What are Java frameworks and why they are used?
A Java framework is a body of pre-written code to enable easier, faster, and efficient development as well as the deployment of the web apps. It is a kind of template which the developers can use for Java web app development by adding their own code and re-using the components in it.
A Java framework alleviates the need to write the code from scratch. It gives a structure to the web apps by automating a lot of things for consistent and accurate results. These may even include predefined functions and classes for interacting with software systems or managing the hardware devices, depending upon the type of framework. One can use the framework by calling the inheritance, functions, providing call backs, listeners, etc.
Promising Java Frameworks to Know in!
There are multiple frameworks available in the market for Java web app development and they all serve different purposes and good for specific requirements. Here are the most commonly used Java frameworks that you must know.
Spring
Spring is an open-source Java framework that is lightweight, powerful, and known for building complex and high-performing web apps. It is a feature-rich modular framework that has several add-ons like REST APIs, SOAP services, secured authentication, etc. The aspect-oriented programming features and the concept of dependency injection in spring allow the Java developers to develop enterprise-level applications. It is a framework having several modules like Spring Core, Spring Security, Spring ORM, Spring MVC, Spring Boost, Spring Transaction, etc.
Pros
- Supports JDBC thereby reducing the errors and enhancing the productivity
- Better modularity for enhanced code readability
- The Framework is lightweight, hence can be triggered without an application server
- Supports XML as well as annotation-based configuration
- Simplified injection to test data through POJOs
- Supports Inversion of Control (IOC) to satisfy the application dependencies itself
- Provides backward compatibility and testability of the code
Cons
- Learning Spring could be time-consuming and difficult
- A newbie may find it difficult to implement MVC
- It keeps changing over time
Hibernate
Hibernate isn’t a full-stack framework but is one of the best frameworks when it comes to the database. It is an Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) framework used for building highly stable apps. ORM is useful in connecting data across incompatible systems and helps the data to flow seamlessly; thus making it easier to work in a complex ecosystem. It also helps to overcome issues like Paradigm Mismatch or Object-Relational Impedance Mismatch. Hibernate also facilitates sound communication between Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) and Java programming language. A Java application development company can rely on this framework for developing scalable web apps.
Pros
- Free, open-source and powerful
- Productivity, portability, scalability, and maintainability
- With small modifications in code, communicating with any database is possible
- Repetitive code is removed from the JDBC API
Cons
- Restarting could be immensely slow at times
- In the case of power-cut, all the data may be lost
Google Web Toolkit (GWT)
This is a free, open-source, and developer-friendly framework, that helps to build complex applications at a fast pace without the proficiency in front-end technologies. It is used for creating and debugging Ajax apps in Java. It allows conversion of Java code into JavaScript code which saves time and effort to a great extent. It provides great features such as bookmarking, internationalization, cross-browser compatibility, management of history, etc. GWT is one of the best frameworks for responsive and performant web apps with a lower load on server-side and heavy lifting on the client-side.
