9 Tips To Become A Better Java Programmer

19/06/2021 9 Tips to become a better Java Programmer | by javinpaul | Javarevisited | Medium
9 Tips to become a better Java Programmer

Practical tips to become a better Java developer with links to learn those skills
javinpaul
May 23, 2020 · 11 min read
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 the 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.
https://medium.com/javarevisited/9-tips-to-become-a-better-java-programmer-cad4c9334cc1 1/14
But, before going into that, I would like to stress that a better programmer is always a
better Java developer and that’s why all the tips I have shared before to improve your
programming skill and become a better programmer still holds true.
If you haven’t read them yet, you can read it after this article, they will help you to
improve your programming and coding skills which is essential to becoming a better
Java developer.
This article is totally focused on Java development perspective and I assume you are
already good at essential stuff like Coding, Data Structures and Algorithms, and
Computer science concepts like Networking, Protocols, Object-oriented programming,
etc.
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 like JSP,
Servlet, and JEE, as well as for Java Web developer whose primary job is to write web
applications using Java technology.
Though, I have left out some web stuff like learning JSF or Servlet 4.0 for another day
to keep this list short and simple. Anyway, without any further ado, here are some tips
and suggestions to become a better Java developer and Software Engineer.
1. Learn JVM Internals and Java Performance Tuning

If you are serious about becoming a Rockstar Java Developer then you must first spend
the time to learn JVM internals like what are different parts of JVM, how they work,
JIT, JVM options, Garbage collections, and collectors, etc.
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
performance bottlenecks like which objects are taking most of your memories, and
eating CPUs.
For structured learning, I recommend The Definitive Guide to Java Performance by

Scott Oaks which is a great book I have read in the last few years.
For those who prefer online courses over books, Understanding the Java Virtual
Machine series on Pluralsight is also a great collection to master JVM internals.
By the way, you would need a Pluralsight membership to join this course, which costs
around $29 per month or $299 per year (14% discount). If you don’t have this plan, I
highly recommend joining as it boosts your learning and as a programmer, you always
need to learn new things.
Alternatively, you can also use their 10-day-free-trial to watch this course for FREE.
If you need more choices then following two courses on Udemy is also a good one to
learn how to read heap dump, how to solve memory leak, and understand GC logs:
1. Java Application Performance and Memory Management
2. Java Multithreading, Concurrency & Performance Optimization
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2. Learn Microservices and Cloud

Architecture is changing constantly and many companies are moving from monolithic
applications to microservices.
It’s high time for Java developers to learn Microservice architecture and how to create
Microservices in Java to take advantage of this recent wave.
Fortunately, the Spring framework provides Spring Cloud and Spring Boot which
greatly simplify microservice development in Java.
If you are looking for a course then Master Microservices with Spring Boot and
Spring Cloud is a good one to start with.
And, if you prefer books then I suggest you check the Cloud Native Java by Josh Long,
which provides a comprehensive guide for developing Java applications for the cloud.
3. 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 Spring
MVC, Spring Boot, and Spring Cloud for developing a web application, REST APIs, and
Microservices.
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 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 Spring Boot — Rapid Spring
Application Development by Dan Vega is a good place to start with.
4. Learn Java APIs and Libraries

If you have worked with great Java developers you might have noticed their overall
knowledge of the Java Ecosystem and APIs forms a major part of it.
Java is the 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 like JSON processing APIs like Jackson and Gson, XML processing APIs
like JAXB and Xerces, Unit testing libraries like Mockito and JUnit, etc.
If you don’t know them you can learn or at least get an overview of them. To start with
you can check out my list of 20 Java libraries every Java developer should know,
which covers libraries from key areas like parsing, bytecode manipulation,
concurrency, collections, etc.
5. Learn Java 8+ (Java 13)

This is the most important thing for a Java developer right now. It’s good 4 years old
and even Java 13 has been released 6 months back and people are talking about Java
10 features, I know many programmers who have not written a single line of code using
Java 8 features like lambdas and Stream API.
Unfortunately, most of them are experienced Java developer 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 jobs 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 The Complete Java MasterClass on Udemy, which will teach you
all the basics of Java 8 features.
And, if you are interested in a more advanced, the hands-on course then Refactoring
Java 8 by Dr. Heinz Kabutz is a good one to join.
6. Learn Design Patterns and Coding Best Practices

If you are writing a Java application from scratch then most of the time you are writing
object-oriented code and design patterns are tried and tested solutions of common
problems.
By knowing and incorporating them into your code you make your application more
flexible and easier to change in the 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 the code part, understand the spirit, and be creative. Use Java 8
features like lambdas and Streams to rewrite patterns like Strategy patterns.
If you are looking for some resources to learn design patterns then I suggest you check
out Design Patterns in Java course by Dmitri Nesteruk. This course provides a
comprehensive overview of Design Patterns in Java from a practical perspective and

modern implementations.
And, if you need more options then this list of design pattern courses is a good place to
explore further. And, for those who like books, my recommended books on design
patterns can be found here.
7. Learn Dev tools and IDEs

