Even though several new programming languages are used to develop an application for both web and mobiles, Java is one such platform that has not become obsolete. According to recent statistics, it has been proven that Java is used to design about 35.5% of web applications amongst all other programming languages. It is one of the most widely used server-side application development platforms, which is not only preferred by start-ups but also popular MNCs all across the world.
There is increased use of Java for web development. Here, you can get an overview and some useful details about the Java programming language, how it is used for web development and what IDE is. So, without any further delay, let’s start learning more about Java web development and its usage.
What is java web development?
Web development is defined as the processes involved in building a website from all aspects. Java is the commonly used programming language applied for web development. Java web development helps in creating dynamic web pages and also offers an easy-to-use user interface. Starting from developing the functionalities from the back end to designing the client-side interface from the frontend, there are several things a developer needs to do before the site can be launched on the internet for the global users to access.
The Java developers use this language to design codes and execute them to develop server-side functionalities. For example, when you are navigating from one page to the other or selecting a drop-down option, the action performed by the website is determined by the Java codes deployed on the dedicated server where the website or web application is run.
Java is one of the preferred languages for web application development as it can handle multiple functions needed to develop the app. Moreover, since Java supports threads and inheritance, creating distributed applications becomes easier, especially if it needs to be run on different networks or server-side simultaneously.
We have discussed how Java code is suitable for developing applications and their functionalities for server-side networks to give you more clarity.
– With Java web development, the codes can be easily optimized as per the requirements of the web application to be developed.
– Java supports several frameworks like Java API, Java servlet, Java EE, and so on. Different functionalities can be developed that will be at par with the modern web development trends.
– Java is a lightweight programming language, so designing applications and websites are so easy with this language.
– It is one of the most primitive languages that offer a lot of flexibility to programmers to design codes for multiple functionalities.
– One of the best features of Java that makes it perfect for designing web applications is that it can be integrated with other platforms with ease.
– Java is also used in software engineering. It is used for writing efficient code based on feature specifications.
How is a Java web application created?
In software engineering, a set of programming languages are taught to help students build a strong foundation. Even though Java is one of the most traditional object-oriented languages, Java web development is still preferred because of its speed. Websites and web apps developed via Java can load very fast, which is what the market demands. According to a recent study, it is proved that 47% audience expects that the website will load on the server within 2 seconds or less. That’s where Java comes into play! Also, Java web development is not only good for website development but is also used in mobile application development. Java is used to write Android mobile applications.
However, creating web pages and applications using Java is not an easy task. There are several steps that one needs to understand and practice for successfully developing the web application. In this below section, we will describe the steps a person needs to follow to develop a Java-based web app.
Choosing the Java web development technology
The first task that a developer needs to do to create applications is choosing a perfect development technology. There are five main technologies based on Java that can be used for web app development on the server-side. These are:
– Java servlet API
– JSP
– JDBC API
– JavaServer Faces Technology
– Java Persistence API
Out of all these five major technologies, the Java servlet is used by maximum web developers. Java servlet is used in API format, which receives a request from the client-side and then processes the request as per the URL, and other inputs are given.
Once processing is complete, the servlet connects with the server-side functional codes and the database to form a response and then displays it to the users on the client-side.
Selecting the correct Java framework to work on
Java frameworks are referred to those code snippets that can be used repeatedly according to the change in functionality for the application. Due to these framework codes, a developer won’t have to form the codes once again from scratch. With just a few tweaks, the pre-written code can be used with ease.
Java supports several frameworks, out of which the spring framework, Grails, and Google Web Toolkit are used the most. With the frameworks, the developer’s works are reduced by ten folds as they only have to reuse the code with little changes according to the business needs.
Choosing the IDE for optimizing codes
The next thing which needs to be present for developing Java for web apps is the IDE. Three main IDE platforms are used globally by the programmers to customize the codes and execute them as per the requirement of the business. This serves as the platform for creating the dynamic web app projects and then loading them on the server to access the application through the server network on different systems.
The main IDEs used for optimizing the Java programs are:
– Eclipse for Java EE
– NetBeans
– BlueJ
Picking out a database for storing data and other information
The last step of developing application-based web services is choosing and integrating a proper database with the server. Usually, most companies and developers prefer to use MySQL, Oracle, and PL SQL for storing all the information related to the application to be developed. When developers need to work on legacy systems, a proper database is necessary to store the migrated and newly formed data.
What is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE)?
For developing both web and mobile applications, using the Integrated Development Environment is compulsory for the programmers.
IDE is defined as a platform where codes are written using preset syntaxes and Java in-built library packages and then executed to get the desired results. In most IDEs used for developing open-sourced apps, there are four major parts:
– The code editor is the platform where developers write and edit the codes as per the business requirement.
– A compiler that converts the language to machine-level language and processes every statement written in the code.
– A debugger is also present, which will pick out the errors or display the compilation errors.
– An interpreter helps process the compiled machine-level codes to display the proper results as per the code requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What is the use of Spring Boot in Java web development?
A. Spring Boot allows the developers to write a program and simply run it to check the functionality without depending on an external server.
Q. What is Java used for?
A. Java is a general-purpose programming language, and it is used for developing:
– Web applications like online forms, shopping carts;
– Android applications;
– Enterprise application development for schools, offices, charities, etc.;
– Web servers;
– Software tools.
Q. Is Java web development better than PHP for web development?
A. Java is better than PHP as it comes with several technologies, frameworks, IDE platforms, built-in library functions, and plug-ins that can be used to develop small-scale and complex programs. Besides, Java also comes with more built-in security features; while in PHP, one has to opt for other frameworks, thus making Java web development a better option than PHP.