Java frameworks are fundamental blocks of pre-written code used by developers to create web apps using the Java coding language. Java is often a web developer’s favourite coding language, and for many reasons. It is comparatively easier to code since the language is robustly reliable and secure.
Java frameworks reduce the amount of programming that developers have to go through to develop a solution from scratch. Java frameworks are specific to the Java coding language, and it provides a platform for developing web applications by filling in custom code as needed.
Java frameworks are created to be used many times and allow programmers to develop a web application without the manual overhead of producing everything from scratch.
The Java framework may include predefined classes like categories of objects and the functions used to process, input, control, and manage hardware devices and interact with system software.
But this depends on the type of Java frameworks, the web developer’s level of experience or skill, the project requirements, and the preferences.
Java frameworks are platforms created to make coding with Java easier. The frameworks come in pre-written code that you can use to create web app software or create solutions to particular problems.
What Is The Java Framework?
Java frameworks are platforms created to make coding with Java easier. The frameworks come in pre-written code that you can use to create web app software or create solutions to particular problems.
The Java framework is a collection of libraries that you can use to dictate what you are trying to create and plan to build. Java frameworks allow for increased security, community support, and efficiency while mitigating expenses.
[Also read: Java vs JavaScript: Which is Better?]
The Java framework is pre-built and helps developers add their codes to create personalised answers or solutions to particular problems. It can be used to perform many iterations using suitable framework options.
To create any Java-based web application, you would need Java frameworks. Java is a primary programming language that assists in building great web applications.
With Java frameworks, developers can add their code to the pre-built code according to the client’s specific requirements. Java frameworks mitigate the overhead of using manuals and writing the code from scratch.
Java Virtual Machine
Java virtual machine (JVM) is one of the most vital parts of the Java programming language. As a programmer, you need to either compile or interpret any source code before executing it.
JVM (java virtual machine) is an abstract machine that works on top of existing processes, which you can implement in both hardware and software. It is a popular Java program that you can use to execute other programs.
However, JVM can be defined in three ways: specification, implementation, and runtime. The Java virtual machine has two primary functions: to enable Java programs to run on any device or OS (operating system) and manage and optimise program memory.
Why Developers Love The Java Framework
Web application development has become inevitable for businesses of all sizes, regardless of their value proposition. There are many ways to build a web application; however, using a framework is one of the more popular ways.
Over the past few years, Java frameworks have grown in popularity in Web application development, as developers use them to provide a straightforward approach to creating custom web apps.
Besides, web developers get an excellent responsive and intuitive programming interface that facilitates seamless coding in supported coding languages. It provides a simplified representation of the supported programming languages, allowing developers to write code efficiently and get the project done faster.
However, it also gives excellent structure to web apps. Developers use Java frameworks to test and automate many programs to get accurate and consistent results.
Java frameworks make projects easier for developers and help them concentrate more on business logic than worrying about code used across web application development. It provides security, support, and efficiency and reduces the expense for developers.
Why Frameworks?
Frameworks are some of the more popular Java programming tools that you can use to develop a web application better and faster. It’s better because it provides certainty in developing full compliance with business logic, structure, and maintainability. It is also faster because it enables web developers to save time by reusing generic modules to focus on other parts.
Guaranteed Framework Upgradability and Maintenance
In a long-term project, a Java framework ensures the longevity of web applications. A Java framework provides a structure for a web app. It makes it easy for web developers to avoid any pitfalls while giving them the ability to easily maintain it over time and upgrade it quickly and neatly whenever necessary.
Investing In The Project, Not In The Technology
The basic principle about the framework is that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel and do away with foreboding, low-value-added tasks (such as developing generic modules) to focus on the business logic entirely. For example, a framework will keep a web developer from spending 3 to 4 days building an authentication form (not a specific task).
However, the saved time can be dedicated to other parts of the project, giving you solid, sustainable, and high-quality code. Thus, a Java framework is a pledge that web applications are quality, upgradable, and maintainable at a lower cost. Web apps developed using a Java framework are interoperable with market standards.
