Java is a very wide field of computer science and engineering, and we know that the programming language is getting more and more popular. A tool is often required to start this programming. That is where java IDE comes into the picture. If you want to develop java application on your computer which claims accuracy, you can go with java IDE. java IDE is a program that helps you type Java code and compile it into executable files. Executor tools work on windows 10 platform.
Here are the best tools out there used for coding java
jEdit
jEdit is a text editor with hundreds (counting the time developing plugins) of person-years of development behind it. Most people argue that jEdit beats many expensive development tools for features and ease of use. In particular the jEdit core comes with a built-in macro language. This is an extensible plugin architecture. Hundreds of macros and plugins are available.
There is also an auto indent function, and syntax highlighting for more than 200 languages. It has support for a large number of character encodings including UTF8 and Unicode. Plus folding for selectively hiding regions of text, word wrap, and more.
It can also be used for source code editing, search and replacing and file management. jEdit is written in Java, so it runs on Mac OS X, OS/2, Unix, VMS and Windows. It is released as free software with full source code, provided under the terms of the GPL 2.0.
jGRASP
jGRASP is a lightweight IDE, primarily created for automatic generation of software visualizations to improve the comprehensibility of software. It is capable of producing static visualizations of source code structure and visualizations of data structures at runtime. jGRASP produces Control Structure Diagrams (CSDs) for Java, C, C++, Objective-C, Python, Ada, and VHDL. Complexity Profile Graphs (CPGs) for Java and Ada are also supported. As are UML class diagrams for Java. It has dynamic object viewers and a viewer canvas. This works in conjunction with an integrated debugger and workbench for Java.
The viewers have a built in feature that allows them to identify data structures. This means they can recognize objects that represent traditional data structures. For example stacks, queues, linked lists, binary trees, and hash tables. These can then be displayed appropriately.
jGRASP is implemented in Java. It was developed by the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University.
It can run on any platform that can run a Java Virtual Machine (Java version 1.5 or higher). At present the jGRASP web site offers downloads for Windows, Mac OS, and as a generic ZIP file suitable for Linux and other systems.
JSource
JSource is a free Java IDE. It is a good option for Java developers and programmers.
JSource is useful for creating cross-platform Java applications for various domains. It is extremely lightweight. You can use JSource to run, compile, edit and create Java files. Its main features are syntax highlighting for multiple languages and Java Swing components. In version 2.0 of JSource you can use jEdit syntax packages. Plus you can incorporate other open source Java tools used for rapid development. These tools have been modified to work with the core JSource structure.
JSource is available under a GNU General Public License version 2.0 (GPLv2).
DrJava
DrJava is an extremely lightweight development environment for writing Java programs. It has been designed primarily for students. There is an intuitive interface and the ability to interactively evaluate Java code.
It is best used as a unit testing tool, source level debugger, or interactive pane for evaluating text of the program. There is an intelligent program editor and it can be used for more depending on your requirements.
It is available for free under the BSD License.
Hopefully you’ve found this guide on the best IDEs for programming, developing and coding Java useful.
What IDE do you use, let us know!
If you are interested in learning Java, we recommend you read our articles on Open JDK projects you should know about in 2019 and our large back catalogue of Java articles. We also have some excellent guides on what is new in Java 8, Java 9 and Java 10.
BlueJ
BlueJ was originally created for educational content but is now used on a smaller scale for software development. While BlueJ is a great Java IDE for beginners, many Java veterans opt to use BlueJ because of its interactive and clutter-free user interface.
BlueJ allows for simple interaction with objects and has a strong editor that helps developers scan their code visually and create dynamic objects. BlueJ is an innovative Java IDE with unique features that many others lack, such as scope coloring, code pads, and object benches. BlueJ is portable and supports various operating systems.
Pros:
- Simple GUI Ability to directly invoke Java expressions
- Interaction among objects
- Shows UML charts of your projects
Cons:
- Not great for big projects due to frequent crashes
- Great for beginners, but lacks many features for more robust applications
Use case: You’re newer to Java development and want more practice creating simple projects in an intuitive, lightweight environment.
