Is Java still relevant in 2024

Since its release, Java has been one of the most widely used programming languages. According to estimates, more than 12 mln IT engineers worldwide work with this stack.

Let’s learn more about this programming language and its usage in 2024! Stay tuned!

Java Popularity in 2024

Is Java still relevant? Let’s find out some basic information to answer this question.

Java is a high-level, class-based, object-oriented programming language developed in 1995 by James Gosling.

After 28 years since it was released, people have questions like: Is Java still used? How popular is Java? The answer is that it is one of the most demanded languages. As we can see in TIOBE Index data, for the last 20 years, it has been in the top three programming languages yearly.

Do people still use Java in their projects? Every year, the number of jobs for Java developers globally continues to grow. Is Java still relevant? International job search site in the IT industry DevJobsScanner studied over 7 million vacancies and found out that Java is in the top three of the most demanded languages after JavaScript and Python.

But on the same view fragmented by months, we see that after April 2022, there were published more vacancies for Java developers than for Python.

Where Is Java Used Mostly?

Now we know that Java is still one of the most practiced technologies, but what is Java used for in 2024? There are several main fields, let's look at each in more detail.

Web-Based Applications

Is Java used anymore? Of course! It provides easy coding and high security, enabling the creation of many apps for health, education, and insurance. It is compatible with such tools as Servlets, Hibernate, Spring, Struts, Apache HTTP web-server, Apache Tomcat, Thymeleaf, and many others. Using these technologies, you can build any web-based application. E-commerce web applications also use this language with the help of open-source eCommerce platforms, such as Broadleaf. Gmail, Google Sheets, Google Slides, and many more are examples of web-based applications which employ this language.

Building Android Applications

When developing mobile apps, your choice of application target platform will determine the technology stack. For example, apps for the iOS platform are developed with Objective-C and Swift, but the iOS platform is used only on 17% of devices other 83% use Android. Therefore, it is the leading computer language for Android apps. Its main competitor for application development is Kotlin, but it is compiled to the byte code JVM executes, and we can say it is just a “cleaner” version of Java. And by the way, Java is compatible with the most popular tool for Android apps - Android Studio.

Embedded Systems

Embedded systems are at the heart of many products, machines, and intelligent operations, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence applications. We can divide embedded systems into four types:

• Real-time
• Stand-alone
• Networked
• Mobile

It is almost impossible to find a product missing this technology in the modern world. Even refrigerators and microwave ovens are examples of stand-alone embedded systems. And almost all these systems use Java.

Big Data Technologies

Is Java still relevant for innovative technologies? Big Data has been among the top discussed topics for the last few years. Most often, developers use Scala, Python, and Java for Big Data. In addition, such technologies as Apache Hadoop, Apache Mahout, and Apache Storm use Java in one way or another. So it is a good choice for Big Data too.

Cloud-based Applications

Java is a good fit for utility computing too. A cloud-based application is computing based on the internet. So every time you check your email, use Google Drive, or search for something on the internet, you benefit from a few cloud capabilities. There are 5 essential characteristics of the cloud:

• On-demand capability (users can provision cloud computing resources without requiring human interaction)
• Broad network access (all cloud services must be accessible over the network and should not have any restrictions on client applications that can connect to them)
• Resource pooling (the provider’s computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand)
• Rapid elasticity (on top of load for your application, the cloud will assign your resources to process all tasks – but when the load is low, those resources will be serving some other clients)
• Measured service (resource usage is monitored, measured, and reported (billed) transparently based on utilization)

This language helps to develop applications in three cloud delivery models: Infrastructure as Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), or Software as a Service (SaaS). In addition, many cloud building instruments for Java contribute to designing and configuring servers, such as AWS SDK for Java, Oracle Cloud service, Google App Engine, etc. That's why many companies headhunt Java developers to help actualize the transition to a cloud for business continuity, increased scalability, and cost-efficiency.

Gaming Applications

The mobile gaming industry is becoming larger each year, and we can predict that it will only grow. We have already mentioned that 83% of all mobile devices use Android. And since Java supports Dalvik Virtual Machine, which runs on the Android platform, and jMonkeyEngine (a 3D engine with a capacity to create 3D games), it is the primary language for Android games.

Software Tools

Is Java used anymore in software solutions? A software tool is one of the most important things for a developer because it helps build, debug, and support programs. Developers commonly use Eclipse, NetBeans IDE, and IntelliJ IDEA tools, and all of them support Java. Even more, all of them were written in Java.

Should You Choose Java for Your Next Project?

Choosing a programming language for the project is quite a complicated task. To understand if Java is a proper fit as a programming language for a new application, we should answer a few questions which will help to make a decision:

1. What is the environment for the project (web, mobile, etc)?

Java is a good fit for WEB and mobile applications so we can use it in both cases.

2. Do we need to consider some infrastructure, such as new hardware? What kind of deployment is required?

AWS, Google, and Oracle are the leading service providers for deployment, and all of them are all consistent with Java.

3. Are there any particular requirements for libraries, features, and tools?

There are a lot of libraries and SDKs for Java enabling many features in your project, like Google Maps, Stripe(payment service), AWS S3(file storage), and so on.

4. Is the developer available to code in this language, or do we need to search for new developers? Are they experienced in working with this language, or do they need to learn it quickly?

Java is a popular computer language, and it is a huge chance that at least one developer from your company knows this language.

Another benefit of using this language over younger ones is the global community and its phenomenal support. Community members constantly share their challenges when working with the language and their solutions so that you can always find some relevant tips for the issues that may arise. You can find a quick fix and adapt it to your project.

What To Expect From Java in the Future?

Java is one of the most in-demand languages but will people use it in the future?

Yes, they will, because no matter what changes could happen in the IT industry, many business applications are built using Java, and companies will maintain them anyway.

The main sign that the language is evolving is the permanent release of the new versions. Since 2018, Java versions are being updated twice a year.

In September 2021, one of the most famous versions, Java 17, was released with many new features such as sealed classes, records, etc. All these features make using this language more convenient and the code more readable and cleaner.

Learn the difference between Javascript and PHP.

How To Adjust to the Evolving Technology Trends?

The world of modern technology is continually evolving. Therefore, we recommend custom software development if you want to stay up-to-date and keep your business innovative.

Investing in custom software is a promising management decision. Such software tools help to more effectively solve the current tasks of the company, cut down costs, improve the productivity of staff and equipment, and strengthen business competitiveness.

Axon works as a full-scale software development company with different technological stacks, including Java. We design and develop exclusive solutions for each customer's individual needs and requests.

If you want to build Java-based software, Axon's dedicated team will be glad to do it for you.

Contact us to find out any details on the software development process!