Choosing the right Integrated Development Environment (IDE) plays an important role in improving productivity and simplifying the coding process. As Java continues to reign as one of the most popular programming languages, developers are constantly seeking the most effective tools to create robust and scalable applications. In the year 2023, when innovation and technological advancements are at their peak, the demand for a top Java IDE that offers cutting-edge features and unparalleled functionality has never been higher.
The right Java IDE can make a significant difference in a developer's workflow, offering a range of features such as intelligent code completion, debugging capabilities, extensive libraries, and framework support. By providing a comprehensive set of tools and an intuitive user interface, these IDEs empower developers to write cleaner code, eliminate errors, and accelerate the software development process.
In this article, we will explore the top best Java IDEs that have appeared in 2023. We will learn their features, ease of use, compatibility, and overall performance to help you make an informed decision when choosing the best Java IDE for your development needs.
Best Java IDE 2023
Discover the top 7 best Java IDEs of 2023 that can use to elevate your productivity and your coding experience. These powerful tools are designed to enhance your development workflow, making Java programming a breeze.
From advanced features to simplified interfaces, these IDEs are tailored to meet your needs and help you excel in your coding endeavors. Explore these top-notch Java IDEs and unlock your true coding potential.
1. Eclipse IDE
Price: Free
Eclipse Java IDE is a software application that allows you to write, compile, debug, and run Java programs. It is one of the most popular and widely used Java IDEs in the world.
It has many features and tools that make Java development easier and faster. Some of these features are:
Syntax highlighting: Eclipse colors different parts of your code according to their meaning and function. This helps you to read and understand your code better.
Code completion: Eclipse suggests possible words or expressions as you type. This helps you to write your code faster and avoid errors.
Refactoring: Eclipse allows you to change the structure or name of your code without affecting its behavior. This helps you to improve your code quality and maintainability.
Debugger: Eclipse lets you inspect and modify the state of your program as it runs. You can set breakpoints, step through your code, and watch the values of your variables. This helps you to find and fix bugs in your code.
Plugin system: Eclipse can be extended with additional features and tools by installing plugins. There are thousands of plugins available for Eclipse that support different languages, frameworks, and technologies. This helps you to customize Eclipse according to your needs and preferences.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Eclipse Java IDE has a robust runtime core that ensures reliable performance. | Eclipse has gained a reputation for running slowly, potentially impacting the overall development experience. |
It offers seamless integration with Git and Apache Maven, making version control and dependency management effortless. | The IDE is known to consume a significant amount of CPU resources, which may affect the performance of the system. |
The IDE provides a marketplace for easy installation of plugins, expanding its functionality. | Some users have reported frequent crashes, making it necessary to save work frequently. |
Eclipse boasts a comprehensive set of features for editing, debugging, browsing, and refactoring code. | The plugin environment in Eclipse can be complex and challenging to navigate for new users. |
Developers benefit from efficient code completion, which helps speed up the coding process. | |
2. IntelliJ IDEA IDE
Price: There are two editions: Community and Ultimate. The community edition is free. The ultimate edition is as follows:
For individual use: $16.90 per month. $169 for 1st year, $135 for 2nd and $101 for 3rd year.
For organizational use: $499 per user for 1st year, $399 for 2nd year, and $299 for 3rd year.
IntelliJ IDEA Java IDE is a software application that allows you to write, compile, debug, and run Java and Kotlin programs. It is one of the most popular and powerful IDEs for Java development. IntelliJ IDEA is developed and maintained by JetBrains.
IntelliJ IDEA has many features and tools that make Java and Kotlin development easier and faster. Some of these features are:
Smart code completion: IntelliJ IDEA suggests possible words or expressions as you type, based on the context and the type of the code. It also supports multiple languages and frameworks within the same project.
Refactoring: IntelliJ IDEA allows you to change the structure or name of your code without affecting its behavior. It also detects and fixes code smells, duplicates, and dead code.
Debugger: IntelliJ IDEA lets you inspect and modify the state of your program as it runs. You can set breakpoints, step through your code, evaluate expressions, and watch the values of your variables. It also supports debugging remote applications, unit tests, and database queries.
Testing: IntelliJ IDEA supports various testing frameworks and tools, such as JUnit, TestNG, Spock, Selenium, Cucumber, and more. It also provides code coverage analysis, test generation, and test runner features.
Version control: IntelliJ IDEA integrates with various version control systems, such as Git, SVN, Mercurial, Perforce, and more. It also provides a unified interface for managing branches, commits, diffs, merges, and conflicts.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Suggests improvements like adding exceptions in case of any possibility of generating an exception by your written code | It is quite expensive. |
It also have the ability to understand other languages like HTML, JavaScript, SQL, Kotlin etc. | Lack of framework support in the community edition |
Offers plethora of plugins that we can integrate into the code editor. | It requires disk space of 700-800MB which make it a heavy IDE. |
Available for Linux, MacOS and Windows | |
3. BlueJ IDE
Price: Free
BlueJ has a simple and user-friendly interface that shows the class structure of your application in a graphical way. You can also create and test objects interactively, which helps you to understand the concepts of object-oriented programming. It is designed for educational purposes, especially for beginners and students who want to learn Java Programming.
