What is Java and why should you use it in your project?

In 2021, Java turned 26. That’s quite a lot for a programming language, isn’t it? But what is Java? Java was developed in 1995 by James Gosling, initially as a language for digital devices like set-top boxes or TV. But while the language was far too advanced for TV sets at that time, it turned out to be just perfect for programming.

When did Java become popular?

Fast-forward to 2021, and Java regularly places in the top of most popular and used programming languages. The number of developers who know Java and companies offering dedicated java development services grows as well. Try typing the keyword into the search engine, and you’ll see hundreds of options.

That’s because equipment of all sizes and purposes use Java – from laptops and data centers to game consoles and scientific supercomputers. From health industry to retail, from mobile to cybersecurity – Java is virtually everywhere you look. 

But with so many other languages available now, you might wonder whether Java is still as commonly used? You can wonder if you should build your new app (or ask a Java development company to build an app for you) based on Java. So let’s find out – should you still use Java in 2021?

What is Java programming language?

Let’s start from the basics – what even is Java? 

Java is an open-source, object-based programming language similar to C++, initially designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible. It might be the oldest programming language out there, but even now, it’s widely considered to be one of the most popular and most often used languages in the world. According to Developer Economics, the number of Java developers reached 8 million in 2020 worldwide. Thanks to various benefits Java language still has to offer and it being one of the easiest languages to learn, the numbers are unlikely to go down any time soon.

Can Java be used for software development?

Java is a timeless and revolutionary programming language. Java can be used for software development. More than 3 million developers use it to build powerful and dynamic web, enterprise, and mobile applications.

Java is a general-purpose programming language that’s used to develop all sorts of programs, including apps. And it’s also known for being one of the most robust programming languages out there. This means that it has very few errors in code compared with other languages like C++ or Python, which can lead to less bugs in your app and faster software development times.

Java has been a great programming language for decades now. It’s a stable and well-supported language with a huge community of supporters on the internet. Whether you’re implementing a new project or retrofitting an existing application, Java is sure to have the tools needed to get it done!

Why is Java so popular?

Looking at Statista, Java is still one of the most used programming languages among programmers, despite there being so many other options out there. Why is that? One of the key reasons for this phenomenon is that Java is platform-independent. As long as the device has a Java Runtime Environment installed, a Java program can run on it – even if it was initially created for a completely different system. So, for example, you can run a desktop program designed with Java on mobiles or tablets – or the other way round, without having to rebuild the app.

Compared to other programming languages, Java is also relatively straightforward to learn, code, compile and debug. The massive amount of resources available online (from guides, tutorials, libraries, and community groups) also makes it easier to start learning and using Java – there are plenty of seasoned developers ready to answer questions or suggest a solution to a problem.  

Java also wins points from the developers by being able to adapt itself quickly to any new uses. Thanks to frequent new version releases and hundreds of new libraries shared by developers worldwide, Java is regularly ahead of the competition when it comes to supporting new technologies or trends. For example, Java is often the top choice for IoT devices, as Java allows you to write the code once and then use it and run on many hardware devices and platforms without changing the code. Java-powered IoT devices are also far more effective in exchanging and retrieving information – making it a perfect match.

What can you create with Java?

The portability, along with how robust, secure and relatively simpler, and easier to learn than languages such as C and C++ Java is are just some of the reasons why software developers continue to choose Java. Where Java really shines at, though, is how versatile it is – there’s an almost endless list of project types where you can use Java with success.

Let’s look at some of those: 

Mobile Applications

For a very long time, Java was the only official language supported by Android, and most of the Android applications were built using it. Now the choice might be a bit broader, but even though, Java is still the most often used language for creating mobile apps – and for several reasons. For example, did you know that you can use Java to make high-performing cross-platform mobile apps?

Java is a great programming language for mobile applications because it doesn’t hog your phone’s processing power like some other languages do. So if you want the best possible user experience on your phone, learn Java. You’ll be able to make fast-performing apps with high fidelity graphics that are very responsive and functional in all conditions. Plus there are tons of resources out there that provide how-to guides adapted for building apps with this language! It also doesn’t have near the bug problems of JavaScript which means less headaches when debugging.

Cloud Applications

Cloud applications are everywhere nowadays, thanks to how convenient they are to use. And as with Java language, you can create highly secure and reliable “Write once, run anywhere” programs, which makes the language ideal for decentralized, cloud-based applications. When it comes to providing anything as a service (whether it’s a file-sharing service like Google Drive or an enterprise system like Salesforce), Java is basically everywhere. 

