There lies an abundance of reasons to justify why Java is one of the older and trusted software programming languages and the most used one. When someone uses java frameworks for web development, it convinces the users to such an extent that they end up using it as a staple. Using the best java web framework can reduce your time spent on development to big projects.
In this article, we have brought to you some of the most popular java frameworks. While there are more than 10 types of frameworks in Java, the ones discussed acquire features. Easy accessibility is some of the rationalities used for qualification.
What Is Java?
Java is an object-oriented programming language that has been in practice since 1995. There are types of a framework in Java used by developers to program applications to work within the boundaries of their respective domains.
Please don’t get confused between Java and JavaScript as both of them are different programming languages used by different companies around the same period.
Java frameworks for beginners are used to develop an app that can run in browsers or on servers’ bare-metal machines, containers or virtual machines.
On the other hand, JavaScript-only runs on browsers. No programming language is simple to understand, but the level of complexity varies greatly. If you are a beginner, then Learn the Easiest Programming Languages to advance your career.
What Is A Framework?
Frameworks help to provide structure to your mobile applications. For instance, if we have an accurate java framework list for testing, we can further automate various tasks and get precise and consistent results.
Likewise, there are types of the framework in Java for ORM, web application, logging, data management and many more.
It will ease developers’ work and help them focus moreover on business logic and plans rather than focusing and worrying about the basic pieces of code used across a specific domain or application.
You must also be wondering how to create a framework in Java? This article will answer your question.
What is Java Used For?
It is a body of pre-written code acting as a skeleton or template that developers can use or reuse to create an application by stuffing their codes to build an app to work as they intend, which refers to as a framework.
Reutilization of frameworks allows developers to program their applications without the manual overhead of building each line of code from scratch.
The Java Framework is certain towards the Java programming language, and further, it can be used as a platform to develop software applications and various Java programs. In the coming years, app programming languages will have a greater impact.
Now you must be wondering how to create a framework in Java? Java frameworks include functions and predefined classes which can be used to input, process, and manage hardware devices.
Further, it can also be used to interact with other system software. It majorly depends on the types of the framework in Java being used, the developer’s skills, what they are trying to achieve, and their preferences.
Various Types Of Framework In Java
1. Spring
Spring is one of the powerful and most popular java frameworks for lightweight application development for enterprise Java (JEE).
The core feature of the spring Java frameworks is that they can be used in building any Java application. This Java framework for beginners can also be described as a complete modular framework.
These Java frameworks can be used for all the layers implementations of real-time applications. And can also be used for the development of a specific layer of a real-time application.
Contrary to other frameworks, with the Spring framework, we can develop all the layers. Spring and its other modules Spring MVC, Spring Security, Spring ORM, and others are used in enterprise applications. So let’s learn about its uses:
✍ Uses:
- It is used in enterprise Java (JEE)
- Its features can be utilized to develop a Java Application
- Web Application Development
✍ Advantages:
- It provides one with a lightweight container that can be triggered, eliminating the use of web server or application server software.
- Supports JDBC that enhances productivity and reduces the chances of error.
- It aims to make J2EE development simpler to use.
- Also supports both XML and annotation-based configuration.
- It offers testability and backward compatibility of the code.
2. Hibernate
Hibernate ORM is a firm object-relational mapping Java framework for web development. It helps make effortless communication between the relational database management system (RDBMS) and Java Programming language.
While working with an object-oriented language like Java, you may encounter object-relational impedance mismatch, also known as Paradigm Mismatch.
It is because OO languages and RDBMSs manage the data differently. And it can lead to major mismatch problems. This Hibernate enables you with Java Frameworks that can help overcome the mismatch problems of Java.
✍ Uses:
- It permits you to build persistent classes following the object-oriented idiom.
- Also permits you to communicate with each database by utilizing all tiny alterations in the code, narrowing the gap between objects and relational words.
- It is an advanced ORM framework that provides access to perform database operations on the Java entities.
