What Should Java Developers Learn in 2023?

In this competitive world, if you are a developer and want to work effectively on Java projects, there are many things that you should learn. There are a number of must-have skills and what should they have, actually depends on the job they are hired for. But as per the latest survey on Java developer skills and latest market demand, here we’ll discuss the top 10 things Java developer should learn in 2023.

Must-Have Skills for Java Developers

Are you a Java developer or a working professional who is switching to Java? Or you are a working Java programmer who is aspired to level up his/her Java development career? Then, this article is for you; as of 2023, there are various advanced tools that Java developers should learn and also various Web application development needed. Now is the time to learn In-demand tech skills for Java developers.

1. Git

Git is one of the most important tools for programmers working in JAVA technology and recommended that JAVA developer should learn. Git is used to keeping any set of projects using a version control system. It is an open-source system that is completely free. It mainly focuses on non-linear workflows, integrity, and speed.

Linus Torvalds founded Git in 2005. You can use the core git project directly as it is a complete version control system. We have listed a few characteristics of Git which will be helpful for you to understand more about Git.

• Distributed Expansion: Repository helps Git to create a copy of development history.

• Pluggable merge approaches: Git has a toolkit design that provides a well-defined model.

• Toolkit-based design: Toolkit based design helps to restraint the element composed.

• Cryptographic verification of history: Git stores history of every version and the version is stored by a unique id.

• Strong Support for non-linear expansion: Merging and Branching are the two main factors that are provided by Git. Git provides strong support for Non-linear development.

• Well-organized management of large projects: Locally stored repository helps to manage large projects in a well-organized manner.

• Compatibility with existing system and procedures: There are few publishing tools like FTP and HTTP which are mandatory for any technologies. Git also supports these publishing tools.

Preparing for a Java Interview? Prepare with this comprehensive set of top 100 Java Interview Questions and Answers, and get yourself ready to crack the interview.

2. Selenium

Selenium Web Driver with Java is one of the technologies a Java developer should know in 2023. Selenium provides tools for web applications by testing frameworks. Selenium Web Driver provides open-source APIs. It gives automation features to web applications. Here are the salient features of Selenium:

• Selenium IDE (Integrated Development Environment)
• Remote Control/Selenium 1.0
• Web Driver/Selenium 2.0/3.0
• Selenium GRID

3. Jenkins

Jenkins is a technology originally derived from JAVA programming as its open-source automation server is written in JAVA. With continuous delivery and integration, it automates the software development process. Various version control tools are supported by Jenkins.

Jenkins has released its plugins so that it can integrate with codes written in another language. Here are the three main reasons you should opt Jenkins:

• It provides better Software Quality than others.
• It also provides more time for developers to work on the projects as automated systems manage most of the work.
• As integration is managed by automated systems, so development is much faster in Jenkins.

4. RESTful Web Services

REST stands for Representational State Transfer. It is an approach that provides architectural style and a must thing that Java developer should learn. It increases the working output of web service. It also stipulates scalability and performance of constraints. It is one of the highly desirable things in 2023 for Java Developers.

Rest API is used to communicate in web services development. If you know HTML, CSS, etc. then it will be an asset for you to choose RESTful web services. Followings are the characteristics of RESTful Services:

• Client-server based architecture provides operations like management, delivery and server hosting. It also helps users to use services and resources. It is basically a shared computing model that shares resources.

• Being stateless is one of the key characteristics of a REST service where the server understands and gives all the data consisting of A REST HTTP request.

• Cacheable architecture is the main reason for blocking web APIs and Applications. A stack technology is not involved in this blockage. It is important to store cache for scalability.

• The REST API supports several servers in the numerous layered arrangement. It means a request can be passed to another server if a server is busy. The multi-layered system provides a keen response to the clients.

• A Uniform Interface provides a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) to keep records.

• REST is an approach where one can describe any web services. It provides flexibility, scalability, and liberty to opt for any technology and platform.

5. Spring Security 

Spring Security is a framework that provides access control and authentication. Its major function is to give authorization to applications. J2EE’s Servlet Specification and EJB Specification are the two key security features that are popular amongst JAVA developers.

There are various authentication models that are supported by Spring Security. It integrates with various technologies like HTTP, Kerberos, JOSSO, CAS, LDAP, etc. Spring Security is directly related to Java so it is highly suggested to JAVA developer should learn this.

6. Spring Boot 2

Spring Boot has released a new version by the name of Spring Boot 2. Where Spring Framework is responsible for control but Spring Boot is responsible for generating stand-alone with the convention-over-configuration solution.

It is particularly dependent upon JAVA Baseline, Bill of Materials and Gradle Plugin. Its auto-configuration provides security and reactive support. It also provides technical support and enhances development experience and one of the key tool which JAVA developer should learn. Followings are the main features of Spring Boot:

• Implant Undertow, Jetty or Tomcat directly.
• To shorten build configuration, deliver dependencies.
• Create stand-alone Spring applications.
• Configure Spring constraints automatically.
• Provide complete security and technology support.
• For XML configuration, no need of code generation

7. Angular or React JS

A JavaScript library particularly builds for user interface development is called ReactJS and Angular provides a framework. These two are the key technologies a JAVA developer should know. 

