Java is widely used in a wide range of programming fields, including big data analytics, machine learning, web development, and android development. With more than 25 years of experience, Java has proven to be a versatile, powerful tool that's helped millions of developers.
The Java programming language has been designed to have very few implementation dependencies since it is a high-level Object Oriented Programming Language. As a general-purpose language, Java allows application developers to write once and run anywhere (WORA). Compiling Java code means that it can run on all platforms that support Java without having to be recompiled. Compiling Java applications to bytecode and then executing the bytecode generated on any Java virtual machine (JVM) is common practice.
Java has maintained its position as one of the top three most popular languages for a very long time because of its platform. A Java platform extends beyond a programming language. Additionally, it provides a number of ready-made code libraries and frameworks, which are extensively used by developers.
Hence, Java can prove to be invaluable to all budding coders in today's world, whether they are working in the field of Algorithms and Data Structures, or in development. Whether you are attempting to crack a coding interview or developing a project, Java is definitely one of the languages to consider.
What is a java framework?
A framework is a large amount of pre-written code to which your own code is added in order to address a particular issue. By invoking the framework's methods, implementing inheritance, and supplying callbacks, listeners, or other implementations, the framework can be accessible. The framework of an application frequently determines how it is structured. Some frameworks even give so much code that developing your application only requires minimal effort.
Java frameworks may have predefined classes and functions that are used to process, input, manage, and communicate with hardware devices. It depends on the framework type, the amount of programming knowledge, and the preferences of the programmer.
Best Java Frameworks You Should Know
Having examined what Java frameworks are, I'd like to explore the most popular Java frameworks of today:
1. Spring Framework
The spring framework is a versatile java framework that enables companies to develop complex applications with ease. The framework has been popular since its creation in March 2004, making it one of the most popular open-source frameworks. It has been referred to as the “framework of frameworks” due to its popularity. As a Java framework, Spring has gained popularity in recent years due to its simplicity and modularity. It is an open-source and loosely coupled java application framework. Java applications rely on the core features of the spring framework. Web applications may be developed on the Java Enterprise Edition platform by utilizing Spring extensions in addition to the core features. Some of the corporations currently utilizing the Spring framework include Amazon, eBay, Netflix, and others.
2. Dropwizard
Dropwizard is an open-source Java library for developing fast and simple RESTful web services. It is especially suitable for creating Java microservices. Dropwizard is a fast and distraction-free technology that combines several well-known Java libraries. It includes an embedded Jetty server, Google Guava, Logback, Hibernate Validator, Joda Time, and other popular Java libraries. A RESTful web service may be created using Jersey and Jackson for processing JSON, in addition to all the libraries mentioned above. A single package includes all the libraries mentioned above in addition to all the dependencies listed above. Because the package includes everything, you don't have to spend much time on secondary functionality such as configuration, metrics, or logging. You may focus on the core business logic of your app and achieve maximum productivity.
3. Apache Struts
Apache Struts is a popular open-source framework for web applications. It uses the Model-View-Controller design pattern and extends JSP API in addition to being an open-source framework. In a standard servlet-JSP approach, when a user submits a form with his personal information, the form information is sent to a servlet, which then sends the control data to the next JSP (Java Server Pages - where Java code is written in HTML). This can be confusing for complex programs as the 'View' or presentation layer should not contain business logic. The controller, data model, and view are all separated in Struts and linked by a struts-config.xml configuration file. An ActionServlet controls the view, an ActionForm JavaBean controls the user's data, and an Action object controls the application flow.
4. Hibernate
Hibernate has completely changed how we view databases despite not being a full-stack framework. As an object-relational-mapper (ORM) database, Hibernate implements the Java Persistence API (JPA). In Hibernate, queries are called HQL (Hibernate Query Language) just like SQL queries. Java classes are directly mapped to corresponding database tables by Hibernate. Java classes are mapped with database configurations in hibernate's hibernate.cfg.xml file. With Hibernate, you don't have to worry about the problems with JDBC - JDBC doesn't support object-level relationships and you'll have to make a lot of changes if you decide to migrate to another database.
5. The Google Web Toolkit
The Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is a framework for developing rich internet applications with Java. GWT is helpful because it allows Java code to be converted into JavaScript - and even custom script based on the browser. This feature is very useful to me since we used to spend a lot of time and energy testing the browsers during development. By using this open-source toolkit, we can develop highly performant web applications more quickly. Due to GWT's compatibility with Eclipse IDE, and Maven, you can easily integrate your existing codebase with GWT. A lot of the basic stuff can also be accomplished with the framework's extensive widget libraries, which makes it possible for even a beginner in Java to develop business logic. GWT is composed of three major components - the Java to JS compiler, the JRE emulation library that sits over the JRE core library, and the GWT UI building library that includes the UI components, history management, and various other functionalities.
6. Play
Play Framework is an open-source framework for building web applications. It is based on the MVC (Model View Controller) architectural pattern. Using Scala as a programming language, this framework can be compiled to JVM bytecode and used in other languages, such as Java. A lot of Play's features are similar to those of Django, Ruby on Rails, or ASP.NET. It also doesn't always follow J2EE web standards. Instead of doing that, it will eliminate all the drawbacks of traditional Java web development, such as a long Software Development Cycle, a lot of configurations, etc. With this framework, distributed and concurrent applications can be created on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) using the Akka Toolkit. A majority of web applications using Play require content creation as well as applications utilizing Java and Scala.
