10 Best Java Developer Tools to Boost Productivity

Java is an object-oriented programming language that is used for developing various mobile apps and in website development. There are multiple tools available in the market for Java management. This software helps in the process of creating, testing and deploying in Java.

Therefore, The Top 10 Java tools used by Java developers to boost productivity and develop useful applications are discussed in this article. Yet, behind every successful Java application, there’s a suite of valuable tools that streamline the development process. So before getting to the best tools for Java let’s briefly understand What is Java.

What are Java Tools?

Java Development tools are the tools that increase the functionality and productivity of the Java codes. They are basically types of libraries, software, or frameworks that are used by Java developers in the programming of Java. But what exactly are Java tools, and why are they so essential? In simple terms, Java tools are software applications designed to assist developers in various stages of the programming journey. They act as digital assistants, aiding coders in writing, testing, debugging, and managing Java code more efficiently. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just stepping into the world of programming, understanding the role of these tools is paramount to harnessing the full potential of Java.

10 Best Java Developer Tools to Boost Productivity

These Best Java tools are the unsung heroes, simplifying complex tasks and helping programmers bring their ideas to life. So let’s explore their diverse functionalities and how they contribute to the development of robust and functional Java applications.

1. NetBeans

NetBeans is a freely available backend Java tool. It is an integrated development environment (IDE) for Java which is used to develop web, mobile, and desktop applications. It is an open-source application that creates a set of modular software components which are known as modules.

Key Features

• It provides support to multiple programming languages such as Java, PHP, HTML, and Javascript.
• It can be used on any type of device such as Windows, Mac, or Linux.
• In NetBeans IDE it provides support to the PHP and C++ developers.

Advantages

• The editing features present in NetBeans help to improve the quality of the code.
• It is used for Java development because it supports all the Java technologies.

Disadvantages

• NetBeans is difficult for beginners to learn.

Pricing: NetBeans is completely free to use as it is an open source tool.

2. Apache Maven

Apache Maven is an open source build automation and software project management tool which is used to build, manage and deploy the projects for better project management purposes. This is mainly used for Java projects.

Key Features

• By using Java it facilitates the development of plugins.
• It also supports various programming languages such as C, C++, Tcl, Python and Tcl.
• It supports the use of JARs and other types of dependencies.

Advantage

• It has better debugging and collaboration facilities.
• It supports the use of the central repository by promoting the reuse of code and supporting other dependencies.

Disadvantage

• It is difficult for beginners to use and understand the maven lifecycle.

Pricing: Apache Maven is a free java tool.

3. Site 24*7

Site 24*7 is an AI powered monitoring solution for cloud scale applications. It is a web based tool which is used to keep track of websites, applications and servers of large and small organisations. It consists of a robust alerting system and user friendly interface.

Key Features

• It consists of website, cloud, network, application and server monitoring.
• They also provide real user monitoring.
• They support multiple languages like Ruby, Java, PHP, NodeJs, Python and .NET languages.

Advantage

• It provides a set of features which includes SLA management, mobile access, monitoring and root cause analysis.
• It is scalable and can integrate with SaaS solutions.

Disadvantage

• The interface of 24*7 is confusing.
• The UI of 24*7 needs some improvement.

Pricing: It provides a free trial for 30 days and paid pricing starts from $9/month.

4. ManageEngine Application Manager

ManageEngine Application Manager is an application tool which helps to enable operators and IT administrators to have an integrated view towards the business and to detect the problems which are affecting the users of the application.

Key Features

• This application manager provides the plugins support for the APM and OpManager.
• They also offer features like Fault Management, Dependency mapping, application analytics and so on.
• The customer support is provided through Email, phone and chat.

Advantages

• It provides real time visibility into the server and application performance.
• Active monitoring helps to resolve the problems.

Disadvantages

• The graphical interface is not user friendly.
• It may take time in the installation process.

Pricing: The paid plans start from $395 and free trials are also available for 30 days.

5. JUnit

JUnit is an open source unit testing framework which is used by the programmers to create test cases and used for testing their code. It has a built-in reporter which can print the results of the test cases.