✍ Advantages:
- Maintainability, portability, and productivity.
- It is a free and open-source framework.
- It helps to remove lots of repetitive codes from the JDBC API.
3. JSF (JavaServer Faces)
Oracle builds JavaServer Faces for developing user interfaces for Java-based web applications. It is one of the stable and most popular java frameworks. And is an official standard of the (JCP) Java Community Process drive.
It is a component-based UI java framework for beginners. It is entirely based on MVC software design and pattern and has an architecture that can determine the difference between representation and application logic.
✍ Uses:
- It helps in building native applications.
- It is a component-based UI framework.
✍ Advantages:
- It is an elemental part of Java EE.
- And it provides users, developers with outstanding tools and rich libraries.
- It enables current back-end Java code to be expanded with a web interface without changing the base application by establishing a new framework.
4. GWT (Google Web Toolkit)
Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is an entirely free, open-source framework that assists the developers to write client-side Java code and introduce it as JavaScript.
There is a list of Google products that are written with the help of GWT, namely AdSense, Google Wallet, and Blogger. With the help of GWT, developers can easily code complex browser applications.
It also enables you to build and debug Ajax applications in Java. The best thing about GWT is that you can code complex browser-based applications without expert knowledge in front-end technologies like JavaScript optimization for responsive design. So it is advised as one of the best Java frameworks for beginners.
✍ Uses:
- It is developer-friendly
- Enables in developing and managing complex JavaScript front-end applications
- Use of Google APIs
✍ Advantages:
- It enables reusability for basic web development tasks.
- Google APIs can be effectively used in GWT applications.
- It offers developers cross-browser portability, UI abstraction, internationalization, bookmarking and history management.
5. Struts (The Later Version)
Struts is an Apache-run enterprise-level java framework for web development. Feature-rich framework and comes in two types: Sturyts 1 and Struts 2. And the most popular java framework is Struts 2.
It is nothing but an extended version of the first one with everything that comes with OpenSymphony web framework tools.
Therefore you need to apply new technologies like new JavaScript and Ruby to extend the functionalities of your Java application.
✍ Uses:
- Struts 2 java framework can be used to develop MVC-based web applications.
- It uses and extends Java Servlet API to enable developers to adopt MVC architecture.
✍ Advantages:
- It seamlessly fits into other types of the framework in Java.
- You can carry on with tools you are already working with and extend its capabilities to match those in Struts.
- You’ll likely benefit from reduced development effort and time required, which can help you make more and more applications rapidly.
6. Blade
The Blade is a type of framework in Java that is simple, lightweight and high performance. This java framework from the entire java framework list can be used for providing a full-stack web framework.
In simple words, Blade is a lightweight MVC framework that enables developers with a restful routing interface, making the web API cleaner.
It is a much easier java framework for beginners that can easily understand and synchronize the data with the website.
The Blade is entirely based on Java 8, and the template engines and web server are integrated into the framework as the source code would be less than 500kb in total.
✍ Uses:
- It is used to develop a small MVC application.
- It enables developers to be productive, elegant, intuitive, self-contained, and super quick.
✍ Advantages:
- It supports the plugin extension and web jar resources.
- Also supports the configuration of multiple files.
- It possesses XSS (cross-site scripting) and CSRF (cross-site request forgery) defence support.
7. Play
Play is the reactive web and mobile framework which is used to develop extremely scalable java applications. This java framework for web development makes it possible to build web-friendly and lightweight Java and Scala applications for mobile and desktop interfaces.
It is one of the most popular java frameworks and is compared with powerful frameworks of other languages like Ruby on Rails for Ruby or Django for Python.
These types of the framework in Java are unique and are independent of Java EE standards.
On the other hand, it urges towards removing all other inconveniences of traditional Java Web Development framework like slow development cycles, several configurations, and many more.