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 average developers but also they know
their tools well.
Since IDEs like Eclipse, NetBeans, and IntelliJ IDEA are the 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 keyboard
shortcuts which helps you to navigate better.
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 the next level and use Eclipse, then I
suggest you check Eclipse Debugging Techniques And Tricks on Udemy, a perfect
course to improve your knowledge of Eclipse.
And, if you are an IntelliJIDEA fan then you can also check out this free course — Up
and Running with IntelliJ IDEA by @Nelson Djalo on Udemy. It’s free as of now but
please check the price before joining it.
Free IntelliJ Tutorial - Up and Running with IntelliJ

IDEA
Hi my name is Nelson and I am a software engineer . Graduated with
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10. Learn DevOps

For a modern Java developer, knowledge of DevOps is essential. He should be at least
familiar with continuous integration and continuous deployment and how Jenkins
helps to achieve that.
It becomes even more important for senior Java developers 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
Docker, Ansible, Kubernetes, etc along with Maven and Jenkins.
If you need some resources then Learn DevOps: CI/CD with Jenkins using Pipelines
and Docker 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.
And, if you like books, The Phoenix Project is a good novel about IT, Automation and
DevOps. It’s easy to read which means you will go through it without any headache and
it will teach you how automation can help you in IT and Software development.
One more course, I would like to recommend, particularly for Docker and Kubernetes is
Stephen Grider’s Docker and Kubernetes: The Complete Guide, you will learn these
two important tools in one course.
Docker and Kubernetes: The Complete Guide
If you're tired of spinning your wheels learning how to deploy web
8. Learn Scala or Kotlin

A couple of years of the back I read a book called The Well-Grounded Java Developer
which highlighted the advantage of becoming a Polyglot programmer.
It inspired me to learn Scala and later I also tried Groovy because of its increased usage
in creating build scripts and unit testing.
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 3 JVM languages Java
developers should learn but if you are in a hurry, just Learn Kotlin.
It’s a great language from JetBrains, the company behind IntelliJ IDEA, and also the
official language for Android development as announced by Google.
It will not only improve your productivity but also help you to go into the Android
development area. If you are looking to learn Kotlin and looking for some good
resource then The Complete Android Kotlin Developer course is a good starting
point.
And, if you need more choices, here is a list of best Kotlin courses to explore further.
9. 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 writes unit tests for his code and
if he is really a Rockstar developer you can see that from his code and tests.
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 your time to hone your testing skills 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 JUnit and
Mockito Crash Courses 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.
That’s all about some of my 10 tips to become a better Java Programmer. I know it’s
difficult to follow all these tips and I am not asking to do that, it’s simply not practical.
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 like unit testing, JVM internals, and DevOps.
To start with you need to pick one like Java 8 and commit with that before moving to
the 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 learning it better will make you a
more productive and better Java developer in a 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 suggestions or feedback then you are most welcome, we all learn from
each other.
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Thanks for reading this article so far. If you find this article useful, then please share it
with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please
drop a note.
P. S. — If you want to do just one thing right now, I suggest you focus on Concurrency
and Performance. If you need a resource to start with, there is no better course than
Java Multithreading, Concurrency & Performance Optimization by Michael
Pogrebinsky on Udemy.
Java Multithreading, Concurrency & Performance

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9 Tips To Become A Better Java Programmer

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19/06/2021 9 Tips to become a better Java Programmer | by javinpaul | Javarevisited | Medium

9 Tips to become a better Java Programmer

1. Learn JVM Internals and Java Performance Tuning

For structured learning, I recommend The Definitive Guide to Java Performance by

1. Java Application Performance and Memory Management

2. Java Multithreading, Concurrency & Performance Optimization

Java Multithreading, Concurrency & Performance

2. Learn Microservices and Cloud

3. Learn Spring Framework (Spring Boot)

4. Learn Java APIs and Libraries

5. Learn Java 8+ (Java 13)

6. Learn Design Patterns and Coding Best Practices

comprehensive overview of Design Patterns in Java from a practical perspective and

7. Learn Dev tools and IDEs

Free IntelliJ Tutorial - Up and Running with IntelliJ

10. Learn DevOps

Docker and Kubernetes: The Complete Guide

If you're tired of spinning your wheels learning how to deploy web

8. Learn Scala or Kotlin

9. Learn Unit Testing

All the best and don’t forget to share your tips

Other Programming articles you may like

10 Algorithm Books Every Programmer Should Read

The Complete Web Developer RoadMap

10 Tips to Improve your Programming Skill

10 OOP Design Principles Every Programmer Should Know

10 Tools Every Software Engineer should know

The Complete Java Developer RoadMap

10 High Paying Career Options for Programmers and developers

10 Tips to become a better Java developer

100+ Data Structure and Algorithm Questions for Programmers

10 Unit testing tools for Java Programmers

Java Multithreading, Concurrency & Performance

Java Programming Tips Spring Boot Coding

About Help Legal

Get the Medium app

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