotype, Population, fitness Function) and utilizes an "EvolutionStream" for executing evolution steps. This stream-based approach, leveraging the Java Stream API, allows for functional-style programming and efficient parallelization of evolutionary processes. The library is highly configurable, enabling fine-tuning of evolutionary operators, selection mechanisms, and execution environments.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Install: Clone the repository and build with Gradle (./gradlew jar).
• Requirements: Java 21 or higher.
• Documentation: Javadoc and a User Manual.
• Example: The README provides a "Hello World" example for counting ones in a bit string and an image evolution example.

Highlighted Details

• Supports Genetic Algorithms, Genetic Programming, Grammatical Evolution, and Multi-objective Optimization.
• Integrates with Java Stream API via EvolutionStream.
• Offers experimental .NET Core and Scala wrappers (Jenetics.Net, Helisa).
• Includes modules for XML marshalling (jenetics.xml) and extended GA operations (jenetics.ext).
• Recent improvements include Java 21 support, virtual threads for fitness evaluation, CSV data parsing, and new genetic operators.

Maintenance & Community

The project is actively maintained by Franz Wilhelmstötter, with numerous academic citations and integrations into various research projects and benchmarks (e.g., SPEAR, Renaissance Suite, APP4MC).

Licensing & Compatibility

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. This permissive license allows for commercial use and integration into closed-source projects.

Limitations & Caveats

While powerful, the library requires a solid understanding of evolutionary algorithms and Java 21+. The "experimental" .NET port may have limitations.