Key Features

• JUnit provides annotations to identify the test methods.
• It provides plugin support for the reports of projects and Gradle.
• It also supports the various programming languages such as React, Java, Go, Python and so on.

Advantages

• Test runners are provided in JUnit for running the tests.
• JUnit provides assertions for testing the results. It also allows you to write code faster as compared to some other tool.

Disadvantages

• It doesn’t support test parameters and test grouping which limits the flexibility.
• Speed of execution of the test varies and can take time.

Pricing: It is an open source tool thus it is free for use.

6. Groovy

Groovy consists of scripting languages on the Java platform. It is an object oriented programming language which combines compilation and static typing.

Key Features

• The main features of Groovy are testing and scripting.
• It supports metaprogramming which simply allows the user to extend and modify the existing classes.
• It also integrates with java allowing them to leverage the existing java frameworks.

Advantages

• It improves the productivity of Java developers.
• It consists of dynamic typing capabilities.

Disadvantages

• It provides limited IDE and tooling support when compared to Java.
• It is difficult for the beginners to use due to new dynamic or Groovy languages.

Pricing: It is free for everyone to use.

7. Mockito

Mockito is an open source framework used for unit testing of the application. It is a Java based framework which helps in the development of the testable applications. It helps users to write clean tests.

Key Features

• It provides Customer support in Email.
• It provides support to various programming languages like Java, Python, .NET and C++.
• Mockito also offers plugins support to the PluginSwitch, MockMaker and so on.

Advantages

• The users don’t have to write their mock codes.
• Mockito also supports the return values. They offer clean syntax and also enhance the quality of test codes.

Disadvantage

• Mockito is difficult for beginners to use due to the difficult mocking concepts and frameworks.

Pricing: It is an open source framework therefore it is freely available.

8. Ehcache

Ehcache is an open source Java based solution which boosts scalability and performance. It was developed by Greg Luck which integrates the most popular libraries and other frameworks.

Key Features

• Ehcache provides support for the Java programming language.
• It also supports Hibernate integration and Spring Caching.
• For issue tracking it seamlessly integrates with Jira and Github.

Advantage

• It is fast and simple to use and it consists of minimal dependencies.
• It also provides scalability into terabytes.

Disadvantage

• Ehcache provides limited platform support.

Pricing: It is an open source tool therefore it is also one of a free available tool.

9. Java Decompiler

Java Decompiler is a java tool which is a fast way to decompile JAR files, Zip file, java applets and other source code of java. It is used to decompile java CLASS files into java source codes.

Key Features

• It consists of a user -friendly interface and used to inspect the compiled java code.
• It is also used to reconstruct the source code of Java from the Class files.
• It helps developers to analyse the implementation of java code.

Advantages

• For browsing they provide an easy to use interface.
• It saves the time of developers by getting the source code from the compiled code.

Disadvantage

• Exactly the original code cannot be replicated from the original source code.

Pricing: As it is an open source it is available for free.

10. VisualVM

VisualVM is a java graphical tool which provides a user-friendly interface. This java tool is used for production and development purposes which also track down memory leaks and also browse in multiple platforms such as MBeans.

Key Features

• It provides some important features like visualisation of data and graphs.
• It provides a user -friendly interface so that beginner and professional developers don’t face any problem.
• To improve usability it uses integrating command line JDK tools to graphical user interface.

Advantages

• It allows the developers to analyse and generate heat dumps. It also helps to track down the memory leaks.
• It provides a visual interface for viewing detailed information about the java applications.

Disadvantages

• VisualVm provides limited support for other languages and frameworks except Java because it only focuses on the applications which are based on Java.
• For different profiling and monitoring it requires other additional configurations.

Pricing: VisualVm is free of cost as it is an open source java tool and anyone can avail this for free.

Conclusion

Therefore, these are the Top 10 Java tools used by the programmers to enhance their productivity. By using the tool the java developers can acquire the best and high quality of software. This article covers some of the popular IDEs and builds Java tools which enhance functionality of the software.