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Java Definition and Meaning
Java is a high-level programming language that is designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible, free to use and can run on all platforms. Java is a multi-platform, object-oriented and network-centric language and it is one of the widely used programming languages. It is also considered one of the fastest, secure, and reliable programming languages that is preferred by most programmers and organizations to build up their projects. Different applications can be developed for different purpose by using Java and Java can used for developing the following:
- Mobile Application Development including Android Applications
- Gaming Applications
- Java Web Applications
- Software Tools
- Big Data Analytics and Technologies
- Desktop GUI Applications
- Cloud-based Applications
- Create Enterprise Software
- Middleware Products
- IoT Applications
- Scientific Computing Applications, etc.
Why Java is Preferred Over Other Programming Languages
Over the last decade, the number of programming language has increased enormously. Of course, each language has its own strengths and weaknesses. Although, it depends on the programmer to choose which language is better for a particular project. Even so, Java is the most popular programming language among most programmers out of all the available languages. Java is famous for its top-notch security, high performance, backward compatibility, strong memory management and platform independency. Another reason for its high popularity is because, with the year 2021, it has marked the 26th anniversary of Java so Java is considered one of the oldest languages and experienced programmers find it more convenient to use due to its consistency in high performance and for being simple and easy to use. One of the best things of Java is that it is platform independent and can be written once and run anywhere.
Java is easy and quick to learn as it uses a syntax that is similar to English language with minimal symbols, and once familiar with the usage of the program, it is quite easy to write a program in Java. Java is used in a lot of different places as it offers high cross-platform function that programs can be written in one platform and can be ran across desktops and mobile embedded systems. It can also be easily moved from one computer to another. Java also provides its own memory management mechanism called garbage collection. When the application no longer needs the objects, it will automatically delete them, therefore, improving the speed of the application. Java being the open-source is also part of its popularity which provides developers a great amount to open-source tools and libraries that allows them to build high quality applications without spending a lot of money. This open-source feature as allowed developers to focus on improving and shaping the language, thus in turn, contributing Java’s development.
Java is convenient and so popular that even world’s famous companies like Netflix, Google, Instagram, Spotify or even games like Minecraft and many other more are using it in developing their software.
Key Benefits of Using Java
- Java is easy to learn as it does not require any prior knowledge of basic programming language.
- Programs written on a platform can run across desktop, mobile, and embedded systems as Java provides higher cross-functionality and portability.
- Java is free, simple, object-oriented, distributed, supports multithreading, and provides multimedia and network support.
- Java is a mature language, so it is more stable and predictable.
- The JavaClass Library supports cross-platform development.
- Java has a large active user community and available support as it is highly popular at the enterprise, embedded, and network levels.
- Unlike C and C++, Java programs are independently compiled bytecode language platforms, allowing the same programs to run on any machine with JVM installed.
- Java has powerful development tools, such as Eclipse SDK and NetBeans, which have debugging capabilities and provide an integrated development environment.
- Increase language diversity and prove compatibility between Java and Scala, Groovy, JRuby and Clojure.
Top 10 Java Web Page Tools to Make a Developer’s Life Easier
As a web developer, it’s a no-brainer that most of their professional life will be spent in front of a computer using Java. Java is the most popular high-level object-oriented programming language and is widely used across the world. This article will show some interesting and simple Java tools for web developers and testers to use to help them make code easy to write, compile, and debug. These top Java development tools are also available as open source and licensed, and there are free trial versions available on the market, so users can test it and gain hands-on experience before deciding which tools are useful in their code context. While Eclipse, NetBeans and IntelliJ IDEA are known as the big of JAVA, there are also other tools that can be used effectively for developing applications and the followings are the ones.
Eclipse is one of the most popular Java integrated development environment (IDE) on the market. It is a tool that is used for almost every language using plugins. In addition to Java, it also supports Perl, JavaScript, Python, C and C++ among other languages and offers PHP IDE. Eclipse is an open-source development environment that runs in the cloud and is free. It also allows developers to code in web browsers as the Eclipse comes in both desktop and cloud editions. Although Eclipse has a reputation for having tendency for slower performance than NetBeans and other IDEs, but Eclipse makes codes simple, easy to understand and debug which makes it more popular and is widely used everywhere in many organizations.
- NetBeans
NetBeans is another free popular open-source integrated development environment that is used for developing Java applications. The catching point of NetBeans is that it can be installed in any OS and can run in Windows, Mac OS, Solaris, and Linux. NetBeans used to be one of the most popular and although its popularity may have faded a little nowadays, there is a reason why it is still considered one of the big three of Java tools. Many developers still prefer to use NetBeans due to its support for fast and smart coding editing, easy and efficient project management process, beginner friendly and rapid user interface development. In addition to helping developers to write bug-free or error-free code, NetBeans also offers superior support for C, C++, and PHP developers. Another reason is also because NetBeans is stable as it does not require plugins like Eclipse. NetBeans also provides support for the latest Java technologies.
