Find Top 8 All Time Best Java Tools to Watch Out For

Choosing the right software development tool is like choosing your favorite food item from a store. They all have their unique taste but you love them all. Basically Java is an Object oriented programming language which is used in various kinds of software, hardware and embedded devices. Java is also primarily used for mobile and set top box devices.

In this article, we are discussing about the top Java development tools which are expected to be used extensively. They are expected to satisfy the user requirements. Last year has seen many ups and down in the development area as many of the developers were learning and upgrading themselves to the new version of the tool. Recent advancements reveal that modularity and light weighted Java tools will gain popularity among development processes. Now let’s discuss the top 8 Java tools. These tools ease the entire process of development, testing and deployment in Java. We are giving some top names with their features and download links.

1. JUnit

JUnit is an open source unit testing tool for Java programming language. It is an important tool for test driven development and deployment.

Some of its features:-

• Loading databases with some specific known set of data.
• Run before or after every test.
• Provides support for writing and running tests.
• JUnit tests allow writing codes faster and increase quality.
• Preparation of input data.
• Setup of Fake objects.

2. NetBeans

NetBeans is a Free and open source IDE for Java Application Development and allows the development of desktop, mobile and web applications.

Some of its features are:-

• NetBeans supports the latest Java Technologies.
• It offers easy and efficient project management process.
• Support for fast and smart code editing.
• Offers rapid user interface development.
• It enables to write bug and error free code.
• NetBeans IDE offers support for PHP and C/C++.
• NetBeans IDE can be installed in any OS which supports Java like Windows, Linux, Mac OS etc.

3. Oracle JDeveloper

Oracle JDeveloper is a free Java development IDE. It enables developer to build reliable Service Oriented Architecture with Java. It supports the full development life cycle.

Some of its features are:-

• It has the ability to generate servlets which operates as EJB clients.
• Allows to specify a configuration class to hold the Meta data.
• It supports in creating and editing Web Socket annotations of Java classes.
• You can download Oracle JDeveloper here.

4. Apache Maven

Apache Maven is a software project management tool which is widely used by Java developers. It is based on the project object model (POM) concept.

Some of its features are:-

• It has a simple project setup which follows best practices to get a new project or module started in seconds.
• It allows easy writing of plugins using Java.
• Supports release management and distribution publication.
• It supports the use of a central repository of JARs and other dependencies.
• It allows instant access to new features with very few extra configuration and settings.
• You can download Apache Maven here.

5. Java Decompiler

Java Decompiler is a freeware Java tool which can reconstruct Java source code from CLASS files quickly. It allows to decompile, Java applets, JAR and ZIP files for producing accurate Java Source code.

Some of its features are :-

• This tool supports Drag and Drop of files.
• It displays the produced and decompiled source code in color coded format.
• It works with almost all version of Java whether it is too old or too new.

6. Gradle

Gradle is a project automation Java tool. It builds on the features of Apache Ant and Apache Maven. It also serves as the default build tool for the Android platform IDE in which Java is used to create mobile applications.

Some of its Features are:-

• It comes with a remote build cache with convenient management tools.
• It supports multi-project builds and also partial builds.
• Can easily adapt to any structure.
• It supports better modeling of dependencies using the Java Library plugin and reduces the size of the compile classpath.
• Its smart classpath helps to avoid unnecessary compilation when the binary interface of a library is not changed.

7. Eclipse

Eclipse is an open source IDE for Java. It offers modern features, numerous modeling tools, Java testing tools and development frameworks.

Some of its features are:-

• It supports Model Driven Development.
• It provides easy and seamless integration with JUnit.
• This is easy to customize.
• It offers the best tooling for JEE projects.
• It provides complete detailed reports.

8. Java Development Kit

Java Development Kit (JDK) is a tool for writing java applets and applications. The JDK includes the Java Runtime Environment, the Java compiler and the Java APIs.

Some of its features are:-

• Provides support to handle multiple exceptions in a single catch block.
• It provides String in Switch expression.
• Provides underscores between Digits and numeric literals.
• It provides integral types as binary literals.
• Try with resources statement.
• It supports automatic type inference in Generic object instantiation.

Conclusion

We have discussed some of the Java tools which are used in the development, testing and deployment process of Java projects. You can use some or most of them as per your project requirements. These will sure make your Java development process more easier and comfortable.