5 reasons why Java is still the best programming language

A new, long-term supported Java version is just around the corner. There Java passes the 25-year mark, let's take a step back and look at some of the reasons why Java the best programming language for modern software development remains.

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1. Java is easy to learn

Every programming language comes with a learning curve, but Java has many similarities with C, C++ and JavaScript . Anyone who has experience with one of these languages ​​will Java -Learn syntax quickly.

Java also has a very rigid and predictable set of rules that determine code structure. This is in stark contrast to other, untyped ones Scripting languages , where everything seems possible. When trying to master a new programming language, a clear set of consistently enforced rules makes learning easier.

Additionally, Java newbies can rely on a strong support network of YouTube videos, sites like Stack Overflow and resorting to online forums like CodeRanch to find answers to a variety of questions when things don't make sense.

2. The rich range of Java APIs

The Java API is very extensive. The standard JDK includes over 200 built-in packages of Java APIs that enable everything from parsing XML to translating between time zones. When developers add the Jakarta EE APIs, they have an even richer library of APIs at their disposal, enabling the development of complex middle-tier applications and cloud-native microservices.

However, the rich ecosystem of Java APIs extends far beyond APIs approved by Oracle or provided through Jakarta.

For data persistence there is the JBoss Hibernate project. For developing cloud-native microservices in Java, there is the full range of Spring Boot APIs. And of course, there are a variety of Apache open source API projects that cover a wide range of use cases in software development, from aggregating error messages with log4j to solving complicated problems with HashMaps and fail-safe iterators through the Apache Commons Collections API.

The numerous Java APIs available to developers help develop stable, error-free applications.

3. The Java tool ecosystem

The application development landscape is full of software development tools written in Java - by Java developers - that are intended to simplify and streamline the development, deployment, and even decommissioning of Java applications. A few examples of tools written in Java are:

• Gradle: an incredibly powerful, open-source build tool
• Maven: an open source tool for solving dependency management problems
• Jenkins: a Java -based tool for continuous integration and deployment
• This is by no means an exhaustive list of the Java tool ecosystem. Other examples of tools and technologies written in Java include application servers such as Tomcat and Red Hat's popular Kubernetes-based Java stack called Quarkus.

4. Top notch Android support

Android is the world's most popular mobile operating system and Java is the de facto programming language for developing Android applications.

While the Android version of Java isn't exactly the same as the JDK, Google adopted over 11,500 lines of code from the Java Standard Edition when developing its Java clone. Therefore, developers can expect the version of Java they see on Android to be fairly close to the original.

If you can write Java code for desktop or server-side applications, you'll get up to speed on Android development very quickly. The low-level differences between the JVM and the Dalvik Android Runtime are nicely abstracted after a short learning curve. If developer Java learn , the whole thing suits you Android ecosystem available.

5. Forward development with backwards compatibility

Java is developing slowly, but it is evolving. With over 25 years of development, Java can boast many evolutionary improvements.

From the bulletproof modularity system delivered as part of Project Jigsaw to the recently added capability of functional programming in Java with Lambda functions, Java continues to implement major changes demanded by the community.

Incremental additions in non-LTS versions, such as the addition of the new Record data type and garbage collectors for improved memory management, show that the JDK is also constantly evolving.

However, in the world of enterprise software development, backward compatibility is just as important as adding new features. With Java, this has always been a top priority for the language's maintainers. Very rarely does a major update or new feature cause problems with code written for older versions.

I personally have a complicated code compiled and packaged, which was written 20 years ago, and it ran without any problems on the latest Java 17 version. When enterprise customers know that nothing will break with a JVM upgrade, that's another reason why they choose Java as the best programming language.