Some of the features of BlueJ Java IDE are:
Visual representation: BlueJ shows your classes and objects in a diagram that resembles UML notation. You can see the relationships between your classes and their methods, fields, and constructors. You can also drag and drop classes and objects to create new instances or connections.
Interactive testing: BlueJ allows you to create and manipulate objects directly on the screen. You can invoke methods, inspect values, and modify fields without writing any code. You can also use the code pad to evaluate expressions or statements on the fly.
Integrated debugger: BlueJ has a built-in debugger that lets you inspect and modify the state of your program as it runs. You can set breakpoints, step through your code, and watch the values of your variables. You can also use the object bench to store and reuse objects during debugging.
Simple editor: BlueJ has a basic code editor that supports syntax highlighting, code completion, and refactoring. It also has a compiler that can detect and fix errors and warnings in your code.
Extension system: BlueJ can be extended with additional features and tools by installing extensions. There are many extensions available for BlueJ that support different languages, frameworks, and technologies.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Allows interaction with isolated objects of any class and also allows them to execute their public methods. | It is not suitable for large projects. |
It is a lightweight Java IDE | There is no auto-completion of code feature |
It automatically creates a documentation file. | If a program is terminated due to an error, you have to stop the JVM(Java Virtual Machine) manually in order to run another program. |
It provides a graphical representation of the class structure. | It does not support multiple programming languages |
4. MyEclipse IDE
Price: There are four license levels available:
Standard $37 per user per year.
Professional $74 per user per year.
Blue $184 per user per year.
Bling $289 per user per year.
You can also opt for a secure edition pro license level including additional security features and access to a secure delivery center. The secure edition prices are:
Standard Secure: $75 per user per year.
Professional Secure: $116 per user per year.
Blue Secure: $278 per user per year.
Bling Secure: $420 per user per year.
Before that, you can download a free 30-day trial of the license level.
It is a commercial IDE that is designed for enterprise development, especially for developers who work with Spring, Maven, WebSphere, database tooling, and more. MyEclipse is developed and maintained by Genuitec.
Some of the features of MyEclipse Java IDE are:
Rich development experience: MyEclipse provides a user-friendly interface with syntax highlighting, code completion, and refactoring. It also has a powerful debugger that allows you to inspect and modify variables, set breakpoints, and step through code execution.
Rapid deployment: MyEclipse supports various application servers and portal servers, such as WebSphere, Tomcat, JBoss, GlassFish, and more. It also allows you to deploy your applications incrementally and reload them live without restarting the server.
Database tooling: MyEclipse allows you to manage multiple database connections seamlessly. You can directly edit your database schema, write queries, and view live results. You can also generate entity classes from your database tables or vice versa.
Spring development: MyEclipse supports the latest versions and features of Spring Framework, such as Spring Boot, Spring MVC, Spring Data, Spring Security, and more. It also provides code assistance, validation, testing, and debugging tools for Spring applications.
Maven integration: MyEclipse integrates with Maven for managing dependencies, building projects, and running tests. It also provides a graphical editor for editing pom.xml files and a Maven console for executing Maven commands.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
It supports codelive with live preview | It is not suitable for beginners |
It has a tool kit that supports the full life cycle of software development. | It consumes a lot of system resources |
It offers an optimal technologies bundle to build applications. | It is slower than other IDEs |
It supports Linux, MacOS and Windows Operating System. | |
5. NetBeans IDE
Price: Free
It is an open-source IDE that is designed for developers who work with various languages and frameworks, such as Java, HTML5, PHP, C/C++, and more. NetBeans is developed and maintained by the Apache Software Foundation.
Some of the features of NetBeans Java IDE are:
Smart code completion: NetBeans suggests possible words or expressions as you type, based on the context and the type of the code. It also supports multiple languages and frameworks within the same project.
Refactoring: NetBeans allows you to change the structure or name of your code without affecting its behavior. It also detects and fixes code smells, duplicates, and dead code.
Debugger: NetBeans lets you inspect and modify the state of your program as it runs. You can set breakpoints, step through your code, evaluate expressions, and watch the values of your variables. It also supports debugging remote applications, unit tests, and database queries.
Testing: NetBeans supports various testing frameworks and tools, such as JUnit, TestNG, Selenium, Cucumber, and more. It also provides code coverage analysis, test generation, and test runner features.
Version control: NetBeans integrates with various version control systems, such as Git, SVN, Mercurial, and more. It also provides a unified interface for managing branches, commits, diffs, merges, and conflicts.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
It is available for Linux, MacOS, Windows and Solaris operating systems. | It is slow and heavy on memory usage. |
Provide auto-completion of code feature. | Not so memory efficient |
It provides great debugging tools that save a lot of time for developers. If any error occurs developers can simply debug the code to find the root of an error by stepping through the code. | It may have compatibility issues with some plugins or tools. |
Java developers can easily rename classes and variable or make other structural changes using these tools. | |
6. JCreator IDE
Price: The price depends on the edition and the number of licenses you want to purchase.
