(image credit - ) Learn Object-Oriented Programming in Java I often receive emails from my readers about how they can become a better Java developer, what things they should learn, and which area they can work on to become a . Rockstar Java developer After answering them individually over last few years, I thought to jot down a couple of points which I think will make you a better Java Programmer and Application developer. But, before going into that, I would like to stress that and that’s why all the I have shared before to and become a better programmer still holds true. a better programmer is always a better Java developer tips improve your programming skill If you haven’t read them yet, you can read it after this article, they will help you to improve your programming and coding skill which is essential to becoming a better Java developer. This article is totally focused on perspective and I assume you are already good at essential stuff like , , and Computer science concepts e.g. Networking, Protocols, Object-oriented programming etc. Java development Coding Data Structures and Algorithms These tips are equally useful for both Core Java developer, I mean Java guys who write server-side applications but not really involved with web development skills e.g. , , and , as well as for Java Web developer whose primary job is to write web applications using Java technology. JSP Servlet JEE Though, I have left out some web stuff e.g. learning JSF or for another day to keep this list short and simple. Anyway, without any further ado, here are some tips and suggestion to become a better Java developer in 2019. Servlet 4.0 1. Learn Java 8 This is the most important thing for a Java developer right now. It’s good 4 years old and even Java 9 has been released 6 month back and people are talking about , I know many programmers who have not written a single line of code using Java 8 features like lambdas and Stream API. Java 10 features Unfortunately, most of them are experienced Java developers with good 7 to 10 years of experience in their belt. I understand that at some point in your career learning becomes slow but if you don’t act now you will be left behind. Almost all Java development job now required Java 8 skills and if you don’t have them, it would be very difficult to do well and perform well in your Java interviews. Now, if you have made your mind to learn Java 8 but worry about where to start with, I suggest you check on Udemy, which will teach you all the basics of Java 8 features. The Complete Java MasterClass And, if you are interested in more advanced, hands-on course then by Dr. Heinz Kabutz is a good one to join. Refactoring Java 8 2. Learn Spring Framework (Spring Boot) It’s almost imperative nowadays for a Java developer to learn Spring framework as most of the companies prefer to do development using Spring frameworks like , , and for developing a web application, REST APIs Microservices. Spring MVC Spring Boot Spring Cloud It also promotes best practices like dependency injection and makes your application more testable which is a key requirement for modern-day software. If you are a new Java developer then I suggest you to start with this Java and Spring tutorial to learn the basics of this awesome framework and if you are already familiar with Spring then you should explore Spring Boot and Spring Cloud for developing next-generation Java application. If you are looking for some references, then Learn by Dan Vega is a good place to start with. Spring Boot — Rapid Spring Application Development 3. Learn Unit Testing If there is one common thing which separates a good Java developer from an average Java developer then it must be his unit testing skills. A good and professional Java developer almost always write unit tests for his code and if he is really you can see that from his code and tests. a Rockstar developer Testing has also come a long way now with several tools for unit testing, integration testing and automation testing available to Java developers. You can spend a good amount of 2019 to hone your testing skill in Java but those who are new to Java world and unit testing, JUnit is the best library to start with. The recent version JUnit 5 is both powerful and flexible and every Java developer should know that. If you are looking for a good overview of JUnit and unit testing in Java then s a perfect to start with. It’s not the most up-to-date as it doesn’t cover JUnit 5 but still pretty useful for beginners JUnit and Mockito Crash Course If you have worked with great Java developers you might have noticed their overall knowledge of Java Ecosystem and APIs forms a major part of it. Java is world’s most popular and mature programing language and there are tons of libraries and APIs available for doing almost everything possible. Of course, you are not expected to know all of them but you should be familiar with some key APIs e.g. JSON processing APIs like and , XML processing APIs like and Xerces, Unit testing libraries like Mockito and JUnit etc. Jackson Gson JAXB If you don’t know them you can learn or at least get an overview of them in 2019. To start with you can check out my list of , which covers libraries from key areas like parsing, bytecode manipulation, concurrency, collections etc. 20 Java libraries every Java developer should know If you are serious about becoming a Rockstar Java Developer then you must spend the time to learn JVM internals e.g. what are different parts of JVM, how they work, , , , and collectors etc. JIT JVM options Garbage collections If you know the JVM well you can write both robust and high-performance Java application and that’s what Rockstar Java developers do. As part of this, you should also learn how to profile your Java application, how to find e.g. which objects are