A Step-By-Step Guide to Becoming a Better Java Developer:

Want to become a better Java Developer? Java is an object-oriented programming language that was launched way back in 1995, it is the second most popular programming language after C. It is used in client-side A/B testing to manipulate a web page in the browser. Java is immensely popular among developers due to its simplicity and versatility.

Why should you learn JavaScript? For beginners, Java developers’ average annual income is over $80,000 and Java runs on over a billion Android phones. You can see that the future is bright for them. This is a popular choice as it is easy to learn thanks to the best books, online courses, and communities. Along with that, here are 11 tips that will instantly make you a better Java developer.

11 Tips to become a better Java developer

Java developers rely on programs and tools for development. Here we have chosen the best and the easiest tools and programs to help you become a better developer

Jenkins

Firstly, continuous integration is an integral part of any Java software. Software development involves continuous building, testing, deployment, and also automation. Jenkins is an excellent open-source server that provides automation functionalities via hundreds of plugins. It is a popular choice and also easy to install and configure. This is your key to becoming a better Java developer.

Docker and Kubernetes

Secondly, DevOps is an essential requirement in these fast-paced times. It ensures the timely delivery of applications and services and it also improves scaling, collaboration and security. Moreover, Docker and Kubernetes is your gateway to implementing DevOps tasks. Docker helps you set up automatic deployment across servers, machines, data centres, and the cloud. Kubernetes makes the code deployment process easy via rapid rollouts of new releases.

Git

Git is also a very popular open-source version control system for developers. It makes sustaining projects easier and is also free, fast, and lightweight. Learning Git is an important step to becoming a better Java developer.

Learning Design Patterns

Design patterns are paramount to Java development, they have many advantages. Other developers find it easy to modify Java applications that follow design patterns. They also provide more flexibility and efficiency to applications, most of the best Java books cover design patterns.

RESTful Web Services

REST API and RESTful Web Services are in great demand in the software and web development world. Based on REST Architecture, RESTful Web Services are widely used for web-based application APIs. They are also popular because of their lightweight nature, scalability, and easy maintenance.

Java 16 Development Kit (JDK 16)

JDK 16 is the latest development kit by Java that was released in March 2020, it contains numerous features that significantly improve the application. The Z Garbage Collector has been moved from safe points to concurrent phases. This removes the issues of Garbage Collection and scalability. Additionally, the JDK now supports 14 C++ language features. The Metaspace has more elastic as it utilizes unused hotspot memory more efficiently. Check out the latest and the best Java books for insight into JDK 16.

Learn Scala or Kotlin

Knowing several programming languages is also good for your career and learning JVM languages is priceless for Java developers. Scala and Kotlin are two popular JVM languages that are easy to learn. Kotlin is Google’s designated language for Android development, the future is mobile and Kotlin is the wildcard entry to it.

Microservices Architecture

This is the present and future of software development. Tech giants and companies are also replacing monolithic services with them. Microservices handle specific tasks which make them scalable and even error detection is easier. Learning Microservices Architecture is imperative for Java developers.

Unit Testing (JUnit and Mockito)

Java developers must have a thorough knowledge of unit testing. Also, most of the best Java books shed light on it. Unit testing ensures that different components of your code work correctly. Several tools make unit testing easier – JUnit and Mockito are the two most popular. JUnit helps you identify bugs early on to ensure error-free code and Mockito lets you test different functionalities in isolation, by using dummy implementations of interfaces and classes.

APIs and Libraries

Java is a treasure chest of APIs and libraries and developers heavily rely on these. It is difficult to learn about all of them. But, learning about JSON processing APIs, XML processing APIs, and the aforementioned unit testing libraries Mockito and JUnit is paramount. Knowing about parsing, concurrency, logging, database, and HTTP libraries helps you become a better Java developer. The best Java books and online courses have chapters dedicated to important APIs and libraries.

Spring Framework

Spring is an application development framework that is immensely popular among Java developers across the world. Its popularity stems from its efficiency, ease of use, and reusability. It is also known for its Aspect-Oriented Programming approach. Spring Framework has several other advantages that you will learn as you dive deep into it.

Where to learn Java?

CodeGym has a library of the best Java books for beginners as well as advanced developers. These books teach Java basics, fundamentals, Java for Android games, agile software development, and much more.

In addition to the best Java books, CodeGym also offers excellent online courses. These courses teach you Java Syntax, Java Core, Java Multithreading, and Java Collections. SQL, Hibernate, JSP and Servlets will also be on there soon.

Online Java Communities

Finally, online Java communities are perfect for learning from and also conversing with other developers. You can always get your questions answered by experienced Java developers. These communities are the hub of the latest news, trends, tips, and hacks. Some of the most popular communities are GitHub, HackerNews, StackOverflow, and also Reddit.

Learning Java is both easy and beneficial for your career. The aforementioned 11 tips will make you a better developer.

Featured image by Pankaj Patel on Unsplash