Must-know Open Source Tools For Java Development

Java has been around as a programming language for more than a quarter of a century and continues to be popular among software developers. Java's flexibility makes it perfect for enterprise application development and Android and IoT app development. Whether you are an experienced Java developer or just starting your journey, a wide range of open source and paid platforms are available for developing Java projects.

Open-source tools are dynamic, continually growing, and freely available. Below are the top open-source Java tools that every Java developer should know about and work with.

Maven

Apache Maven is a project management tool for Java that stores the build, documentation, and reporting of a project in one central location. The platform is conventional and requires the user to follow clear standards and definitions for building any project. 

Maven is based on a Project Object Model and offers great dependency management features. While working on a Java project, the platform can automatically download relevant third-party libraries (JAR) and manage multiple JARs to facilitate project completion.

Although Maven proves to be rigid and opinionated from a flexibility standpoint, it serves as an excellent tool for beginners who are just learning to build Java projects. There is no need to write all commands from scratch, and basic tasks can be completed very quickly.

Jenkins

Jenkins is a unique platform for building, testing, and deploying Java code as an open-source automation server. Jenkins automates all the aspects of software development that don't require human intervention. Some of these aspects are project compilation, test integration, documentation, running of unit tests, and upload of artifacts in remote and local repositories.

The server is written in Java and includes a large number of plugins, enabling it to integrate with any existing tech architecture. The framework can be used to identify defects in a code and fix them too. Jenkins is also easily portable to powerful platforms and supports most Java tools for project development

Gradle

Gradle is a build automation framework for Java that takes the best features of Maven to the next level. As a dependency management platform, Gradle opts for domain-specific language and provides a clutter-free environment for project building.

Gradle is also the default build platform for Android. Thus, if you want to build android applications using Java, then Gradle is the best open-source tool for you. Furthermore, if you are working on projects with complex databases, then the advanced analytics, debugging features, and smaller configuration files in Gradle can give you a fast and easy coding experience.

JUnit

JUnit is a cross-platform, open-source testing framework used for building test cases and research. This platform easily integrates with the most popular Java  Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and other open-source platforms like Maven, Gradle, and Jenkins. When your Java project requires a test-driven development, then JUnit is a helpful platform, allowing for writing and running automated tests in multiple iterations.

During code compilation, JUnit is linked as a JAR. During code runtime, however, it needs Java 8, even though you can test codes that have been compiled using previous versions of Java. With JUnit, you can define code behavior with specific annotations and even manage code regression during testing.

Netbeans

Netbeans is an IDE, almost as old as Java, and is offered by the same parent company, Oracle. Although Netbeans was specifically designed for Java, it can also be used for other programming languages by direct installation into the operating system. 

It is more commonly used by researchers, academicians, and beginner-level coders to design modular applications for standalone, web, and mobile architecture. Although Netbeans has a default configuration of Ant for building projects, it can be configured to use Maven as well. The environment is highly collaborative and offers multiple views for efficient data and tool management.

SonarQube

SonarQube is a code review tool that uses static code analysis for efficient code writing. The written code is automatically reviewed by SonarQube to ensure quality and safety. The tool works for 16 programming languages other than Java and can be integrated with other tools like Jenkins for seamless automation of software development.

SonarQubes in-built editor provides real-time feedback for code improvement while you are writing it. The platform also notifies coders when their project is production-ready. A paid version of the tool also exists with more advanced features to detect security breaches in code. However, the community version, which is open source, is a good tool in itself for working on your Java projects.

Apache Spark

Apache spark is an open-source platform that is used across distributed machines or in a parallel processing system to manage large-scale development projects. Sparks microframework allows for developing web applications in an unopinionated environment with speed and flexibility. 

The platform is especially useful for building expressive web applications with a boilerplate code in the shortest possible time. With both batch and data processing supported in real-time, Apache Spark is best suited for microservices. The platform also supports code reusability, rapid development, and fault tolerance to speed up processing.

Conclusion

These open-source tools and platforms are a must-know for every Java developer. Even though the language keeps evolving and new tools become available every year, these tools are great to start your software development journey with. To become a Java expert and kickstart your career as a software developer, enroll in the intensive Java course offered by Cogent University. 

Cogent University, backed by Cogent Infotech, aims to bridge the gap in the emerging technical gaps. So, we better understand the current industry requirements and offer course content accordingly to our students to get the most updated knowledge about Java.

Visit our website today, fill out the form, and our experts will help you make a wise decision for your career.