Today, Java is more popular than other programming languages. It is also a programming language widely used by developers to create desktop GUI applications, web applications, web services, and mobile applications. But developers still need robust frameworks, IDEs, and development tools to write Java applications quickly and efficiently. Each developer also has the option to choose from many Java frameworks, IDEs, and development tools according to their specific needs.

Overview of 10 widely used Java frameworks, IDEs and development tools

1) Spring MVC

Spring is one of the mature and popular Java web frameworks available in the market. In addition to supporting the model-view-controller (MVC) software development paradigm, Spring also simplifies common programming tasks such as database integration, web service creation, and security. Programmers also have the option of using Spring Boot to create Java web applications that can be deployed without having to deal with complex XML configurations. Additionally, Spring Boot comes with a number of production-ready features such as health checks, metrics, and foreign settings. The latest version of the framework also comes with a command line tool that enables programmers to run Groovy scripts and web application prototypes quickly using Spring.

two) JavaServer Faces (JSF) technology

Oracle has developed JavaServer Faces Technology (JSF) as the official Java EE web framework.The framework developed through the Java community process helps programmers quickly create server-side user interfaces. It enables users to quickly create websites by keeping the presentation layer separate from the application logic. Developers can even use JavaServer Faces UI component tags to connect application logic and project presentation layers without writing any additional code. Community members also provide new JavaServer Faces APIs on a regular basis to simplify the Java web application development process.

3) Vaadin

Vaadin makes it easy for programmers to write single page web application server-side components in Java. Developers can also use Vaadin to develop web user interfaces with HTML. They can take further advantage of the robust Vaadin elements that contain a variety of custom HTML elements for business applications. They can even use components like charts, data grids, and combo box to expand Google’s polymer library. The tools provided by Vaadin Pro further help developers to make their web applications more interactive and mobile-friendly, as well as significantly reducing coding time.

4) Google Web Toolkit (GWT)

Google’s web toolkit helps developers make web applications more responsive by compiling Java code into JavaScript. Since JavaScript is supported by all modern web browsers, compiling improves the accessibility and performance of the website. The GWD SDK includes a compiler and development server, along with core Java APIs and widgets. These components allow developers to write client-side applications in Java and then implement the frontend code as JavaScript. At the same time, the GWT compiler optimizes the code base by eliminating dead code and reducing performance bottlenecks.

5) Grails

Grails is a version of Ruby on Rails for the Java platform written in the Groovy programming language. Programmers can seamlessly integrate Grails with the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). They also have the option to extend and enhance the framework by creating custom plugins or by using existing plugins. At the same time, they can also take advantage of various advanced features provided by the framework, including NoSQL support, built-in ORM, asynchronous programming, and compile-time meta-programming. Users can also take advantage of domain-specific languages ​​for querying, validation, and markup.

6) Game frame

In addition to being an MVC web framework, Play is also designed with features to simplify web service development. The framework also supports multiple JVM-based programming languages, including Java and Scala. Features like stateless services and asynchronous I / O make Play different from other Java web frameworks. Users can further take advantage of the framework’s code update feature to check the impact of changes made to the code instantly without rebuilding or restarting the entire project. Play allows developers to take advantage of a wide variety of plugins, testing tools, and IDEs while helping developers build scalable web applications.

7) Dropwizard

As a modern and lightweight framework, Dropwizard helps developers create and deploy both Java web applications and web services. In addition, it focuses on bringing together various components to provide an integrated development experience for programmers. The latest version of Dropwizard takes advantage of the new features included in Java 8 to improve application compatibility and security. Additionally, it enables programmers to monitor and evaluate code behavior in the production environment using metric libraries.

8) Eclipse

The open source IDE is written in Java and designed with features to simplify the development of a variety of Java applications. It is compatible with all major platforms such as Windows, Linux, and OS X. Users can easily customize Eclipse according to their specific needs by using a wide range of plugins and extensions. They can even take advantage of a set of useful features provided by Eclipse, including Windows Builder, XML Editors and Tools, Maven Integration, Git Team Provider, Mylyn Task List, and Code Recommendation Developer Tools.

9) NetBeans

The open source IDE is written in Java and enables developers to create desktop, web, and mobile applications with Java. In addition to being cross-platform, NetBeans also supports a variety of programming languages ​​in addition to Java. Users can further build a variety of Java applications efficiently by taking advantage of the robust features that NetBeans provides, including smart and fast code editing, GUI development tools, static analysis tools, debugger, and profiler. Additionally, NetBeans makes it easy for developers to upgrade their existing applications to Java 8.

10) JSource

Despite being a lightweight IDE, JSource includes features to facilitate cross-platform application development with Java. It is also developed entirely with the Swing component. JSource is also designed with functions to help programmers create, edit, compile, and run a variety of Java files efficiently. However, it supports syntax highlighting for several programming languages ​​other than Java. Java programmers also have the option of integrating JSource with other widely used Java development frameworks and tools.

In general, Java developers have the option to choose from many frameworks, IDEs, and development tools. But each tool may not complement all the needs of each project. Therefore, the developer must choose the appropriate Java development tools according to the requirements of individual projects. You can even consider combining these frameworks, IDEs, and development tools to improve the functionality and performance of your Java applications.