Developed over Akka Toolkit, Play framework shortens the creation of concurrent and distributed applications on the Java Virtual Machines.
✍ Uses:
- Helps to build Java and Scala applications.
- Web applications that require content creation.
✍ Advantages:
- It provides developers with features such as convention over configuration, hot code reloading, and in-browser error messages.
- Supports non-blocking I/O, which is significant for high-performance applications.
- It is much more flexible and provides failure-tolerant results.
8. Vaadin
Vaadin is one of the most popular java frameworks that concentrates on UX accessibility. It provides a platform for a streamlined java web development framework.
This java framework for web development also permits you to build web applications for customizable components. Vaadin 10 greets web app development in an entirely new manner.
It provides direct access to the DOM from the Java Virtual Machine. With this latest release, Vaadin gets divided into two parts.
It also has a lightweight Java framework known as Vaadin Flow that manages the routing and server-client communication.
✍ Uses:
- It automates the communication between the server and the browser.
- It streamlines web application development.
✍ Advantages:
- It provides an opportunity to wrap data using either MVC and MVP.
- Automated server-client communication with WebSocket Support.
- It provides a drag and drop function and several other advanced features that help ease out creating single-page UIs for Java applications.
- Use HTML/Java for developing views.
- Data Binding.
- It provides a router with parameter support and a nested route.
- Supports JVM languages like Scala and Kotlin.
- It has built-in Spring support.
9. Grails
Grails is an active java framework that is composed of the Groovy JVM programming language. It is an object-oriented language for Java that aims to augment developer productivity.
The Syntax is well coordinated with Java and accumulated with JVM (Java Virtual Machine) bytecode.
Grails works well with advanced Java technologies, including Spring, Sitemesh, Quartz, Java EE containers, and Hibernate.
✍ Uses:
- It comes with detailed and easy-to-understand documentation, which makes it a developer-friendly framework.
- Further, you can develop your plugins and also include Grails IDE support for distinct platforms.
- Most e-commerce websites take advantage of Grails.
✍ Advantages:
- It facilitates easy-to-use object mapping.
- It provides flexible profiles.
- That encourages one to reuse code between different Grails applications to modularize the application in plugins.
- It uses Groovy as its coding standard as Groovy is quite similar to Java. Therefore developers think it is easy to start with Grails.
10. Dropwizard
Dropwizard is a high-performance java framework for beginners that helps them in rapid development and relaxing web services. It is best advised for developing Java microservices.
It unites several well-established Java libraries to provide users with distraction-free and smooth development platforms. Dropwizard is a unique ecosystem that has all its dependencies packaged in one single package.
✍ Uses:
- It facilitates the creation of Java microservices.
- It supports operations friendly java framework.
✍ Advantages:
- It enables users to perform rapid prototyping.
- It helps to develop high-performing relaxing web services.
- That helps to boost productivity.
- It promotes quick project bootstrap.
- It supports many open-source and independent libraries.
11. Apache Hadoop
Apache Hadoop is not a full-stack framework, but it provides users with a software framework. It facilitates work on the MapReduce programming model.
These types of framework in Java helps to handle huge volumes of data and then store, analyze and process them to provide users with faster and efficient results.
The java framework for web development helps in processing and data storage using the master-slave design pattern. Apache Hadoop is a great place to start with to familiarise yourself with data science and big data.
✍ Uses:
- Provides a software framework that works well with the MapReduce programming model.
- Helps in distributed data storage and processing using master-slave design patterns.
- The Hadoop HDFS layer of the master code has a data node.
✍ Advantages:
- It handles huge volumes of data and storage and further analyzes and processes them to deliver faster and efficient results.
- The MapReduce layer includes a task tracker and job tracker.
- The slave node comprises the task tracker and Data node.
- HDFS splits all the duplicate files into a set of blocks from across the group.
12. ATG
ATG is a web commerce platform scripted in Java. It is one of the best java web frameworks that is customizable and configurable.