Cross-platform: Windows, Linux, Mac OS
Price: Free
Eclipse IDE
Price: Open-source
Eclipse is an open-source, full-featured, powerful Java IDE that is widely used for Java Application Development. Eclipse is equipped with a base workspace and extensible plug-in system using which we can customize the environment. It is written mostly in Java.
As it is open-source, it helps the developers customize the solutions and make the application more robust. It is based on the core foundation of Java, and thus it makes itself highly extensible, flexible and compatible with many languages like C++, Groovy, Python, Perl, C#, etc. This makes it the developers’ top choice.
Features:
- Eclipse is cross-platform and runs on Linux, Mac OS, and Windows.
- Extensible tools support.
- Editing, browsing, refactoring, and debugging: Eclipse provides all these features and makes it easy for programmers to develop applications.
- Eclipse supports debugging both locally and remotely, assuming that you are using a JVM that supports remote debugging.
- Eclipse has extensive help and documentation.
- Eclipse has its own market place that allows the user to download client solutions.
- It has a good workspace which allows developers to identify projects, folder, and files easily.
- It has a strong recommendation and debugging feature for errors.
- It allows integrating with Apache Maven server and Git version control.
- It is a standard widget toll with Gradle support.
Pros:
- Eclipse has a good integration facility to build tools like ANT and Maven.
- Users can develop different applications on the same platform like web and standalone applications, web services, etc.
- Strong code recommendations and debuggers are inbuilt in Eclipse.
Cons:
- Eclipse comes with a lot of validation to JSP and HTML files.
- Initial setup becomes difficult at times without proper guidelines and documentation.
Developed by: Eclipse Foundation.
Platform Supported: Windows, Linux, Solaris, and Mac.
Customer Types: Small, Medium and Large Scale.
Cross-Platform Support: Yes.
Deployment Type: On-Premise.
Language Supported: English.
Website: Eclipse IDE
JDeveloper
Price: Free, Open Source
JDeveloper is an open-source integrated development environment provided by Oracle Corporation. It offers features for development in Java, XML, SQL, and PL/SQL, HTML, JavaScript, BPEL, and PHP. JDeveloper covers the full development lifecycle from design through coding, debugging, optimization and profiling to deploying.
It is designed in such a way that it provides end to end implementation for Oracle applications and platforms.
As it’s built-in with a multi-layers framework, it is easier for developers to increase their productivity because less coding is required. It has inbuilt visual and declarative editors as well as drag and drops editors.
Features:
- Free Application: It is free to use the software, thus it is a cost-effective platform.
- Comprehensive Tool: JDeveloper IDE offers tools for creating Java, web & mobile, web services, and database applications.
- Full Lifecycle Management: Users can manage the entire development life cycle if their applications are within the interface using JDeveloper right from building & testing to deployment.
- Visual & Declarative Editors: JDeveloper has appealing visual and declarative editors that make definitions of elements simpler and easier. It also enables programmers to directly edit the application from its coding document.
- Drag-and-Drop Editor: JDeveloper has a web application development environment that includes a drag-and-drop functionality that makes application design easier. You can move elements from one design to another with a simple click and drag option.
- JDeveloper supports the complete development life cycle management of the application.
- It supports Java SE, Java EE and complete database environments for an application to build.
- It has the latest visual HTML 5 editor on the UI side working.
Pros:
- JDeveloper IDE has a strong integration mechanism with agile development application and software versioning components.
- It also has good customer support for all users worldwide.
- Good connection with the database and the user can execute the SQL queries as well.
Cons:
- The learning curve of JDeveloper is very steep and difficult. It will require a lot of guidance to use it.
- It turns very slow when the user is trying to implement the business process as it takes huge RAM memory.
Developed by: Oracle Corporation
Platform Supported: Windows, Linux, and Mac.
Customer Types: Small, Medium, Large Scale and Freelancers as well.
Cross-Platform Support: Yes.
Deployment Type: On-Premise.
Language Supported: English.
Website: JDeveloper
Conclusion
If you’re a beginner, or even an intermediate programmer, you will find it extremely difficult to pick out the best tool for your programming project. Java is one such language that every good software developer must learn. There are many ways to write a program in Java and many platforms for which you can use it.