taking most of your memories and eating CPUs. performance bottlenecks For a structured learning, I recommend by Scott Oaks which is a great book I have read in last few years. The Definitive Guide to Java Performance For those who prefer online courses over books, on Pluralsight is also a great collection to master JVM internals. Understanding the Java Virtual Machine series If you are writing a Java application from scratch then most of the time you are writing object-oriented code and are tried and tested solution of common problems. design patterns By knowing and incorporating them into your code you make your application more flexible and easier to change in future. It also improves overall code quality and documentation because other Java developers are also familiar with design patterns and they will understand your solution rather quickly. But, don’t just focus on code part, understand the spirit and be creative. Use Java 8 features like and to rewrite patterns e.g. . lambdas Streams Strategy patterns If you are looking for some resources to learn design patterns then this list of is a good place to start with. And, for those who like books, my recommended books on design patterns can be found . design pattern courses here For a modern Java developer, knowledge of DevOps is essential. He should be at least familiar with continuous integration and continuous deployment and how helps to achieve that. Jenkins It becomes even more important for senior Java developer who often is responsible for setting coding best practices and creating environments, build scripts and guidelines. I also suggest you spend time and learn more about DevOps in general and tools like , Chef, Kubernetes etc along with Maven and Jenkins. Docker If you need some resources then in Udemy is probably the best course to start with. You will not only learn about CI and CD but also about Maven and Jenkins in depth. Master Jenkins CI For DevOps and Developers A couple of years of back I read a book called which highlighted the advantage of becoming a Polyglot programmer. The Well-Grounded Java Developer It inspired me to learn and later I also tried because of its increased usage in creating build scripts and unit testing. Scala Groovy That experience has helped me a lot and that’s why I encourage Java developers to learn a new JVM language. I have blogged about it previously on but if you are in hurry, just Learn Kotlin. 3 JVM languages Java developers should learn in 2019 It’s a great language from JetBrains, the company behind IntelliJ IDEA and also official language for Android development as announced by Google in 2017. It will not only improve your productivity but also help you to go into Android development area. If you are looking to learn Kotlin in 2019 and looking for some good resource then here is a to start with. list of Kotlin courses Architecture is changing constantly and many companies are moving from monolithic application to microservices. It’s high time for Java developers to learn and how to create Microservices in Java to take advantage of this recent wave. Microservice architecture Fortunately, Spring framework provides and which greatly simplify microservice development in Java. Spring Cloud Spring Boot If you are looking for course then is a good one to start with. Master Microservices with Spring Boot and Spring Cloud And, if you prefer books then I suggest you check the by , which provides a comprehensive guide for developing Java applications for the cloud. Cloud Native Java Josh Long One of the most important traits of better Java developers is that they are very good on their tools. They not only know more tools than an average developer but also they know their tools well. Since IDEs like Eclipse, NetBeans, and IntelliJ IDEA are a most important tool for a Java programmer, it makes sense to spend some time to learn better. You can learn about some plugins which make your task easy or some which helps you to navigate better. keyboard shortcuts Even some small tips help a long way because you use them a lot more than you think. If you are serious about taking your IDE skills to next level and use Eclipse, then I suggest you check on Udemy, a perfect course to improve your knowledge of Eclipse. Eclipse Debugging Techniques And Tricks That’s all about some of my . I know it’s difficult to follow all these tips and I am not asking to do that, it’s simply not practical. tips to become a better Java developer in 2019 You can focus on more important first like Learning Java 8 and Learning Spring Framework if you haven’t known them yet but if you are good at those than you can pick other topics e.g. unit testing, JVM internals, and DevOps. To start with you need to pick one e.g. Java 8 and commit with that before moving to next tip. If you are looking for some low hanging fruits then learning your IDE better is a good choice. You already know your IDE and spending some time to learn it better will make you more productive and better Java developer in quick time. All the best and don’t forget to share your tips which you think have made you a better Java developer. If you have any suggestion or feedback then you are most welcome, we all learn from each other. Other you may like Useful Resources for learning Java 10 Things Java Programmer Should Learn in 2019 10 Free Courses to Learn Java from Scratch 10 Books to Learn Java in Depth 10 Tools Every Java Developer Should Know 10 Reasons to Learn Java Programming languages 10 Frameworks Java and Web Developer should learn in 2019 My favorite free courses to learn Java in-depth Top 5 Java Frameworks to Learn in 2019 10 Testing Libraries Every Java Developer Should Know Originally published at javarevisited.blogspot.com on May 8, 2018.

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