Java remains one of the most in-demand and widely used languages for building robust web applications. With powerful frameworks and developments in cloud and microservices, Java continues to be a critical skillset for developers.
In this guide, we will explore the top 5 Java technologies for web development that you should focus on mastering in 2023:
- Spring Framework
- Spring Boot
- Hibernate
- Microservices with Spring Cloud
- Containerization with Docker
Learning these technologies will equip you get secure, highly scalable Java web apps aligned with modern best practices. Make sure you hire Java developers who have worked with these frameworks for projects similar to yours.
What makes Java a worthy choice for Web App Development?
Java has been around for decades and yet proves its worth being one of the most widely used programming languages with the biggest job market in all technologies as well. Why is it that Java is preferred by so many enterprises and SMEs alike? Let’s find out –
Easy Learning Curve
Despite being so powerful to power some of the most important software and mobile applications, it is yet comparatively easy to learn from a beginner.
Java is Platform Independent
Another important benefit of Java is it is platform agnostic. It can run on any software or system that supports JVM like mobile phones, web browsers, desktop, smartTVs, wearables and more. So, you can extend your services to other platforms as and when needed.
Integration with Third-Party Services
Java pairs with pretty much any and all available technologies be it frontend technologies like React, Angular or others and database service providers like MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Oracle and others. It can also be implemented via cloud computing platforms such AWS Cloud, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure.
Top 5 Java Web App Frameworks in 2023
Here are the top 5 Java frameworks to use in 2023. This list has been curated keeping several factors in mind such as ease of use, efficiency, utility, community activities, frequency of updates and other such aspects. Make sure to go through the list and match the framework that best suits your project. It is important to avail the right Java development services to ensure your project’s success and cost-efficiency.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s examine each Java web app framework in greater detail -
Spring Framework
The Spring Framework remains the most popular web framework for Java development. Originally released in 2002, it aims to simplify Java EE development through dependency injection and aspect-oriented programming.
Here are some key reasons Spring Framework is essential to learn:
- Provides dependency injection to build loosely coupled components
- Simplifies building web apps with the Spring MVC module
- Integrates with popular template engines like Thymeleaf
- Includes utilities for marshalling XML and JSON
- Abstracts interactions with databases and transactions
- Supports building REST APIs and web services
- Integrates with Java EE technologies like JMS, JDBC, JPA, etc.
- Enables integration testing with mocks, test contexts, and profiles
With its emphasis on modular code and flexibility, Spring Framework will continue to be a Java web development pillar in 2023.
Spring Boot
Spring Boot builds on top of Spring Framework to further accelerate Java application development through rapid bootstrapping and configuration. It enables building production-ready apps faster with less code.
Here are some key reasons Spring Boot is essential to learn:
- Provides starter dependencies to simplify configurations
- Embeds servers like Tomcat to streamline deployment
- Auto-configures components like databases, services, etc.
- Monitoring dashboards out of the box for health and metrics
- Integrates build tools like Maven and Gradle
- Simplifies building and managing dependencies
- Production-ready features like metrics and health checks
With Spring Boot reducing boilerplate code, you can build Java web apps faster and focus on app-specific logic and functionality.
Hibernate ORM
Hibernate is the most popular Java ORM (Object Relational Mapper) framework that simplifies mapping between Java classes and database tables.
Here are some key reasons Hibernate is essential to learn:
- Reduces boilerplate JDBC and SQL code
- Provides object-oriented abstraction over relational data
- Generates SQL queries and binding parameters automatically
- Supports complex object mapping scenarios
- Simplifies associations and relations between entities
- Enables creating database schemas from entities
- Platform agnostic supporting major RDBMs like MySQL, Oracle, etc.
- Integrates seamlessly with Spring Framework
For working with relational databases in Java, Hibernate is indispensable for productivity.
Microservices with Spring Cloud
Decomposing Java monoliths into microservices has become a pivotal trend. Spring Cloud provides great support for building microservices in Java.
Here are some key reasons Spring Cloud is essential to learn:
- Provides patterns and components for microservices
- Service discovery with Spring Cloud Netflix Eureka
- Dynamic routing with Zuul proxy and gateway
- Centralized configuration with Spring Config Server
- Circuit breakers with Hystrix for resilience
- Distributed tracing capabilities
- Client-side load balancing with Ribbon
- Fallback mechanisms to handle failures
As Java apps scale up, Spring Cloud skills enable migrating them from monoliths to resilient, scalable microservices.
Containerization with Docker
Containerizing Java apps using Docker simplifies deployment, portability, and scalability. Docker provides lightweight containerization options for any Java webapp.
Benefits of containerization with Docker:
Docker is great for containerization of your Java applications. Here are some of the great benefits it provides -
- Isolates dependencies and configurations
- Consistent, portable deployment across environments
- Improved CI/CD pipelines through immutable containers
- Orchestration capabilities to scale horizontally
- Optimized infrastructure resource utilization
- Accelerated startup and boot times
- Simplified service decomposition into containers
- Availability improvements through isolation
Learning Docker containerization unlocks taking Java apps to the next level for reliability and scale.
Which Framework to Learn First?
For those new to Java web development, the logical learning path is:
- Spring Framework - Core functions like dependency injection, MVC patterns, REST APIs
- Spring Boot - Rapid application bootstrapping and deployment
- Hibernate - Mapping Java classes to database tables
- Spring Cloud - Microservices patterns and distributed capabilities
- Docker - Containerizing apps for simplified deployment
Spring Framework and Boot should be the top priority as they underpin the majority of Java web applications today.
Hibernate provides the ORM capabilities to simplify database interactions. Then Spring Cloud and Docker enable breaking apart and deploying Java systems at scale.
This learning progression will provide a strong foundation for building Java web apps using modern architectures. The investment to master these technologies will pay dividends across countless projects throughout your career.
The Future of Java Web Development
Java has demonstrated incredible staying power through continually evolving frameworks and capabilities like Spring Boot, cloud-native designs, and containerization.
For web development, Java is here to stay and will only become more prominent as organizations migrate legacy systems to the cloud. Given Java's performance, scalability, and vibrant ecosystem, it will remain a staple in backend web application development for decades to come.
By mastering essential frameworks like Spring and Hibernate along with new innovations like Spring Cloud and Docker, you will equip yourself to build robust, production-ready Java applications aligned with industry best practices.
The skills are foundational - apply them to web, microservices, distributed systems, machine learning, big data and whatever other domains interest you. Java empowers you to participate in an incredible variety of technology arenas.
