What Are Some of the Most Popular Java Frameworks?

Java is a prevalent programming language that is used in many different applications. Currently, a lot of different Java frameworks are available, and each one has its own unique set of features. So, we are going to show you a brief rundown of the most popular Java frameworks.

What Is a Java Framework?

A Java framework is a library of pre-written code that helps developers create applications faster and with less effort. It provides structure and organization to your application and common functionality that you can use in your code. A Java framework typically contains modules for security, data access, user interfaces, web application development, and more.

Why Use a Framework?

Frameworks exist to reduce the amount of code needed for your application. They promote high standards and software reuse. Even though frameworks require a more initial time investment, the long-term result is increased productivity with less effort needed from developers on future projects. As an application grows, it becomes more challenging to maintain without a framework. Bugs become harder to fix, and features become harder to add.

11 Most Popular Java Frameworks

Frameworks are essential for developing Java applications, and there are many to choose from. Here is the list of the eleven best Java frameworks:

1. Spring Framework

The Spring framework is one of the most popular Java frameworks available. It is a Java web framework that many large enterprises have used due to its open-sourced code. It provides an array of tools to make the development process more efficient. One of the unique aspects of this framework is its ability to assist with application production time with dynamic content. There are currently a lot of tutorials online on how to use the Spring framework, but it primarily helps with application production time with dynamic content.

Spring offers developers multiple advantages. It is open-source, so it’s free to use. Also, it also provides a comprehensive set of tools for developing Java applications, making development easier.

However, the Spring Framework does have some cons as well. One of the drawbacks of using this Java framework is that it can be challenging to learn and use. In addition, it has a steep learning curve and may not be the best option for smaller applications. It also requires a lot of configurations, which can be time-consuming. Despite these drawbacks, the Spring Framework is a powerful tool that many companies widely use.

2. Struts

Struts are the most popular web framework for Java. This framework makes it easier to do server-side programming in such a popular language as Java. Apache Struts is the original Struts, and its goal was to help developers create Java-based web applications without too much work.

There are many advantages of using Struts. Some of them are ease of use, simplicity, and time-saving benefits. One of the most significant benefits is that it can be used to create a better environment for traditional Java web development. However, Struts is not as flexible as some other frameworks.

3. Hibernate Framework

Hibernate is a prevalent object-relational mapping (ORM) library for the Java programming language. It offers a mechanism for Java programs to store and retrieve objects from the relational database without needing to know anything about SQL, i.e., within an application’s code, Java developers can refer to an object by the Java identifier rather than having to remember the corresponding SQL string.

Hibernate makes it easy to develop Java applications that interact with a database. It is open-source and provides many features, such as efficiently mapping objects to a database schema. Hibernate is used by many large companies, including IBM, Oracle, and Microsoft.

Hibernate framework has many advantages, including ease of use, performance, and flexibility. However, it also has some disadvantages, such as being difficult to learn for beginners and not supporting some features of SQL.

4. Java Server Faces

Java Server Faces (JSF) is an MVC framework created by Sun for Java technology. It is open-source and maintained by Oracle, and it can be used for developing modern Java web applications. The JSF framework provides a unified programming model that allows you to develop rich, interactive web applications using the component-based UI paradigm.

Moreover, JSF is a component-based framework that enables you to build reusable UI components. It also provides a mechanism for managing state and navigation between pages. JSF is often used in conjunction with the Facelets templating engine.

Java Server Faces, or JSF, has many advantages, including its component-based approach, rich functionality, and ease of use. It also has a few disadvantages, such as its complexity and lack of support for internationalization.

5. Google Web Toolkit

GWT - Google Web Toolkit is a popular Java framework for building web applications in Java. It was designed specifically to help web developers build browser-based apps using simple Java code rather than complicated JavaScript code. GWT’s goal is to make it easier for people to use the same language on both the webserver and client sides.

GWT has many advantages, such as ease of use and speed. It also has a number of disadvantages, such as being difficult to learn for beginners and not supporting some features of modern browsers.

6. Play Framework

The Play framework is an open-source framework designed to develop modern web applications. It provides a rapid development environment with pluggable components and dependency injection features.

The Play framework helps developers create code with fewer bugs and more reuse. Play is based on the principles of convention over configuration, it uses Scala as its preferred programming language, and its main methods of communication are HTTP, JSON, and XML.

One of the main advantages of Play is that it allows developers to rapidly create and run applications. Play also has a number of other advantages, such as excellent documentation and community support. On the other hand, some developers feel that its built-in components do not function as well as they should.

7. Dropwizard

Dropwizard is a Java framework designed to create RESTful web services. It provides many features, such as dependency injection, logging, and configuration. Dropwizard also includes a number of libraries to help with common web development tasks, such as JSON processing and authentication.

One of the critical advantages of Dropwizard is its simplicity. It is a lightweight framework that provides many features without becoming too complicated.

8. Apache Wicket

Apache Wicket is an open-source Java web framework that uses the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. It is different from many other Java frameworks because it was built on top of Apache Cocoon instead of the Servlet API. Apache Wicket is open source and maintained by Oracle.

Apache Wicket is designed to make it easy to create single-page web applications. It provides features such as drag-and-drop support, Ajax support, and RESTful interfaces. Apache Wicket has an advantage in that it can be expanded with plugins or extension points. However, its disadvantage is that it doesn’t come with much basic functionality out of the box, such as a templating engine or a navigation component.

9. Grails

Grails is an open-source framework built on top of the Groovy programming language. It is highly productive, allowing you to create applications quickly with convention-over-configuration and minimal code. Grails has been in active development for several years, but it isn’t as popular as many other Java frameworks, such as Spring MVC or Struts.

Grails is built to make it easy to create web applications with a Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. It provides features such as scaffolding, data binding, and more. Grails also has a large plugin ecosystem that allows you to add features as needed. However, one of the disadvantages is that Grails is based on Groovy, which is a less-popular programming language.

10. Vaadin

Vaadin framework is an open-source Java web application framework that allows developers to quickly create, design, and implement modern web applications. It runs on the Java programming language, which means it works with most servers, servlet containers, and operating systems without any additional dependencies or runtime environment requirements.

One of the main features of the Vaadin framework is that it allows developers to use one single programming language for front-end and back-end code. The framework also has many other features, such as server-side architecture, UI components, visual design tools, built-in AJAX support, and more.

One of the significant benefits of the Vaadin framework is its large active community. Developers answer most questions within a few hours, which means you do not have to spend as much time on your own research.

11. Blade

This is a Groovy-based web framework for the Java virtual machine. It aims to provide a developer with an alternative to Java frameworks, such as Struts or Spring MVC. Blade also has several advantages over these frameworks, such as being easier to use and being more lightweight.

One of the main features of Blade is a Groovy-based development environment. This means developers can take advantage of well-known features from the Groovy programming language, such as closures and templates. Blade also uses a number of Java libraries for easier integration with other frameworks and tools. However, Blade does not have nearly as many features or plugins to expand functionality when needed.

Conclusion

In brief, the proper Java framework for you will depend on your needs and goals. There are more popular Java frameworks than these eleven, and each of them has pros and cons as well. So, it can be challenging to decide the best choice with so many options to choose from. However, by looking at some of these Java frameworks, we hope that you are able to find the best one that meets all of your requirements and expectations.