Are There Any Downsides?
The major downside of the framework is that it limits the developer’s ability to modify codes.
Every framework has limitations, and significant structures can’t be modified. It’s only possible to create a web application that adheres to the limits of the framework. Therefore it is essential to choose a particular framework that suits your client’s requirements.
Finally, frameworks are open to everyone, even to those who plan to use them for the wrong intentions. This may cause flaws and weaknesses in future projects.
Java frameworks considerably mitigate coding time and providing web developers with essential features like security, efficiency, and productivity
10 Of The Best Java Web Frameworks
Web development no longer requires you to learn complex coding languages. Knowledge of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS is often enough to create excellent high-performing web development applications. However, if you are working with limited resources and time, there are remarkable cross-platform web development frameworks that can assist in building web apps using a single codebase.
The following are the top ten Java frameworks for web application development in 2021:
1. Google Web Toolkit
Using Google Web Toolkit (GWT), web developers can quickly write complex browser-based applications. Google web toolkit (GWT) enables web developers to build and debug Ajax in Java. The great thing about GWT is that you can use it to write complex browser-based applications without being a professional in front-end development such as JavaScript.
The Google web toolkit is an open-source web framework for everything. Many web developers love starting their projects with GWT because it is easy to create beautiful UI with little or no knowledge in front-end technologies like JavaScript.
Blogger, Google Analytics, and Google Adsense are Java web apps built using Java with the GWT framework. It’s fully loaded with features and supported by many developers dedicated to the Java framework. Therefore, GWT makes it perfect for scale-sensitive web app development.
Key features: utilises Google application programming interfaces (APIs), supports reusability of Java code, maintains complex front-end Java applications, etc.
2. Spring
As one of the most widely used Java frameworks available today, Spring took the web development world by storm. It is often known as the best framework for Java development. The Spring framework is open-source that enables developers to create enterprise-level digital solutions.
Developers use the spring framework to create loosely coupled modules (such as Spring MVC and spring boot), wherein dependencies are handled by the framework rather than relying on the libraries in the code. However, the spring framework supports both XML and annotation-based configuration, which provides backward compatibility and testability of the code.
The Spring framework started as a dependency injection tool. Still, it has grown into a full-scale application framework with an extensive documentation library and an active community. Also, it has a spring boot that helps developers create web services and applications that run faster.
Key features: security and configuration, and spring framework support JDBC, which helps in reducing errors.
3. Hibernate
Hibernate is a stable and lightweight object-relational mapping framework developers use to communicate with the databases quickly and conveniently. It provides good interactions between relational database management systems (RDBMS) and Java applications.
It is an object-relational mapping framework that makes common data handling mismatch cases a thing of the past. As a developer, if you are more familiar and always working with relational databases, the object-relational mapping (ORM) framework could quickly become a staple in your work and make working with Hibernate fun.
Famous companies, including IBM and Dell, use the Hibernate framework in their tech stacks.
Key features: lightweight, high performance, scalable, auto-generation, object relation mapping (ORM), etc.
4. JavaServer Faces
JavaServer Faces (JSF) is often a big task for backend developers to get the client-side of complex java web applications right. Developers use JavaServer Faces (JSF) to create user interfaces for Java-based web apps. JavaServer Faces (JSF) was developed and maintained by Oracle technology.
It simplifies creating user interfaces for Java and server-side web applications by assembling the reusable UI components on a page. JavaServer Faces is a popular Java framework with a component-based MVC (Model View Controller) framework that encapsulates various client-side technologies and focuses more on the presentations layer to enable developers (front end and back end) to create user interfaces (UIs) simply by using drag and drop UI components.
JavaServer Faces is packed to the brim with libraries that enable web developers to experiment with both the front end and back end without collaborating with other frameworks. JSF is an integral part of Java EE (Enterprise Edition).