JCreator LE (Lite Edition) - User License cost $35.00 as a one-time payment
JCreator Pro - User License cost $79.00 as a one-time payment.
JCreator Pro Academic/Educational 25 - User Licence cost $725.00 as a one-time payment.
It is a commercial IDE that is designed for Java development. JCreator is developed and maintained by Xinox Software.
Some of the features of JCreator Java IDE are:
User-friendly interface: JCreator has a simple and intuitive interface that resembles Microsoft Visual Studio. You can easily manage your projects, files, and settings in a convenient way.
Fast and reliable: JCreator is programmed entirely in C++, which makes it faster and more stable than other Java-based IDEs. It also has a low memory footprint and does not require a lot of system resources.
Code assistance: JCreator provides syntax highlighting, code completion, and refactoring features that help you write your code faster and avoid errors. It also has a built-in compiler that can detect and fix errors and warnings in your code.
Debugger: JCreator has a powerful debugger that lets you inspect and modify the state of your program as it runs. You can set breakpoints, step through your code, and watch the values of your variables.
Plugin system: JCreator can be extended with additional features and tools by installing plugins. There are many plugins available for JCreator that support different languages, frameworks, and technologies.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
JCreator is extensively made for Java based application development. | JCreator IDE is only available for Windows Operating System. |
Setup time for JCreator is less in comparison to other IDEs. | It does not support third-party plugins |
user interface provides a tree view of projects, classes, and interfaces. | Community support is not available |
provides options for choosing project templates which let programmers write code quicker. | |
7. DrJAVA IDE
Price: Free
It is an open-source IDE that is designed for educational purposes, especially for beginners and students who want to learn Java programming. DrJava has a simple and user-friendly interface that shows the class structure of your application in a graphical way. You can also create and test objects interactively, which helps you to understand the concepts of object-oriented programming.
Some of the features of DrJava Java IDE are:
Visual representation: DrJava shows your classes and objects in a diagram that resembles UML notation. You can see the relationships between your classes and their methods, fields, and constructors. You can also drag and drop classes and objects to create new instances or connections.
Interactive testing: DrJava allows you to create and manipulate objects directly on the screen. You can invoke methods, inspect values, and modify fields without writing any code. You can also use the code pad to evaluate expressions or statements on the fly.
Integrated debugger: DrJava has a built-in debugger that lets you inspect and modify the state of your program as it runs. You can set breakpoints, step through your code, and watch the values of your variables. You can also use the object bench to store and reuse objects during debugging.
Simple editor: DrJava has a basic code editor that supports syntax highlighting, code completion, and refactoring. It also has a compiler that can detect and fix errors and warnings in your code.
Extension system: DrJava can be extended with additional features and tools by installing extensions. There are many extensions available for DrJava that support different languages, frameworks, and technologies.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
DrJava is a light-weight IDE, it fires up rapidly and doesn’t slack. | It is limited and basic. Not fit for advanced or professional development |
DrJava IDE is student friendly, a good IDE for beginners to start with. | It is slow and buggy |
Programmers can quickly debug, troubleshoot, and test their programs, due to its interactive environment. | It is outdated and unmaintained. It does not support the latest versions or standards of Java or other languages. |
Which IDE is best for beginners?
If you're just starting out with Java programming, I recommend using either BlueJ or Eclipse as your Java Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The best part? They're both free, easy to use, and designed with beginners in mind. These IDEs have user-friendly interfaces that make writing code a breeze.
BlueJ is specifically built for beginners and educational purposes. It has a unique graphical interface that lets you visually interact with your code. This makes it easier to understand and navigate your programs. Plus, BlueJ supports extensions that can enhance its functionality and provide additional tools for learning Java.
On the other hand, Eclipse is a widely-used open-source IDE that supports multiple programming languages, including Java. It offers a vast array of features and has a large plugin ecosystem, allowing you to customize your development environment to suit your needs. Eclipse provides powerful tools like code completion, refactoring, debugging, and testing, making your Java programming experience smoother and more efficient. Additionally, there's even a cloud edition of Eclipse that lets you code directly in a web browser, offering more flexibility and convenience.
No matter which IDE you choose, both BlueJ and Eclipse provide excellent support for learning Java and offer essential features that will help you write, debug, and manage your projects effectively. So, dive in, explore these IDEs, and enjoy your journey into the world of Java programming!
Conclusion
The Java programming language offers a variety of feature-rich and user-friendly IDE options to cater to different needs and preferences. Eclipse stands out as a popular open-source IDE with a vast plugin ecosystem, providing extensive tooling support for Java development. IntelliJ IDEA offers advanced features, smart code assistance, and seamless integration with other JetBrains tools. BlueJ, designed for beginners, offers a visual approach to programming and educational features. MyEclipse combines Java EE capabilities with modern tooling, while NetBeans provides a comprehensive and modular environment. JCreator offers simplicity and ease of use for smaller projects, and DrJava specializes in providing a lightweight and educational Java IDE. Depending on your requirements and expertise level, these Java IDEs offer a range of powerful features and tools to enhance your Java programming experience and boost productivity.
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