Most Popular Java Web Frameworks in 2023

Java has been among the most popular programming languages for over two decades. In 2022, over a third of developers worldwide used it, according to Statista. One of the reasons for such popularity is the wide variety of available Java web development frameworks. 

The frameworks allow the building of even the most complex applications with ease. So, your business should keep tabs on innovations and stay up-to-date with the latest trends in frameworks to ensure the successful delivery of software solutions. 

In this article, we will explore the most popular Java frameworks for web development of 2023, providing insights for tech leaders to make informed decisions about which framework to use for their next project.

The list of popular Java frameworks for web development in 2023

Application development is a lengthy process if you do it from scratch. So, skilled developers integrate a best-suited framework to boost your project delivery. Yes, most applications require data retrieval, privacy, and security that can easily be covered by effective Java frameworks for web development. Now, let’s view the most popular Java frameworks for web development. 

Spring 

This Java web development framework offers a complex platform for enterprise-level Java application development. It is the best fit for secure web applications, as it comes with a security standard – Spring Security. Moreover, it is a wise choice for data-rich projects, as this Java development framework integrates well with databases. 

With the help of Spring Java framework for web development, Java gets more reactive and cloud-ready, which is an excellent asset for a modern business.  

READ ALSO: 5 Reasons Java is Perfect for Enterprise App Development 

Struts 

It is an open-source Java framework for web development, so many developers choose it due to its accessibility. However, it has many benefits for your business as well. This is a good choice for Java applications, as the Java development framework reduces overall development time (thus, costs needed for the project delivery). Moreover, it integrates well with other frameworks, such as Hibernate and Spring, so you are free to customize it as close to your business needs as possible.    

Play 

It is listed among the most popular Java frameworks for web development due to a vast number of factors. It has a built-in web server for easy deployment, which facilitates your overall project delivery, thus saving money. Play Framework also includes built-in support for RESTful web services, asynchronous processing, and dependency injection that saves you time. What’s more, its lightweight architecture and focus on performance make this Java web development framework an ideal choice for building microservices and reactive applications.

JavaServer Faces (JSF)

This is a component-based framework for building user interfaces for web applications, which provides a set of reusable UI components and a standard API for integrating with other frameworks. It has many benefits both for overall project delivery and your development team. For instance, with the help of adding Ajax events for validations and method invocations, you will be able to enrich the user experience.  

READ ALSO: Why Java Software Development Services are Perfect for Startups

Vaadin 

Vaadin Java framework for web development is necessary if you want your development team to create interactive and dynamic web interfaces. Also, this framework does not require extensive expertise, as by using it, your engineers can build web applications entirely in Java without needing to write any HTML, CSS, or JavaScript.

Another benefit to this Java development framework is its extensive documentation and active community. This means that there is a wide variety of ready-made solutions that will save you development time and, thus, money. 

GWT (Google Web Toolkit) 

Like the previous Java framework for web development, this one doesn’t require extensive development expertise. So, you don’t need to spend much time searching for a rare skillset or long-standing experience with front-end. This framework simply translates the code written in Java to JavaScript. GWT is commonly used for building and optimizing complex browser-based applications in Java.

Wicket 

This Java framework for web development allows your development team to create web applications with reusable components, reducing the amount of code needed to create complex web pages. Thus, the overall development time (and costs) get lower. 

What’s more, its component-based architecture helps improve the code reusability and maintainability of web applications. That, in turn, will spare you the maintenance headache in the long run. 

Hibernate 

Hibernate is an object-relational mapping (ORM) framework that simplifies the task of interacting with relational databases. It allows developers to map Java classes to database tables, eliminating the need for low-level SQL statements. With Hibernate, your developers can create database-independent applications, reducing the amount of code needed to interact with the database. So, if your business requires extensive data collection and processing – this Java development framework is the way to go. 

Hibernate can automatically generate SQL statements based on the mappings between Java classes and database tables. This makes it easy to create, read, update, and delete data from the database using simple Java code. It also provides a caching mechanism that helps to improve application performance by reducing the number of database queries needed to retrieve data.

Dropwizard 

This Java web development framework aims to simplify the process of building high-performance RESTful services. It provides a set of opinionated components that work together seamlessly to create lightweight, production-ready applications. Dropwizard focuses on convention over configuration. It provides a standardized configuration mechanism that allows developers to quickly configure their applications without requiring a lot of boilerplate code.

Dropwizard includes a number of production-ready components, such as Jetty for HTTP serving, Jersey for RESTful web services, and Jackson for JSON serialization. These components work together seamlessly to provide a fast and efficient web service that is ready for production use.

Grails

Grails allows developers to build web applications rapidly by leveraging the power of the Groovy programming language and the Grails platform. It follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern and includes a number of features such as GORM (Grails Object-Relational Mapping) for easy database access and scaffolding for automatic generation of CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) interfaces.

One of the key features of this Java framework for web development is its convention-over-configuration approach, which allows developers to focus on writing business logic instead of boilerplate code. Grails also provides a wide range of plugins that can be easily integrated into the application, making adding new features and functionality easy.

Conclusion

Each of these Java web development frameworks serves different purposes. So, understanding their capabilities is essential before choosing one or more for your project. To pick the most fitting one, you need to evaluate your budget, needs, and the time you are willing to dedicate to a project. 

We at nCube can build a team of Java developers based in Central and Eastern Europe or Latin America. Contact us for more information about our model of cooperation.