Web Applications

Creating web applications was one of the first uses of the Java language, and for many developers, Java is still their main language when it comes to all sorts of web apps. With the abundance of tools and libraries developers can use and many features useful for web development, Java works excellent for even complex web apps. Java is also frequently used for server-side programming. 

Big Data

Want to work with big data? Java is often the first choice here. It’s fast, accurate, and reliable, so when it comes to processing large amounts of data, there might be no better language to use. For example, Apache Hadoop, designed for processing large data sets, is built in Java. 

Games

Google Play Store currently has over 477k games in their library, and the vast majority of them are made using Java language. Whether it’s a regular 2D game or a 3D game with the newest technologies implemented, Java works incredibly well. Just look at Pokémon Go that uses augmented reality features – it was partly built with Java. It’s a great programming language. It is designed to allow for better performance on mobile devices or embedded systems with lower CPU power. Java applets are platform independent that work equally well on any machine running java installed so long as they have the plug-ins you need, which will usually be the case.

Java is also more complex than some languages due to being object oriented and includes access controls – objects are not allowed direct access to other objects unless they are subclasses of it. This limits the abilities of an object but makes security easier to do because the compiler can help by checking classes for potential excesses.

Artificial intelligence

It might be still far from AI-powered devices being at least partially as smart as humans, but as their capabilities grow, more and more industries start to implement various forms of Artificial intelligence devices in their companies – just to mention the growing popularity of IoT (Internet of Things) devices armed with machine learning. Java doesn’t stay behind here – there are many open-sourced machine learning libraries available like Deep Learning for Java (DL4J) and Apache Spark’s MLib which can be used to build smart devices or, for example, chatbots.  

What software do Java developers use?

The primary platform Java teams and companies are using to create any type of Java application is Java Development Kit (JDK in short) – a software development environment with multiple tools and features used for developing Java applications. JDK set includes the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), an interpreter/loader (Java), a compiler (javac), an archiver (jar), a documentation generator (Javadoc), and various other tools needed in Java development. Depending on which system the developers use (Windows, Linux, or Mac), different versions of JDK platforms are available. In addition, for creating large-scale web applications for enterprise needs, Java has a separate set of APIs, called Java Platform Enterprise Edition (Java EE). 

And while JDK might be the most often used platform for creating Java apps, there’s a long list of other useful tools and services from various categories that java developers can use to speed up the entire process of developing, testing, and deployment in Java. Just to mention a few, Eclipse IDE, JUnit testing framework, Apache Spark, or Android Studio for mobile apps are frequently used as well.

When to hire a Java development company?

If you are looking to start a Java-based project but don’t have skilled developers in your company (or you do, but they are already busy with other tasks), then outsourcing your software development project to a java development company might be the right solution for you. That way, you can create a team of java developers that have exactly the skills and competencies you need for your project while ensuring that your ideas will be translated into a working product.

What can a Java development team help you with?

A Java development company can help you with several projects:

• Java Web Development – Creating and ensuring that your software work across all devices and browsers.
• Enterprise Java Development – For building stable and secure enterprise solutions matching the businesses’ needs
• Java Application Development – When you need to develop a web, mobile, or desktop application from scratch.
• Custom Java Development Projects

You might be worried whether you can even afford the costs of hiring an outside company offering java development services to other businesses – but you shouldn’t. By outsourcing your project to an experienced company that handles creating java solutions for enterprises or custom java applications on a daily basis, you and your team can focus on other crucial tasks rather than try to divide your time between the daily tasks and app project. While your main team will work as usual, the dedicated software development team meanwhile will give their full attention to the project and give you a detailed report on how the development progress is going.  You will only be charged for the work they have already done, so you will know exactly how much are you paying and for what.  

That means that reaching out to a software development company to help you with the entire app development process can actually save both your time and your money – not to mention, guaranteeing the quality of your custom java application or mobile app.

Conclusion

These are some of the key reasons why Java is so popular among developers. It’s pretty likely it will continue to be useful for years to come. The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is compatible with almost all devices and platforms. If you want to create a desktop program for Windows or a mobile app for Android, Java might be just what you need. 

Add to that how versatile and secure Java applications are, and there shouldn’t be much doubt that Java is still an essential part of the programming world, despite its age. So whether you are planning to build the app yourself or you are thinking about reaching out to a company offering java development services, you are sure to see just how well Java is doing in 2021. Are you looking for java programming language team for your project? Let’s talk.