7. Grails
Grails is a full-stack framework that is easy to learn for those just starting their programming careers. Grails runs on the Java platform and is fully compatible with Java syntax, despite being written in Groovy. The framework follows the MVC design pattern. Java and Groovy are similar, but Groovy adds some additional features. If you already know Java, Groovy is very easy to learn. Grails uses GSP (Groovy Server Pages) to render pages, similar to JSP. It is simple and easy to create tags for the View in Grails. Grails also utilize GORM, which is the ORM implementation. GORM can also be replaced with Hibernate directly. RESTful APIs can be created easily with Grails due to their built-in support. This is the best part - you can use Grails with your existing Java code. It will work perfectly if your application contains a mix of Java and Groovy code!
8. Open Service Gateway
The Open Service Gateway defines a component-based system using Java. Each bundle is a component of this system. It is an open initiative that creates component-based systems, each bundle being a jar file with OSGi headers. To start the OSGi platform, bundles must explicitly declare the packages they need to access on the OSGi platform, or else they won't start. Bundles are discovered, published, and bound as services using the JVM-level service registry. OSGi technology is easy to integrate with Maven and Eclipse projects, and it is because of its modular application design, which enables quick changes and adaptability without application downtime (runtime flexibility). OSGi has many terrific concepts and benefits, but because of its independent bundles, versioning might be problematic. It is, however, important to invest some time studying OSGi's features and benefits.
9. JHipster
With JHipster, you can create web applications using Spring Boot as well as popular frontend frameworks (Vue, Angular, React, and others). Many leading brands use it, including Adobe, Siemens, Bosch, HBO, and Google. JHipster makes it easy to create Java-based microservices and web applications. With Spring Boot, you can create production-grade Spring-based applications that require only minimal configuration. JHipster provides you a full-stack architecture by combining this with Angular, React, Vue, and Bootstrap
JHipster offers two architectural styles. It is possible to develop an application using a monolithic architecture, which is one application that contains both the front end and the back end. Or you can choose the microservice design, which separates the front end and back end. JHipster also gives a tonne of choices for the client and server-side coding, bundling, and many DevOps chores. It also interfaces with a number of other tools.
10. Java Server Faces
Web applications can be developed using a Java framework called Java Server Faces. It is part of the Java Platform, Enterprise Edition, and is formalized as a standard through the Java Community Process. Java Server Faces makes it easier to create user interfaces (UIs) for server-based applications by utilizing reusable components in a page. Known for their stability, Java Server Faces completely separate application logic from representation in their architecture. As a result, native applications can be developed using it.
11. Apache Wicket
The learning curve will be a piece of cake if you have already worked with JSP. The Wicket framework is a component-oriented Java web framework and all you need to know is how to code in Java and HTML. Neither XML nor configuration files is needed! A key feature of Wicket is its POJO model, where components are OOP-compliant (Plain Old Java Objects). Developers can customize these components by combining images, buttons, forms, links, pages, containers, behaviors, and more into reusable packages.
12. MyBatis
MyBatis is a Java persistence framework that connects to relational databases and simplifies them for Java applications. The framework connects application and database layers and fixes issues resulting from their diverse architectures. It does so by acting as a middleware layer between the Java application and the SQL database. Because the Java code of your application is connected to its underlying SQL database, you must use the JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) API to access data sources like relational databases and spreadsheets. MyBatis reduces the amount of code necessary to connect to relational databases and lets you interact with them in a simpler way. It lets you run SQL queries with just a single line of code, for example. However, MyBatis is similar to Hibernate but unlike Hibernate doesn't map Java objects to database tables. Instead, it connects Java methods to SQL statements.
13. OpenXava
The low-code platform OpenXava can help you set up your business applications in no time. Developers can create even the most complex applications with ease and simplicity with OpenXava's business components. OpenXava uses Java classes as a core to model business problems, and developers only describe them as simple Java classes with annotations. The necessary functions are created at run time as part of model-driven development. The OpenXava ecosystem has followed a business component architecture rather than traditional MVC architecture. Every idea is a business concept, and everything associated with the concept is located in the same spot, whether it be the associated View, Model, or Controller.
14. Spark Framework
Spark Framework is a Java and Kotlin micro-framework that allows you to develop Java-based web apps, microservices, and REST APIs. Because Kotlin runs on the Java Virtual Machine, it can be used to create Java-based web apps, microservices, and REST APIs. Spark was inspired by the Sinatra web application framework for Ruby and was first released in 2011. While not an MVC framework, it lets you structure your application the way you want. The framework has a small code base, doesn't require much boilerplate code, and is simple to set up. You can get Spark up and operate in no time at all. The framework is provided with the Jetty web server, which is included in the framework. However, you can use the framework with other Java web servers as well. According to Spark's own stats, over 33 million people accessed the web app in December 2017.
15. Vaadin
Vaadin is also a Java framework that is open source. There are a number of web components that comprise the Vaadin Platform, including a Java web framework, tools, and application starters. As its flagship product, Vaadin Platform (previously Vaadin Framework) allows HTML5 web user interfaces to be developed using Java. Routing and server-client communication can be handled by Vaadin Flow, a lightweight Java framework. Using Vaadin, all browser-server communication can be automated. Thus, the process of developing a website is simplified.
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Conclusion
All right, that's it for some of the essential JAVA frameworks developers should know about in 2022. In addition to helping in the entire Software Development process, these excellent frameworks (in conjunction with the extensive Java libraries) also save the developers time since they don't have to reinvent the wheel every time.
In their day-to-day work, Java developers can certainly benefit from these frameworks. In addition, these JAVA frameworks are backed by a large community of developers who are ready to assist other Java developers. In light of this, Java Frameworks are definitely worth learning for Software Development Enthusiasts.
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