Top 10 Best Java Frameworks for Developers

Java continues to be a dominant programming language. It is the most preferred language for innovative software development tasks. When beginning development on a new project, many individuals wonder, "Which Java frameworks should be used?" Java frameworks are software tools that can enhance the functionality and visual appeal of your project. We conducted research and compiled a list of the top best Java frameworks for you to choose from.

In this post, we will look at the characteristics, benefits, and applications of the Java Frameworks listed below.

1. Spring Framework

The is the most flexible Java framework. Spring simplifies the development of enterprise-level applications. It was first released in March 2004 and has since earned the reputation of being a "framework of frameworks." Spring is an open-source framework that follows the principle of inversion of control, making it loosely coupled and highly flexible. Many Java applications rely on the core features of Spring, and extensions have been developed to enable web application development on the Java Enterprise Edition platform. Companies such as Amazon, eBay, and Netflix are among the many that use the Spring framework.

Uses of Spring Framework:

Web application development

Enterprise Java Applications (JEE)

Advantages of Spring Framework:Provides a lightweight container that can run without a web or application serverOffers support for JDBC, improving productivity and reducing errorsFeatures Dependency Injection (Inversion of Control) and Beans, making web development more straightforwardSupports both annotation-based configurations and XMLPromotes code testability2. Hibernate

Hibernate is another Java framework, an object-relational mapping tool that simplifies the process of mapping an object-oriented domain model to a relational database. The primary configuration file for is hibernate.cfg.xml, which contains information about mapping Java classes with database configurations. Prominent software companies like IBM, Dell, and Oracle have extensively used Hibernate.

Uses of Hibernate:

Development of persistent classes following object-oriented concepts

Simplifying database communication with minimal code changes

Easy execution of database operations on Java entities

Advantages of Hibernate:Open-source and freeFacilitates code reusabilityIncreases portability, productivity, and maintainability3. Apache Struts

is a free, open-source Java framework based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern. It is used to create modern and elegant Java web applications, favoring convention over configuration. Struts is extensible through a plugin architecture and includes various plugins for supporting REST, AJAX, and JSON. Companies like Infosys, Accenture, and NextGen Technologies use Apache Struts.

Uses of Apache Struts:

Simplifying the development of MVC-based web applications

Extending the Servlet API to adopt the MVC architectural pattern

Advantages of Apache Struts:Speeds up application developmentEases application maintenanceOffers centralized configuration using XML or property files4. Play Framework

is a web application framework. It is open-source and adheres to the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural paradigm. It's written in Scala. It is compatible with programming languages compiled to JVM bytecode, such as Java. Play shares similarities with frameworks like Django, Ruby on Rails, and , aiming to address issues associated with traditional Java web development, including slow development cycles and complex configurations. Built upon the Akka Toolkit, Play simplifies concurrent and distributed application development on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).