It is usually used for websites related to e-commerce. ATG platform is operated on 3 servers. They are JBoss, Oracle Weblogic and IBM Websphere.
If you are looking for a java web development framework, then ATG is a great option to learn and enrich your technical and domain knowledge.
✍ Uses:
- It supports both B2B and B2C applications.
- It is used mainly for websites related to e-commerce.
✍ Advantages:
- It works on 3 servers. They are JBoss, Oracle Weblogic, IBM Websphere.
- There are 3 main layers of this java framework list: The Dynamo application framework, The personalized module, and The Scenarios module.
- It is the best java web framework that can enrich domain and technical knowledge.
13. Apache Wicket
Apache Wicket is one of the best Java frameworks for beginners as it is simple and has a component-oriented structure. To take advantage of Apache Wicket, all you need to know is Java and Html.
It has no configuration or XML files. It is a lightweight framework that can help to build applications at a great pace.
✍ Uses:
- It has a component-oriented structure. Hence all you need to know is Java and HTML.
- It supports POJO models where components are simple, including OOP features.
✍ Advantages:
- If one is familiar with JSP, then learning Wicket is a wicket task.
- It has no XMLs and configuration files.
- All components are gathered to use as a reusable package with images, buttons, forms, links, pages, containers, behavior, and many more.
- It is effortless to unit test written code in Wicket.
14. Spark
Spark is another masterwork of Apache. One of the most popular java frameworks for web development. Spark is open-source web development with similar features as Play, Spring, and JAX-RS.
Supports a micro-framework and a domain-specific language to focus on speed to development. It is a lively framework that supports lazy initialization and real-time processing.
The key objective of Spark is to process huge data and support advanced analytics with the help of SQL queries, machine learning and graph algorithms.
Machine learning technologies are now regarded as one of the most important developments in terms of emerging technology on the market. Check out the role of machine learning applications in our daily lives.
✍ Uses:
- It is a powerful java framework and does not follow the traditional MVC design patterns.
- Supports micro-framework and domain-specific language to boost the speed of development.
- It supports lazy initialization and real-time data processing.
✍ Advantages:
- It includes fewer configurations and coding.
- That is faster than Hadoop in matters of data processing and in-memory computation.
- It is easy to integrate with the help of Scala and R, focusing mainly on data science and big data.
- Learning both fields can give you an edge over others.
15. OpenXava
OpenXava is a low-code platform for the development of web applications quickly. With these types of frameworks in Java, you can get your business application up in the recorded time.
It has components that help developers to build complex applications freely without any hassle. These kinds of model-driven development approaches promote encapsulation.
You surely need to go through the concepts before getting deep into this framework.
✍ Uses:
- A low-code platform quickly promotes web application development.
- It is extensible, customizable and OO in the true sense.
- Developers only have to determine the model as an annotated java class, and required functionalities get generated during the run time.
✍ Advantages:
- It follows business component architecture.
- All the artefacts that contribute to the business concepts are at the same place in the associated view, controller, model.
16. Vert. X
Vert. X is an event-driven application framework developed by Eclipse. And it is multilingual.
It relies upon the asynchronous programming model to make the applications free from multi-threading and non-blocking. Its two vital concepts are Vertical and Event bus.
✍ Uses:
- It provides APIs in multiple languages.
- It supports all the web applications with logging, authentication, monitoring, DB connectivity, multi-cluster support.
✍ Advantages:
- IT supports non-blocking nature.
- You can use the Java framework for the business of any scale.
- Uses familiar with Node.JS will praise Vert. X.
- Benefits in Java Virtual machine making it a robust and powerful combination.
17. Tapestry
Tapestry is quite similar to JSF and Wicket. A cross-platform, open-source, component-based web application development framework. It is built upon a rich Java Servet API.
It is a true object-oriented framework. You can build HTML pages using pure templates and simple java classes. That requires no XML configuration.
