As a Java developer, you know that there are plenty of Java tools available for various types of Java application development projects. With the increased usage of Java programming language for building advanced web and mobile applications, the availability of numerous Java tools, frameworks, profilers, and integrated development ecosystems is no longer a surprise for any business and Java development company. However, not all tools fit perfectly for all kinds of Java development projects. It is important to perform a careful analysis of Java development tools before you select one. For your convenience, here is a list of the 10 best Java tools to use for robust web application development.

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One of the best ways to ensure that you have chosen the perfect Java application development tool is to do rigorous research about the features and functions each tool has to offer and analyze its usefulness concerning your Java development project.

Whether you’re a business or a Java web development company looking to hire Java developers, you must check if the developer has hands-on experience in these top Java tools.

So, let’s explore more about these Java application development tools in detail.

1. Apache Maven

As a professional Java app developer, you may have worked with this open-source build automation tool for developing various types of Java applications. Apache Maven is a popular application project management and comprehension tool which helps users to manage, build, report, and document from a single piece of information.

Apache Maven helps Java application developers to perform unit tests and launch artifacts or deliverables. It helps in handling dependencies like third-party JAR files used in Java development projects. This Java tool is also used for updating the main repository of JARs and many other dependencies. Maven also allows Java developers to seamlessly integrate their Java app development projects into the source control system.

2. GIT

GIT and GitHub are the most essential Java tools for every Java developer. If you’re a newbie and want to get hired by a Java web development company, you must learn about GIT and GitHub. Due to its popularity and widespread use, GIT has emerged as a standard for source code libraries.

Developers can get started with Git by learning about the fundamentals of the Git source control system, handling files internally and externally of the control of both GIT and GitHub, and distribution of code.

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3. Jenkins

Jenkins is an open-source automation server that comes with numerous plugins for building, automating, and deploying Java applications. This Java tool is essential for Java developers who are interested in DevOps engineering. It is self-sufficient Java software that is compatible with different operating systems such as Mac OS X, Windows, and other Unix-like OS. Developers can use Jenkins as an extensible CI server. It has an extensible plugin architecture that drives development, test, and deployments faster over various systems.

4. JIRA

JIRA is one of the most popular Java tools for planning and bug tracking. It is equipped with features and functions that support Agile development approaches, and therefore, it is a must-know tool for anyone working in a Java web development company that employs Agile methodology.

Project Managers can use this Java application development tool to create user stories, plan sprints, and distribute tasks. JIRA helps PMs to get complete visibility into the overall system so that they can monitor the task of every team member with full context.

5. Docker

If you’re working on enterprise application development projects, then Docker is an essential Java tool for you. It is a container platform used for developing, managing, and securing a wide range of traditional applications and microservices.

Docker is a must-learn tool if the Java developer is working on container-based applications. Docker Desktop offers an integrated container-native development experience, thus helping Java developers to launch the app from Windows or Mac toolbar.

6. Gradle

Java developers use Gradle for a variety of Java application development projects, ranging from mobile applications to microservices. Gradle is an open-source build automation Java tool that allows Java programmers to develop, automate, and deliver faster. This tool is also used by Python and C++ developers. It comes with a rich API and numerous plugins and integrations that enable developers to integrate and systematize the software delivery.

Gradle is quite similar to Apache Maven, however, it uses Groovy to write and create a script, unlike XML.

7. Selenium

Selenium is one of the most useful Java tools for Java web app developers. This portable framework automates browsers, which means it can easily automate web-administration tasks as well.

Besides, Selenium also supports numerous browser vendors and therefore, many vendors have made it a native part of their browser.

This Java tool has two subsets:

1. Selenium WebDriver – It is used to build regression automation based on the browser as well as scaling and sharing of scripts.
2. Selenium IDE – It is used to create quick bug reproduction and build scripts that help in automation-based exploratory testing.

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8. IntelliJ IDEA

Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) like Netbeans or Eclipse are widely used by Java developers for Java application development. When you hire Java developers, you must check if they have experience with IDEs for Java app development.

IntelliJ IDEA is also one of the popular IDEs enriched with numerous good features that help in the development of robust Java applications. It is an intelligent Java tool that indexes your codebase and offers useful suggestions to the users regarding everything.

Moreover, it has all essential tools including frameworks, integrated version control systems, and coding languages supported by it to improve the efficiency and productivity of Java app developers.

9. Splunk

Splunk is an amazing monitoring Java tool used by several Java developers and companies. This Java tool uses the ML algorithm to index your log files and analyze your content.

It is useful for advanced IoT app development projects, developing enterprise-grade applications, and managing security issues in projects.

It links machine data and offers useful insight into risks and opportunities. Furthermore, this Java tool can be scaled to cater to the data requirements and receive real-time answers.

10. Chef

Last, but not least, Chef is an excellent Java application development tool for infrastructure automation, like creating a new server and installing your app. It is basically configuration management software based on Ruby and Erlang.

It leverages a Ruby-based, domain-specific programming language for writing code for system configuration. Chef helps you to set up and manage numerous servers easily.

This Java tool automates all time-taking tasks such as manual configuration updates, patching, configuration updates, and service installations for all servers. 

Chef is a useful Java tool for DevOps engineers and senior Java app developers who manage their environments.

Being a Java developer, if you’re interested in using Chef, you can learn more about it through Chef Fundamentals.

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Wrapping Up

This list of top Java tools is not limited to the aforementioned ones. Some other Java app development tools that you can discover are JPA Buddy and the AI-based programming tool from Tabnine, which also comes as extensions for IntelliJIDEA. There are also numerous IDEA plugins and Eclipse plugins available in the market to explore.

As a growth-oriented Java web development company or developer, you must be familiar with the modern Java tools to improve coding, development, unit testing, deployment, infrastructure automation, and continuous integration. These are helpful especially if you’re into DevOps engineering and full-stack Java development.

Powered with essential features, these top Java tools prove to be effective in building robust Java applications as well as improving developers’ productivity. However, before selecting a Java app development tool, you must analyze the project development requirements carefully.