This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Naveen
With so many new programming languages like Kotlin, Go, and Rust introduced, Java is still relevant because of its ability to create robust, scalable, and secure enterprise applications. Let’s explore how
Java’s Popularity in Numbers (as of 2025)
✅ #3 on the TIOBE Index (behind Python and C)
✅ Over 9 million Java developers globally
✅ Used by 90% of Fortune 500 companies
✅ Powers over 3 billion devices
Why You Should Still Learn Java in 2025
👨💼 Job Market: Java roles are abundant and pay well
🧠 Conceptual Strength: Great for mastering OOP
🛠️ Tooling: Best-in-class IDEs (IntelliJ, Eclipse)
📈 Scalability: Used in large-scale systems
🔄 Transferable Skills: Learn Java → Learn Kotlin, Scala, C#, etc.
What is Java?
Java is a high-level and object-oriented programming language. Java is known for its simplicity, strong memory management, and large number of libraries.
Java was developed by Sun Microsystems, which was initiated by James Gosling and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems’ Java platform (Java 1.0 [J2SE]). Now Java is maintained and operated by Oracle.
The latest version of Java is Java 24, released in March 2025. Among all these versions, Java 8 is considered the most prominent and introduced so many things like lambda expressions, default and static methods in interfaces, functional interfaces, and Stream API.
Java platforms
There are 4 types of Java platforms provided by Oracle. Each platform targets different development needs. Each platform offers a tailored set of libraries, tools, and runtime environments designed for specific use cases. They are:
Java Standard Edition (Java SE)
Java Enterprise Edition (Java EE)
Java Micro Edition (Java ME)
JavaFX
Java SE: It is the minimum requirement to run Java code. It includes Java Development Kit (JDK), Java Runtime Environment (JRE), and set APIs such as java.io, java.lang, etc., and these APIs serve as a foundation for all other Java platforms.
Java EE: Java EE is built on top of Java SE. It used to develop large-scale, secure, distributed applications. It includes Servlets, Java Server Pages (JSP), Java Persistence API (JPA), Spring, Hibernate, etc.
Java ME: It is the lightweight version of Java used to design to enable developers to build applications for mobile and embedded devices with limited resources. It provides a range of APIs that make it easier for developers to create applications for these devices.
JavaFX: It is a modern Java library used for building rich desktop applications with advanced user interfaces, graphics, and media features. Designed as a successor to Swing, JavaFX supports features like 2D and 3D graphics, audio and video playback, charts, and CSS-like styling, making it ideal for developing visually appealing and interactive desktop applications.
Java features
Object-Oriented: Java is an object-oriented programming language, which means it follows the principles of encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism, making it easier to organize and structure code.
**Robust and Secure: **Java’s strong type system, exception handling, and memory management features make it robust and less prone to errors. Additionally, Java’s security features, such as bytecode verification and sandboxing, help prevent unauthorized access to resources.
Rich Standard Library: Java comes with a vast standard library that provides pre-built classes and packages for common tasks such as I/O operations, networking, data manipulation, and more, saving developers time and effort.
Multi-threading Support: Java has built-in support for multi-threading, allowing developers to create programs that can perform multiple tasks concurrently, improving performance and responsiveness.
Java Applications
Enterprise Software: Java is widely used for building enterprise-level applications, including customer relationship management (CRM) systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and financial software.
Web Development: Java is commonly used for server-side web development, with technologies such as JavaServer Pages (JSP), Servlets, and frameworks like Spring and Hibernate.
Mobile Development: Java is used for developing Android mobile applications using the Android SDK (Software Development Kit) and the Android Studio IDE.
Desktop Applications: Java Swing and JavaFX provide libraries for developing cross-platform desktop applications with rich graphical user interfaces (GUIs).
Big Data and Cloud Computing: Java is frequently used in big data processing frameworks (e.g., Hadoop, Spark) and cloud computing platforms (e.g., Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services).
Final thoughts
Despite the wave of new languages and frameworks, Java has stood the test of time. Its relevance in enterprise software, cloud computing, and Android ensures that learning Java today is an investment in a stable and flexible future.
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👉 Drop your thoughts in the comments. Are you learning Java in 2025? What’s been your biggest challenge?
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Naveen
Naveen | Sciencx (2025-07-13T03:41:00+00:00) Introduction to Java. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/07/13/introduction-to-java/
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