Some of the well-known box functionalities are pagination, file upload, field validations, internalization, date and calendar logics, showing pop-ups, and many more.
✍ Uses:
- It helps to create highly scalable applications.
- That can work on any application server or container.
- It takes care of URL construction and redirections.
✍ Advantages:
- NO XML configurations required.
- It uses annotations to make codes easy to manage.
- It takes care of URL construction and redirections.
- Frameworks adapt to code and not vice versa.
- Easy to integrate code with back-end frameworks like Hibernate, Spring and many more.
18. Jersey
Jersey is a web service Java framework that helps to create RESTful services and supports JAX-RS APIs.
It provides an abstraction layer so that developers don’t have to worry about the low-level implementation of the client-server communication. They can focus entirely on the main web service functionality.
✍ Uses:
- Create RESTful services and support JAX-RS APIs.
- It simplifies the development of RESTful services with useful features and utility functions.
- It allows chunked output.
✍ Advantages:
- It comes with an easy testing infrastructure.
- Can construct lightweight integration tests based entirely on Junit.
- Easy to integrate the tests with the Maven environment.
- All you need to add is the dependency in your pom.xml.
19. OSGi
OSGi is an open-source gateway that determines a component-based system. It is one of the most popular java frameworks for web development, where each component is a bundle.
Each bundle has its independent lifecycle, and it is not dependent on other bundles. All the bundles should explicitly declare the packages they require to access as, without this, OSGi won’t initiate.
✍ Uses:
- Easy integration.
- It supports Eclipse and Maven-based projects.
✍ Advantages:
- Each bundle has an independent lifecycle.
- It facilitates modularity.
- It facilitates isolated class loading.
20. Drools
Drools is one of the well-known Rules Management Systems. It provides a Business Rules Engine (BRE), with rules management application and runtime support that helps in decision and notation models. The rules management app is popularly called Drools workbench.
✍ Uses:
- It facilitates a rules management application and runtime support for decision and notation models.
- The two main steps of Drools are Authoring and Runtime.
- You can remove and add new rules without restarting the server.
✍ Advantages:
- It is an apt choice for web applications that rely on lots of conditions.
- Developers can swiftly separate data from business logic.
- The changes made don’t require you to start everything from scratch. You can complete testing/redeployment.
21. MyBatis
MyBatis is a persistent framework and free software by Apache. Here in these types of the framework in Java, Java methods are mapped with SQL statements.
✍ Uses:
- Java methods are mapped with SQL statements.
- Mapping engine maps SQL with the help of XML descriptions or annotations in a clear way.
- It can generate SQL statements separating them from code.
- It gets easily integrate with Spring frameworks.
✍ Advantages:
- It offers users query caching for easy access.
- It is simple to use, but one needs to be an expert in SQL/database to write MyBatis code.
- Transaction management.
- Connectivity
- Easy managing and releasing connections.
22. Apache Mina
Apache Mina is a network application framework that allows programmers to build high-performance, scalable network applications. Mina is better than SOAL, as it is stable and reliable.
✍ Uses:
- Mica has unified APIs for all transports, whether you use TCP/IP, UDP, DNS, or many more.
- It can provide high-level and low-level network APIs.
✍ Advantages:
- It is stable and reliable.
- Completely handles the I/O operations so that developers can focus entirely on business logic and other application needs.
- Easy to test written codes with mock objects.
- One can easily learn Mica using Eclipse and IDE.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of this blog post, where we have discussed all types of frameworks in Java. These Java frameworks turn out to be very effective in log4j, logging, Junit, and Selenium for analyzing and testing.
The best Java web framework that meets your business requirement provides you with a specific level of performance and flexibility. It should be easy to adopt and should make effortless changes.
Choose your java web development framework wisely to get advantages of what Java provides if you have any questions for us or wish to develop a web application with Java frameworks.
Schedule a call now, and our experienced Java developers and web application developers can help you with their tailor-made solutions.
