Which Java Framework to Choose to Develop Business Application?

Building a complex Java application from scratch takes a lot of time. Adding a framework to your stack may significantly simplify the process. The best Java frameworks have functionalities like data retrieval, privacy, or security, so every time you start a new project, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You should remember that each framework choice can mean a make or break of your project. Java frameworks offer different structures and environment setups to streamline web development. Your chosen framework should save you time and effort, as well as make the development process more competent and faster.

Java development services offered by professionals usually include choosing the suitable framework for your project. However, you must define the requirements of your application clearly. You should carefully consider your future business needs and select a framework that will support those needs.

Let’s introduce the most important Java frameworks to use in 2023! Hopefully, this short guide will help you choose the right solution depending on what type of Java application you want to build.

It was designed to be simple and quick to use so that developers can boost their productivity with the help of several valuable modules. Spring framework is currently the most popular Java development framework. It was first released in 2003.

Features:

• Thanks to its reliable and secure nature, it has been adopted by many global brands such as eBay or Netflix.
• Thanks to IOC, you can manage dependencies between components.
• It’s flexible and supports flexible configuration.

Advantages:

• It allows us to build complex applications with reusable components.
• Its modular architecture lets developers choose only the necessary components, reducing the app’s overall size and complexity.
• It supports test-driven web development.

Use cases: this framework is perfect for building enterprise Java applications that require scalability and robustness.

Built by Sun for Java, JSF has been part of the Java EE specification since its release in 2006. It encourages developers to write independent, self-contained, and reusable components that can be quickly and seamlessly inserted into a web page.

Features:

• The code can subsequently interact with other JSF components.
• It implements a front-end controller so developers can use the framework like other MVC-based Java frameworks.
• It is open-source and maintained by Oracle.

Advantages:

• It includes a powerful and easy-to-use templating engine.
• JavaServer Faces supports developing modern Java web apps.
• It has a component-based approach and rich functionality.

Use cases: It works best in building rich, interactive web applications that use the component-based UI paradigm.

An open-source Java framework licensed under Apache 2.0. It enables developers to build web-friendly Java apps for desktop and mobile. The framework is written using Scala Programming Language.

Features:

• Play framework uses various plugins and databases, making it great for mobile app and web development.
• It is well-supported in terms of cloud deployments.
• It uses RESTful architecture.

Advantages:

• It’s easy to use and has an impressively lightweight design.
• No configuration is needed.
• Play provides hot code reload and error messages within the browser.

Use cases: It is recommended for mobile apps but can be used in pretty much any project, regardless of its scale.

A web application Java framework developed by the Apache Software Foundation. It was designed to inherit the Java Servlet API properties to ease the Java web development process. It’s free and open-source.

Features:

• It offers configurable Model View Controller components.
• POJO-based actions,
• AJAX support and integration support.

Advantages:

• It offers XML type of files for a centralized configuration.
• It reduces the development time and makes application management more straightforward.
• Struts is stable and mature.

Use cases: Struts perfectly fits enterprise-level Java apps that are easy to maintain over time.

A component-based Java framework that enables Java developers to write user-friendly, elegant applications using pure HTML and Java code. Wicket is maintained by the Apache Software Foundation. It’s one of the most recently developed Java frameworks.

Features:

• AJAX support.
• Various result types and different tag support.
• Configurable MVC components.

Advantages:

• It doesn’t need complex XML files.
• It follows the POJO model.
• The framework is lightweight and fast.
• It separates markup and business logic.

Use cases: Wicket was designed to create single-page web apps. It is recommended when you want to internationalize your apps and pages.

An Object Relational Mapping framework designed to deliver advanced security features to manage data in the most secure environment. It’s one of the best Java frameworks to extend Java’s Persistence API support.

Features:

• ORM (Object Relational Mapping) and HQL (Hibernate Query Language).
• High performance.
• Auto-Generation.

Advantages:

• Hibernate is highly portable.
• It supports multiple fetching strategies and scales well.
• It avoids code repetition from the Java Database Connectivity API.

Use cases: Hibernate works best in data manipulation projects that use complex databases.

An open-source Java framework built for web application development. It enables developers to rev up the development of customizable elements of an app and significantly boost its performance and UX accessibility.

Features:

• Java API for all web-based components.
• Java-only type-safe web development.
• Switch between light and dark modes.

Advantages:

• It gets built-in Spring Framework support as default.
• It can establish client-server communication automatically using a web socket.
• Drag-and-drop capability and two pre-made themes (Lumo and Material).

Use cases: Vaadin is a comprehensive framework that allows for developing web applications requiring routing and server-client communication with great UI components.

Grails is a Groovy-based open-source framework that uses Java Virtual Machine. It helps developers build web applications. Grails is licensed under Apache 2.0 and built upon Spring Boot.

Features:

• Optimized reloading agent.
• Groovy Lineage.
• Works best for developers who prefer to use Groovy programming language than Java.
• There is high-quality documentation and tons of learning materials available.

Advantages:

• It integrates seamlessly with Java tools and Java libraries.
• It features easy-to-use object mapping.
• You can reuse code across different Grails applications via a plugin.

Use cases: Grails is especially popular with programmers who build RESTful web apps, as well as Groovy developers. It’s often used to develop e-commerce websites.

A multilingual web framework that runs on the JVM. It was developed by the Eclipse Foundation. The “x” in the framework’s name refers to its polyglottic nature.

Features:

• Vert.x is easy to use and scalable.
• It supports several languages.
• Event-driven runtime, non-blocking.

Advantages:

• It’s extensible and loads fast.
• It has extensive documentation.
• The Vert.x-based application can be structured as you want (the web application framework is unopinionated).

Use cases: Vert.x is recommended for projects with high scalability but minimal hardware resources. Great for building lightweight, scalable microservices.

Google Web Toolkit GWT is a web application framework that enables developers to create complex web applications that are highly efficient. GWT translates the Java code into usable JS, which gives great flexibility to programmers who don’t specialize in JavaScript.

Features:

• Simple RPC Mechanism.
• Dynamic and reusable user interface components.
• Support for full-featured Java debugging.

Advantages:

• It supports a wide range of APIs for ease of development.
• It handles browser compatibility.
• GWT offers code optimization features and integrated debugging functionality.

Use cases: Google Web Toolkit GWT is often used to create large-scale web applications that require immediate and reliable scalability.

Now that you know the best Java framework, let’s list the most important factors to consider while searching for a framework for back-end development services for your Java project:

• Determine which programming language you will use. This will narrow your search for a framework.
• List your project requirements and desired features.
• Verify whether a chosen framework is secure and reliable.
• Check the framework’s performance – will it handle your project’s load and deliver efficiency to users?
• Check for strong community support – an active community can help when something goes wrong.
• Finally, make sure that the development framework you are choosing is cost-effective.

If you are not sure which Java web framework for Java will suit your project best, start collaborating with a reliable, experienced software development company. Contact us; we’re waiting for your message!