IntelliJ IDEA is developed by JetBrains, and it is a multi-purpose integrated development environment that focuses on Java development. It is one of the best Java tools that supports modern features for web and mobile. IntelliJ IDEA has strong customization features and provides support for JVM based programming languages like Kotlin. It also supports various programming languages and has built-in version control support. IntelliJ IDEA finds duplicate code fragments on the spot, so it is easy for developers to debug and provides features like inspections and quick fixes. IntelliJ IDEA also supports version control and other build tools like Maven, ant, Gradle, etc.
- Android Studio
Android Studio is an integrated development environment that is available as an open-source environment and is used for developing applications of any type of android devices, hence, the name Android Studio. While NetBeans is used for building desktop and web applications, Android Studio can be used to code Android applications. It is developed by Google and is used to develop most of the applications that people use in their daily life. Android Studio supports the Gradle System and has android based refactoring and Lint tools to catch performance and compatibility problems. Once the application is compiled in Android Studio, and if the application doesn’t break anything from Google’s developer policies, it can be directly published onto the Google Play Store.
- JUnit
JUnit is an open source unit testing framework for Java programming language. JUnit is an open source testing framework that has link JAR at compile time and it is used to help developers write and run tests. JUnit tests allow developers to write codes faster which increases quality and improves consistency. It helps in developing and carrying out tests. JUnit is an essential tool for test-driven development and deployment as it allows tests to run automatically and give immediate feedback for results. With JUnit, developers can write codes quickly and conduct tests efficiently. One of the features of JUnit includes analyzing source codes between all project files and languages.
- Apache Spark
Spark is a Java based micro framework designed for developing web applications. It has an ability to support multiple languages like Java, Scala, Python, etc., and it allows developers to create applications without needing to write boilerplate code. It is also free to use as it is an open source framework. Spark is also known for providing real-time streaming process and Spark streaming can handle real-time streaming process. One of the benefits of Spark is that it is very fast and dynamic as it is dynamic in nature. Spark code can be reused for batch processing and can also be used for fault-tolerance. The slight disadvantage of Spark would be it does not have file management system, therefore, need to be integrated with Hadoop.
- Gradle
Gradle is a free and an open source automation tool that is based on the Groovy programming language and is very flexible and extensible. It is built on the concepts of Ant and Maven and also serves as a default tool for android platform. With Gradle, developers can build, automate, and deliver perfect software. It provides built-in plug ins for Java, Groovy, Scala, etc. Gradle also give support for dependency management and builds and makes migrations easy due to its dependency and builds. Gradle can easily adapt to any structure and supports multi-builds and partial builds.
- Jcreator
Jcreator is an open source integrated development environment for Java created by Xinox Software. It is a powerful and light weight Jave integrated development environment written in C++ which makes it faster than other Java IDEs and involves the direct compilation of code. Its interface is similar to that of the Microsoft’s Visual Studio which makes the source code navigation easier and is used with Java Development Kit. Jcreator has a wide range of functionalities like Project templates, project management, debugger interface, code completion, multiple compilers, and customized user interface. It is free to use as it’s an open source and supports all Windows versions. Jcreator has wizards that helps to write code quickly and easily and help developers carry out debugging with ease. Jcreator would be a great choice for beginners due to its intuitive interface.
- Apache Maven
Maven is a project management tool for building and managing any Java projects and is based on the project object model concept. Code compilation can be easily done using Maven as it downloads java libraries and maven plug ins and store them in local cache. Maven also supports multiple programming languages such as C#, Ruby, Scala, etc. although it requires to install related plug ins. One of Maven’s notable features is that the performance is improved because of its better speed. It helps developers making improvements in error reporting and support backward compatibility. With Maven, the Maven spec combines all builds and dependencies and forces them into the source code alongside the developer code and the code can be maintained and modularized. It focuses on making the building process as simple as possible by providing a consistent build system. It also provides high-quality project information and promotes best practices in development.
- Site24x7
Site24x7 helps developers monitor the performance of Java applications. It supports applications built in AWS, .Net, Java, android mobile environments, and iOS. Site24x7 is a cloud-based website and server monitoring platform that assists small to large businesses in monitoring their websites, servers, clouds, networks, applications, and real-time users. Custom instrumentation is used to monitor individual methods or functions in code. Users can gain insights into uptime, web application performance, internet services, and private networks using the platform. Developers can monitor and troubleshoot applications, servers, and network infrastructure, including private and public clouds, with comprehensive monitoring capabilities. End-user experience monitoring is carried out from over 100 locations around the world, as well as from various wireless carriers. Site24x7 all-in-one monitoring features includes monitor tasks features, management tasks features, reporting features, security features and many other more additional features. In monitoring tasks features, features like remote monitoring, network device monitoring, multiple server monitoring, multi-device monitoring and automated alerts and notifications are provided. Performance date reports, customizable reporting, data visualization and risk analysis features are available in reporting features.
Conclusion
The world of technology is changing at as faster rate and ever before. Together with it, Java has become more widely used across the globe and due to that, there are a growing number of free development tools available for developers to use, making their work easier and faster and resulting in error-free code. Some are developed to be beginner friendly and designed for students so if anyone wants to pick up Java and start learning programming, some of the tools provided above would be a great choice for first timers.
