Top Ten Java Frameworks You Must Know in 2023

Bodies of pre-written code through which we can add our own code are known as java frameworks. Several different java frameworks are available to us today, and this blog talks about the top 10 frameworks to master.

Before we dive deep into the topic, here is an interesting fact on Java – Java Programming is the fifth most used programming language worldwide in 2021, with a market share of 35.35%. [source – statista]

What are Java Frameworks?

A Java framework is a set of libraries and tools that help programmers to create Java applications. Frameworks provide a structure for application development and can be used to develop web and mobile applications. To make use of a framework, we can call its methods, supply callbacks, listeners, inheritance, or other implementations of patterns.

Many different Java frameworks are available for developers, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Some popular Java frameworks include the Spring Framework, Hibernate, and Java Server Faces. Each java framework has a unique set of features and functionality, so choosing the right one can often be a difficult task. However, by researching and taking the time to understand each framework, you can make an informed decision and choose the best java framework for your needs.

Read Also: Top PHP Frameworks

Top 10 Java Frameworks for 2023.

Here is a list of the top 10 java frameworks to master in 2023.

1. Hibernate

The Hibernate framework provides an object/relational mapping facility for the Java programming language. It is a full-featured, open-source persistence framework that is very popular among Java developers. When working with Java, you may encounter a problem known as Object-Relational Impedance Mismatch or Paradigm Mismatch. Hibernate allows you to overcome these mismatch problems in Java.

Advantages:

• Free and open-source framework
• Removes repetitive code from the JDBC API
• Portable and manageable

2. Spring

Spring Framework is an open-source framework that provides comprehensive infrastructure support for developing robust Java applications very easily and rapidly. Spring framework in Java is one of the most popular Java EE frameworks and provides comprehensive infrastructural support for developing enterprise-level applications in Java. Spring framework is very versatile and can be used for developing applications for a wide range of domains, such as web applications, enterprise applications, stand-alone Java applications, etc.

Advantages:

• Reduces errors and improves productivity as it supports JDBC
• Spring provides testability of code
• Supports annotation-based configuration and XML
• Targets to make J2EE development easier

3. JavaServer Faces

JavaServer Faces or JSF is a Java specification for building component-based UIs for web applications. JSF was formalized as a standard through the Java Community Process and is now part of the Java EE platform. It was developed by Oracle and is a stable Java Framework.

Advantages:

• An integral part of JEE
• Allows us to extend the existing backend java code with a web interface without having to change the base application
• JSF provides rich libraries and tools

4. Google Web Toolkit

Google Web Toolkit or GWT is a set of tools that allows developers to create and maintain complex JavaScript front-end applications. It is used by many products at Google, including Google AdWords and Google Wallet. It is open-source and can be used by anyone for free. It is developer-friendly and allows us to code complex browser applications. Google Web Toolkit supports reusability and cross-browser portability and offers internationalization, bookmarking UI abstraction, and history management.

Advantages:

• Supports reusability, cross-browser portability
• Offers internationalization, bookmarking, UI abstraction, and history management.
• Google APIs can be used

5. Struts

In Java, the Struts framework is an open-source framework for developing Web applications. It is built on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern. The Struts framework is a popular choice for building Java-based Web applications. Struts are very extensible and can be integrated with other Java frameworks. It uses a Model-View-Controller design pattern and can be deployed on any Servlet container.

Advantages:

• Reduces development time and makes manageability easier
• Struts can be integrated with other frameworks to perform tasks that aren’t built on the platform.
• Struts offer centralized configuration. This means that rather than coding into a java program, values are represented in XML or on property files.

6. Vaadin

It is a web application framework for Rich Internet Applications or RIA. In contrast to traditional web frameworks like JSF, Vaadin is a server-side framework that uses GWT as its client-side technology. Vaadin is the only major RIA framework that allows you to write your UI in pure Java. Vaadin is a mature and stable platform for building web applications. It has a large and active community with a rich ecosystem of over 700 add-ons.

Advantages:

• It has built-in Spring support
• Drag and drop support
• Features that help in simplifying the creation of single-page UIs
• Data binding
• Supports languages such as Kotlin and Scala

7. Dropwizard

Dropwizard is a Java framework for building web applications. It includes a number of modules for common tasks such as configuration, logging, and metrics. Dropwizard is designed to be lightweight and easy to use. It helps in creating Java microservices and is an operation-friendly java framework. Dropwizard develops high-performance RESTful web services and supports several independent libraries.

Advantages:

• Increases productivity
• Helps in easily performing rapid prototyping
• Supports several open-source libraries

8. Blade

The blade is a full-stack framework, which means it provides everything you need to build a web application. Blade is built on top of Java 8, and the web server and template engine are built into the framework, too. Blade is a lightweight framework, which means it has a minimal footprint. The source code is less than 500kb. Blade is a high-performance framework, which means it is designed to be fast and efficient.

Advantages:

• Processes CSRF (cross-site request forgery) and XSS (cross-site scripting) defense support
• Allows configuration of multiple files
• Supports plug-in extensions and web jar resources

9. Play

Play is a high-productivity Java and Scala web application framework that integrates the components and APIs you need for modern web application development. It is a unique java framework that doesn’t rely on Java EE standards but instead intends to remove the inconveniences of traditional Java web development.

Advantages:

• Play is more flexible
• It supports non-blocking I/O, which is crucial for a high-performance application
• Play offers features such as error messages in the browser, hot code reloading, etc.

10. Grails

The Grail framework is a web application framework written in the Java programming language. It is designed to provide a simple yet powerful way to develop web applications in a Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture.

Advantages:

• Promotes reuse of code and provides flexible profiles
• Easy to use the object mapping feature

Just like these Java Frameworks, there are various data structures and algorithms in Java which are a must learn for aspiring Java developers. Check out this data structures and algorithms tutorial course to learn the same.

Conclusion

There are many different Java frameworks out there, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. In the end, the best framework for your project will depend on your specific needs and preferences. However, we hope this overview has given you a better idea of the different Java frameworks available and how they can help you in your development projects.