Angular 2 is an open-source web application framework that can be used as an open-source. The main key features of Angular are Directives, Instance Scope, Templating, Annotation, Improved Dependency Injection, and Child Router. ReactJS is used to develop mobile applications. Here are the key features of ReactJS: 

• Free and Open Source,
• Server Side communication,
• Generators & Functions,
• Adaptability etc.

8. Apache Spark and Kafka

Apache Spark and Kafka are the two technologies that are a must for Java programmers 2023. As they had a stable release in late 2018. Apache Spark has a cluster-computing framework which is available as an open-source.

Spark provides an application interface for tasks like basic Input/output functionalities, scheduling, and dispatching. Whereas Apache Kafka provides a stream processing platform that is also available as an open-source. Apache Kafka codes are particularly written in Java and Scala.

It provides a storage layer which is important for transaction logs. You can experience major APIs in Kafka such as Producer API, Consumer API, Connector API, and Streams API. 

Apache Spark main features

• Real-time stream processing
• Integration
• Advanced Analytics
• Supports multiple languages
• Speed

Apache Kafka main features

• Zero Downtime
• High Performance
• Reliability
• Durability
• Data Transformation
• Replication

9. Docker

Docker is a language written in Go and developed in Linux. It is also a must learn tools for Java programmers 2023. It provides tools which are helpful in containerization. It also had a stable release in late 2018.  A Container which is a set of software packages is run by Docker.

The main usage of Docker is to generate, organize and run applications.

Three main components in Docker

• Software
• Objects
• Registries

Major Tools in Docker

• Docker Compose
• Docker Swarm

Main features of Docker

• Security Management
• Services
• Swarm
• Increase Productivity
• Easy and Faster Configuration
• Application Isolation

10. Unit testing

Unit testing is a skill which is one of the important JAVA developer skills you should know in the coming year. Those who are working in Java, to integration and unit test, there are few tools and frameworks. For example Cucumber for automated integration test and Robot framework. Mockito is also a tool which helps you to use your unit test skill.

11. Java 9, 10, 11 or maybe 12

 Java is one of the most used languages in the entire world and important JAVA developer skills you should know. Generally, it is termed as Real Evaluate Print Loop (REPL). Java 9 particularly defines Java Shell. There are few known Java Constructs like statements, objects, interface, class, etc. are executed and tested in Java 9. Similarly, you can go for upper versions i.e. Java 10, 11 or 12. Java 12 is the latest edition of Java programming.

12. Spring Framework 5.0

Java uses the Spring Framework as an application framework. Spring comes with a web framework particularly known as Spring WebFlux. Spring Framework 5 is a dedicated framework that provides many functional API variants and uses Java programming. It is an updated version of Spring MVC. Spring Framework 5.0 supports Servlet 4.0 and JDK 9 as well. It also supports the Kotlin Language, Reactor 3.1 for comprehensive integration. Adoption of Java 9 is the biggest key factor in Spring Framework 5.0.

Also Read: Top 25 Spring Framework Interview Questions

13. DevOps

DevOps is also one of the important things Java developers should learn in 2023. DevOps is an approach that is helpful for software development operations. It reduces the lifecycle of system development and delivers business objects with updates, features, etc. It provides a keen relationship between Information Technology Operations and Development by giving better collaboration and communication.

Key Characteristics of Successful DevOps Deployment

• Take trivial phases
• Accommodate legacy systems
• Usage of System transposition
• Implement a DevOps toolkit

14. Groovy

Groovy is also one of the key tools which Java developers should learn in 2023. Apache Groovy commendations Java as it supports Java syntaxes. One of the best features of Groovy is it is both static and dynamic. If you are using the Java platform, then you can use it as a scripting language and programming language. It is mainly influenced by Java, Python, Perl, and Ruby. 

Final Words

So, here we’ve covered top skills for Java developers that they should learn to get ahead in their careers in 2023. Note that we don’t mean that a Java developer should learn all of the above skills. As mentioned above, the skills you must have as a Java developer totally depends on your job profile. So, all you need to do is find the best skill for you and start learning.

A certification always helps in getting one step ahead in the career. So, if you are thinking to validate your skills with a certification, check out our Java certifications training courses and get ready to become a certified Java programmer.

Have any questions? Just mention in the comment below and we’ll respond in no time!

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About Aditi Malhotra

Aditi Malhotra is the Content Marketing Manager at Whizlabs. Having a Master in Journalism and Mass Communication, she helps businesses stop playing around with Content Marketing and start seeing tangible ROI. A writer by day and a reader by night, she is a fine blend of both reality and fantasy. Apart from her professional commitments, she is also endearing to publish a book authored by her very soon.

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