Java is one of the most dynamic and widely used programming languages under the platform independence, reliability, and security lists. But when does Java really outshine the other programming languages?
In this article, we will provide answers to why Java remains the top choice for enterprise applications, mobile development, financial systems, big data processing, cloud computing, and IoT solutions. We will also look at the advantages Java offers on each of these fronts, through the description of the distinctive features that make Java a candidate for large-scale, mission-critical applications.
What is Java?
Java is a widely recognized programming language created in 1995 by James Gosling for Sun Microsystems. Since its inception, Java has become one of the most utilized languages worldwide, primarily due to its "Write Once, Run Anywhere" (WORA) capability. This means that Java programs can be written on one system and executed on any platform (operating system) that has a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) installed, making Java highly portable.
The object-oriented nature of Java makes it highly modular and usable, which is why it is used in developing a variety of applications ranging from web and mobile ones to enterprise-level solutions, and beyond.
Main components of Java
The strength of Java actually lies in its three main components:
- Java Virtual Machine (JVM): Is a runtime environment that executes Java code. It converts Java bytecode to native machine code and manages memory, security, and exception handling to enable efficient execution of the application.
- Java Runtime Environment (JRE): Is what makes a Java application run and provides a set of class libraries and loader classes. It provides JVM but lacks the development tools like compilers and debuggers. Therefore, JRE is platform-dependent and must be installed as per the system specifications.
- JRE = JVM + Library classes
- Java Development Kit (JDK): Is a complete set of tools for developing Java programs. It contains the Java compiler, Java Runtime Environment (JRE), Javadoc, and important libraries. JDK is needed to make, compile, and run Java applications on various operating systems.
- JDK = JRE + Developer tools
JVM, JDK, and JRE together give Java cross-platform compatibility. So Java has become essential for creating applications for numerous fields.
Features of Java as compared to other languages
Java is a design-oriented, easy language to write, compile, and debug, allowing the developer to be productive. It is different from other programming languages in terms of platform independence, robustness, memory management, security, and multithreading. Java has high-performance capabilities thanks to its Just-In-Time compiler, so it can be applied well to distributed computing, where interoperability among various computer networks is crucial.
Here’s how it specifically differs from some major languages:
- Platform independence (vs. C, C++, and C#)
- Java, with the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), truly follows the "Write Once, Run Anywhere" principle as it allows any Java application to be executed on any operating system without requiring modification.
- In contrast, C and C++ compile directly to machine code, suggesting that the program must be recompiled for different platforms. Whereas C# is very much tied to the Windows ecosystem, it is getting some cross-platform support with the introduction of .NET Core development.
- Memory management and performance (vs. C, C++, and Python)
- Java enables automatic garbage collection, where memory-management issues are minimized by reclaiming an untapped memory.
- Python also has garbage collection, but Java is generally better than Python in terms of execution speed due to its Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation.
- In contrast, manual memory management is mandatory when working with C and C++, and it is the very thing that increases the complexity and makes it more prone to memory leaks.
- Security (vs. Python, JavaScript, and PHP)
- The Java environment provides great security features such as Security Manager, sandboxing, and bytecode verification, making Java suitable for enterprise and financial applications.
- At the same time, Python, JavaScript, and PHP are dynamically typed and interpreted, creating possibilities of runtime threats if not handled with care.
- Multithreading and concurrency (vs. Python and JavaScript)
- Java has built-in multithreading support, making it efficient in solving background concurrent tasks that are part of larger applications such as banking and trading systems.
- Python also supports multithreading, but its Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) limits true parallel execution, which can result in slowing down performance of this function.
- As opposed to Java's approach, JavaScript is a single-threaded programming language, which relies on event-driven programming and async functions for concurrency.
- Enterprise and large-scale applications (vs. JavaScript, PHP, and Ruby)
- Thanks to Spring, Jakarta EE, and microservices frameworks, Java leads in the development of enterprise applications, such as banking applications, ERP ones, and huge cloud applications.
- Although being the most popular programming language (according to Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2024, JavaScript lacks the kind of robustness required for large-scale enterprise applications.
- PHP and Ruby are also more concentrated on web applications, but they won't provide that degree of scalability and performance for an enterprise system dealing with heavy back-end processes.
- Longevity and ecosystem (vs. Go, Rust, and Kotlin)
- Java has a huge and very vast ecosystem that has been developed for many years and maintained by a very large community with solid enterprise backing, making it an evolutionary option for a long period project.
- While Go and Rust are somewhat more recent and, therefore, more in favor for systems and cloud-native applications, Java continues to reign as the most widely accepted language of use.
- Kotlin is intended to be the modern alternative to Java programming language for developing Android applications. Yet, Java plays an elementary role in the foundations of Android’s core frameworks.
The current state of Java among programming languages
With relevance to survey findings from the 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, Java is still a major player in the software world. The survey learned opinions from 60,171 participants, out of which a significant 30.3% are those who prefer coding in Java. This fact highlights the continued wide usage and relevance of Java throughout the development community.
The survey also shows that respondents who have previously used Java would still like to use it in the future, as a large proportion (47.6%) of them indicated they would "admire" it later in their work. Moreover, 17.9% indicated their willingness to use it at some future date (“desired”).
