Top 10 Emerging Technologies among Java Developers Today

Java has been one of the most used programming languages since its inception in 1995. The object code of this compiled language isn’t restricted to a single processor which makes it an excellent choice across platforms.

Java is a popular choice for writing AI, machine learning , Android applications, cloud-based applications and IoT Technology. Java developers require a variety of skills and thorough knowledge in the programming domain.

Skills to Become a Java Developer

When you Google search the skills required to become a Java developer you will have a list of skills popping out. However, you can classify the skills into categories i.e the Technical skills and Soft skills.

The technical skills required to become a Java developer include the following:

• Web frameworks such as HTML, CSS, JQuery
• Markup languages such as JSON and XML
• Object-oriented programming
• Abstract classes and interface
• Constructors
• Collections: maps, sets, lists
• Java virtual machine
• Memory management
• Dependency injection
• Multithreading and synchronisation
• Service-oriented architecture and web services
• JavaServer pages and Servlets

The list of soft skills a Java Developer should work on includes:

• Teamwork
• Ability to handle criticism
• Approachability
• Empathy
• Adaptability
• Perseverance

However, understanding Java doesn’t mean just learning the language. There are many other key skills needed for a java developer and that you must develop.

Some of the tips to improve java skills include the following:

• Have a strong understanding of Object oriented (OO) principles
• Spend more time to analyse the problem
• Master core APIs in java.io, java.lang.*, java.util.*
• Remember to practice the theoretical concepts
• Keep yourself updated about the latest updates in Java

Top 10 Technologies a Java Developer Must Know

#1. DevOps

DevOps is related to the development of software and services. It helps build communication and collaboration between software developers and information operation personnel.

DevOps comprises two terms. Development which stands for change, and Operations which stand for stability in a sustainable manner. It is important to learn DevOps due to the following reasons:

• Offers faster resolution to problems.
• Advantage of offering a stable operating environment
• The best system for communication and collaboration between teams
• Allows fast experimentation increasing the ability to produce the right products
• Familiarity with the entire software delivery life cycle

#2. Java 9 to 13

The Features of Java 9 includes a Private interface method to writing clean code, new HTTP2 API which supports server-based pushes and the ability to reduce the overall size of an executable jar with Jlink.

Java 10 enables a local-variable type interface allowing you to write modern typescript- like syntax where you aren’t required to declare the variable type. In the case of Java 11, new string methods and file methods have been introduced and the Java EE & CORBA modules have been removed.

Java 12 was released in March 2019 and features new switch expression along with improvements in JVM. Java 13 was released making it possible to define multi-line strings without any escape sequence or appends.

#3. Git

It is one of the most popular version control systems and was developed as an open-source project in 2005. Several developers rely on Git to develop commercial as well as non-commercial projects.

The advantages of learning Git include:

• Compared to other version control systems, new codes can be easily committed and compared
• The file content, as well as the relationship between the files and directors, is cryptographically secure
• The UI of Git offers flexibility to support several development workflows
• It offers the performance, security and functionality which most developers require to develop a project
• It widely supports open source projects

#4. Spring Framework 5

It is an open-source framework in Java and has been designed for enterprise application development. It will work with existing Java frameworks. Spring Framework 5 brings in the reactive programming model. The Spring 5 is built on the reactive foundation and is asynchronous.

The framework adopts reactive stream and provides a mechanism to communicate back pressure in a pipeline of components. Backpressure is a concept which ensures that consumers don’t become overwhelmed with data coming in from multiple sources.

It also develops two programming models – an annotation-based model and a functional web Framework. Spring 5 also improves the way components are scanned and identified which results in performance enhancement of projects.

#5. Unit testing

It provides numerous benefits in terms of finding bugs, simplifying integration and providing a source of documentation.

Unit testing makes the process of coding more agile. As you add more features to the software, you may need to change a code which can entail both risk and costs. In case of the testing being in place, the refactoring can be done confidently.

It allows the programmer to upgrade system libraries at a later point in time and make sure that a module still functions correctly. As unit testing is carried out by developers who test code before integration, any software bugs can be detected early on and prevent wastage of time.

#6. REST API

REST stands out due to its offering of scalability. It is made possible due to the separation between server and client to enable the product to be scaled quickly without any difficulty.

Due to its portability function, it is possible to perform a migration between servers easily at any time. The front and back end can be hosted on multiple servers, which is a significant advantage.

Other benefits include:

• Simply to use and adapt
• Make low usage of resources
• Creation of instant process instance
• Clients can have a generic listener interface

#7. Spring Security 5

The Spring Security 5 framework works to secure reactive applications. It is a powerful and customizable access control framework which focuses on providing authentication and authorisation to Java-based applications.

The benefits of Spring Security 5 include:

• Protection against attacks such as clickjacking fixation, cross-site request forgery
• Servlet API integration
• Optional integration with Spring Web
• Comprehensive support for authentication and authorisation

#8. Spring Boot 2

It is an open-source Java framework which is used to create microservices.

Using Spring Boot you can create stand-alone applications that you can run. Some of the features of Spring Boot include automatic configuration of Spring and 3party libraries, production-ready metrics and healthy check, no code generation requirement and creation of stand-alone spring applications.

Spring Boot 2.0 includes Java 8 as the minimum version with a lot of the existing APIs being updated to make use of Java 8 features. It provides auto-configuration for annotation-based Spring WebFlux apps.

The latest release of Spring Boot includes support for Kotlin 1.2 and offers a run application function to run Spring Boot applications using Kotlin.

#9. Angular

It is a part of the Javascript ecosystem and is one of the most popular tools today. It is used to build the front end user interface and lets you turn the HTML based documents into dynamic content.

In 2016, Angular 2 was released by Google and it has been built to cater to the modern-day requirements. The tools of Angular include RxJS, a reactive programming library aimed at managing asynchronous data and allows engineers to set up multiple streams of data exchange.

The Angular Command-line interface can be used to create projects, add files and make updates along with debugging.

#10. ReactJS

It is a Javascript library which uses Javascript to formulate a new way to render web pages.

The features of ReactJS include better user experience along with being time-saving. It allows for direct work with the objects and uses downward data binding to ensure the changes in the child structure doesn’t affect the parent, making the code stable.

The API introduced by React i.e Hooks API allows for sharing state logic between components without the need to re-architect the whole code block.

Let’s Conclude

Java just like any other piece of technology is upgrading and requires you to constantly adapt to the new changes.

Make sure you enhance your skill set by learning about the latest developments and testing your newly learned knowledge to advance your career.