Java Server Faces enables existing backend Java code to be extended without modifying the base app by introducing a new framework for Java.
Key features: component-based framework, support HTML5, integration with expression language, ease, rapid web development, supports internationalization cross-browser portability, etc.
5. Vaadin
Vaadin is another popular web application framework that focuses heavily on user experience (UX) accessibility. You can use this web application framework for web apps of customisable components. From the JVM, Vaadin directly grants access to the DOM (Document Object Model).
With Vaadin, you can use pure Java to create applications, allowing the framework to handle the interface. Vaadin enables you to use a single codebase to deploy web apps or even desktop apps after packaging.
Key features: supports drag and drop features, supports built-in Spring, allows you to use MVC framework and MVP for data binding.
6. Grails
Grail is an open-source web framework, which can be used to use ease client’s requirements. Grail is a framework that has markup views like the one you can generate using HTML code. It is a dynamic framework developed by Groovy Java Virtual coding language. Its syntax is fitted with and includes JVM bytecode.
However, the Grail Java framework includes many technologies like Spring, Java EE containers, Hibernate, and more. It provides easy-to-read documentation, which helps web developers in building applications.
It follows a handful of modern software development principles like convention over configuration, opinionated application programming interfaces (APIs), and great default.
Key features: allows you to reuse Java code, offers flexible profiles, supports object mapping feature, etc.
7. Apache Hadoop
Although Apache Hadoop is not a full-stack Java framework, it still offers a software framework and enables you to work on the MapReduce coding model. Hadoop utilities can maintain a vast volume of data by storing, analyzing, and processing data.
Some popular companies using Hadoop for their programs are British Airways, Expedia, Royal Bank of Scotland, and more.
Key features: Offers flexibility in data processing, easily scalable, provides faster data processing, etc.
8. Dropwizard
Dropwizard is a lightweight framework that developers use to complete their applications fast due to its support for advanced configurations, logging, app metrics, and more. You can use this Java framework to create Restful web apps that give a high performance that is stable and reliable.
This framework is particularly magical since it brings together a host of libraries such as Guava, Metrics, Jersey, and others from the Java ecosystem into a single framework and provides you with a lightweight and lean app.
It is a high-performance and easy Java framework for the swift development of Restful web services.
Key features: allows performing rapid prototyping, quick project bootstrap, supporting open source and independence libraries.
9. Apache Strut
This is one of the most powerful open-source Java frameworks for web apps. Strut supports MVC structure and prolongs the Java server pages (JSP).
However, there are two major versions of the Strut framework: Strut 1 and Strut 2. Strut 2 is the latest version of this framework, as well as being the most used version. Strut 2 is an extended version of Strut 1, and as well as including the same features, it also comes with OpenSymphony web frame tools.
However, to work on this framework, you have to apply new Ruby and the new JavaScript frameworks to extend your application functionality.
Key features: AJAX support, POJO-based auctioned, configuration MVC component, team and template support, etc.
10. Play
Play was created with the ease of web app development in mind. Play framework is slightly conventional and a type of Java framework that follows convention over configuration. To work on the Play framework, you need a web browser, text editor, and an understanding of how the command interface works on any operating system (OS). This is because Play is lightweight and has seamless NoSQL compatibility.
Popular companies like LinkedIn, Verizon, Samsung, EA, and more use the Play framework to run their programs.
Key features: hit refresh workflow, and powerful console & build tools, etc.
Final Word
Java frameworks considerably mitigate coding time and providing web developers with essential features like security, efficiency, and productivity. While all those mentioned above have their qualities, merely using a framework itself can enhance your programming experience by leaps and bounds.
However, you need to stay up to date with the tech and be more familiar with the best sought-after frameworks in the web development industry. The best framework for your project should meet your client’s requirements, provide a certain level of flexibility and optimum performance and be straightforward to maintain and absorb changes. Thus, choose your Java framework wisely and then enjoy every feature that it provides.