What prevents Java from being the absolute programming leader
No programming languages are perfect, otherwise, there would not be so many alternatives. Java has many strong features, but some weaknesses keep it from being totally dominant.
The major critique is on performance. No matter how much Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation imparts improvement, Java has always remained slower than lower-level languages like C or C++ because of the overhead of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). This poses a problem to performance-critical applications, such as embedded systems and gaming engines requiring low-latency execution.
Java is also notoriously verbose. While, say, a single line of code would suffice to create a simple function in languages like Python or even Kotlin, it would take well over several lines in Java. This certainly makes development slower and more difficult with maintenance. Its syntax is simple, yet it imposes structure, which some developers may find annoying, especially after using more concise programming languages.
The other problem is memory consumption. There is considerable memory consumption in Java applications because of the JVM and automatic garbage collection. Although memory management benefits from garbage collection, it can lead to unpredictable pauses. Java is therefore less attractive for real-time applications where the execution timing needs to be precise.
Furthermore, it's worth mentioning that the most recent version of Java does not have some of the features of modern programming languages. Even if functional programming concepts like lambda expressions and streams have been included in its recent versions, Java is still not up to par when compared to other languages like Scala and Kotlin in terms of flexibility and ease of use.
On account of the complexity of its ecosystem, the development cycle of Java can often become a little slower; frameworks like spring or Jakarta EE are pretty heavyweight, and it takes a while to learn how to set them up. This does not make the language very attractive for those who want a quick turnaround from commercially lightweight frameworks like Node.js or Python.
Regardless of the drawbacks, Java remains an extremely important language in all enterprise and large-scale applications. Java keeps evolving to do away with such limitations.
Main applications where Java programming excels
Java really shines in enterprise software development. The reasons to run Java inside high-transaction business applications (such as CRM or banking systems) include its strong handling abilities of big workloads, a high level of security, and credibility in data integrity. Spring and Jakarta EE platforms serve as technologies to grow Java's ecosystem for creating scalable systems running on the back end. Hence, it becomes a default choice for companies that seek an extremely available and simultaneously resource-consistent system.
Another field where Java is really strong is Android app development. Java is still the language of Android, despite efforts of languages like Kotlin to become even more popular, because the Android SDK cannot exist without it. The JVM is paramount in ensuring stability and performance optimization, being the best externally supported mobile platform.
There can be no doubt about Java's presence in the financial sector when it comes to high-frequency trade, risk management, and banking software. Unlike dynamic type languages, the strong typing system of Java ensures precision and accuracy in mission-critical financial calculations. Java’s ability of multithreading is required wherein thousands of trades are executed in real time, ensuring data integrity, while the security features fit the bill for some of the strictest financial acts.
Java is fueling frameworks like Apache Hadoop and Apache Spark, which are used for big data and analytics, making use of Java capabilities in distributed computing to efficiently tackle large datasets across clusters. In contrast, Python often needs Java-based library integration to achieve favorable performance.
Java’s platform independence and compatibility with microservices architecture are major pillars of cloud computing. It is the framework in which developers can experience Spring Boot as a perfect Jing application that has portability across AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure. Unlike programming languages dependent on specific cloud ecosystems, Java gives developers deployment flexibility while ensuring secure and efficient container support with Docker and Kubernetes.
Java also has a crucial role to play in the development of Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Contrary to C or Python, which often require heavy hardware-dependent modifications, Java enables embedded systems to work equally in association with a whole array of devices that fall under the category of IoT. Security is the primary concern in IoT, and Java comes with an in-house security manager and sandboxing to protect devices from exposure to any network vulnerabilities. Through Java ME Embedded, developers can build robust IoT solutions that help in remote monitoring and real-time data processing.
Final verdict
Although many languages can manage similar tasks, Java differentiates for its platform independence, reliability, scalability, and security, which makes it the prime choice for the development of enterprise applications, financial systems, Android applications, big data, and large-scale distributed systems. Java still is a preferred language for developers who are after performance, reliability, or cross-platform compatibility.
FAQ
1. What is Java programming used for?
Java is the prime choice for the development of enterprise applications, financial systems, Android applications, big data, and large-scale distributed systems. Developers prefer this programming language for these purposes due to its platform independence, reliability, scalability, and security capabilities.
2. How long has Java been in use?
Java as a programming language was created in 1995 by James Gosling for Sun Microsystems. Therefore, Java has already been in use for nearly 30 years. Since its inception, Java has become one of the most utilized languages worldwide, primarily due to its 'Write Once, Run Anywhere' (WORA) capability.
3. What makes Java different from other languages?
Although many languages can manage similar tasks, Java differentiates for its platform independence, reliability, scalability, and security, which makes it the prime choice for the development of enterprise applications, financial systems, Android applications, big data, and large-scale distributed systems. Java still is a preferred language for developers who are after performance, reliability, or cross-platform compatibility.
4. What companies use Java?
The top companies using Java in their business applications are:
- Amazon
- Airbnb
- Uber
- eBay
- Netflix
- Spotify
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