Understanding the Current Java Moment

Java platform is one the most used platform in last years and has the largest ecosystem in the world of technology. Java platform permit us develop applications to several platforms, such as Windows, Linux, embedded systems, mobile. However, Java had received many claims such as Java is fat, Java take a lot of memory, Java is verbose. In fact Java was created to solve big problems not small problems, although it could be used to solve small problems. You can solve small problems with Java, but you see the real benefit of Java when you have a big problem, mainly when this problem is about enterprise environments. Then when you created a hello world application with Java and compared to hello world application written in another language you could see a greater memory use,  you could write more line codes and other. But when you created a big application that integrates to another applications and resource, in this point you saw the real benefit of Java platform.

Java is great to enterprise environment because its power to solve complexity problems and its multi-platform characteristic, but also because it promotes more security to business, promoting a backward compatibility and solutions based in specifications. Then, the business has more guarantee that a new update of Java won’t breaking your systems and has a solution decoupled vendors, permitting to business changes vendors when it is needed.

Java has a big ecosystem, with emphasis on Java EE (now Jakarta EE) that promotes several specifications to solve common problems at enterprise environment. Some of these specifications are: EJB, JPA, JMS, JAX-RS, JAX-WS, and other. Furthermore, we have the Spring that tuned the Java ecosystem, although it is not based on specifications but uses some specifications from Java EE.

Cloud Computing and Microservices

Cloud Computing is a concept that has been grown up over and over along of year, and has changed how developers architect, write and think applications. Cloud Computing is a set of principles and approaches that has as aim provide computing resources as a service (PaaS, IaaS, SaaS).  With this, we can uses only needed resource to run applications, and scale when needed. Then we could optimize the computing resource uses and consequently optimize cost to business. It is fantastic, but to avail from Cloud Computing the applications should be according to this approach. With this, microservice architecture came as a good approach to architect and thinking applications to Cloud Computing (Cloud Native Application).

Microservice architecture is an approach that break a big application (monolith) in many micro-applications or micro-services, generally broken in business domain. With this, we can scale only the business domains that really needs without scale all business domains, we have a fault tolerance, because if one business domain falls, the other business domain will not falls together, and we have a resilience, because the microservice that falls can be restored. Then, microservice architecture permit us explore the Cloud Computing benefits and optimize optimize the computing resource uses.

Java and Cloud Computing

As said above, “In fact Java was created to solve big problems not small problems, although it could be used to solve small problems”. But Cloud Native Application approach breaks a big and complex application into many small and simpler applications (such as microservices). Furthermore, the life cycle of  an application is very smaller in the microservice architecture than when we use a monolith.  Besides that, in Cloud Native Application approach the complexity is not in the applications, but it is in the communication between these application (integrations between them), managements of them and monitoring. In other word the complexity is about how these applications (microservices) will interacts with which other and how can we identify a problem in some application with fast way.  With this, the Java platform and its ecosystem had many gap to solve, that will be shown below:

Fat JVM: We had many Java applications started with many library that was not used and the JVM will loaded several things that this application didn’t needs. It is okay when we have a big application that solve complex problems, but to small applications (like microservices) it is not so good.

JVM JIT Optimization: The JVM has a JIT Optimization that optimize the application  running along of time. In other words, a longer application life cycle has more optimization done. Then to JVM is better to runs an application for a long time than have an application running for short time. In cloud computing, applications are born and dies all the time and its life cycle are smaller.

Java Application Has a Bigger Boot Time: Many Java applications has a long boot time comparing to application written in another language, because these applications commonly solve some things in boot time.

Java Generate a Fat Package (war, ear, jar): Many Java Applications has a large package size, mainly when it has some libraries inside them (in lib folder). It can grow up the delivery time, degrading the delivery process.

Java EE Has Not Pattern Solutions to Microservice: The Java EE has many important specs to solve enterprise problems, but it has not specs to solve problems that came from microservice architecture and cloud computing.

The Updates of Java and Java EE are Slow: The Java and Java EE had a slow process to update their features and to create new features. It is bad because the enterprise environment is in continuous change and has new challenge at all the times.

With this, the Java ecosystem had several changes and initiatives to solve each gap created by cloud computing, and the put Java on the top again.

Java On Top Again

Java platform is a robust platform that promotes many solutions for any things, but to me it is not the best of Java. To me the best of Java world is the community, that is very strong and workaholic. Then, in a few time, the Java community promoted many actions and initiatives that boosted the Java platform to cloud computing approach, promoting solutions to turn Java closer to cloud native application approach more and more. Many peoples call it as Cloud Native Java. The principals actions and initiatives that have been done in the Java ecosystem are: Jakarta EE, Microprofile, new Java release cycle, improvement at Java Language, improvement at JVM and Quarkus. Then I’ll explain how each of these actions and initiatives have impacted the Java ecosystem.

Jakarta EE: Java EE was one of the most import project at Java ecosystem. Java EE promoted many pattern solutions to enterprise problems, but this project was migrated from Oracle to Eclipse Foundation and had many changes in the work`s structure, and now is called Jakarta EE.

The Jakarta EE is an umbrella project that promotes pattern solutions (specifications) to enterprise world and has a new process to approve new features and evolve the existent features. With this, the Jakarta EE can evolve fast and improve more and more the enterprise solutions. It is nice, because nowadays the enterprise has changed very fast and has had new challenges o all the time. As the technology is a tool to innovate,  this one need be able to change quickly when needed.

Microprofile: The Java EE and now Jakarta EE has many good solutions to enterprise world. But this project don`t have a pattern solutions to many problems about microservice architecture. It does not means that you can not implement solutions to microservice architecture, but you will need implement these solutions by yourself and these solutions will be in your hands.

Microprofile is an umbrella project that promotes many pattern solutions (specifications) to microservice architecture problems. Microprofile has compatibility with Java EE and permit the developers develop applications using microservice architecture with easier way.  Some of these specifications are: Microprofile Config, Microprofile Opentrancing, Microprofile RestClient, Microprofile Fault Tolerance and others.

Java Releases Cycle: The Java release cycle changed and nowadays the Java releases are released each six months. It’s an excellent change because permit the Java platform response fast to new challenges. Beside that, it promotes a faster evolve of Java platform.

Improvement at Java Language: The Java had several changes that improved some features, such as the functional feature and other from Java. Beside that, the Java language had the Jigsaw project that introduced the modularity on Java. With this, we can create thinner Java applications that can be easily scaled.

Improvement at JVM: The JVM had some issues when used in containers, mainly about measurements about memory and CPU. It was bad because the the container is very important to cloud computing. With containers we don’t delivery the application only, but we delivery all environment with its dependencies.

Since Java 9 the JVM had many updates that turned the communication with containers better. With this, the JVM is closer to cloud computing necessities.

Quarkus: Quarkus is the latest news to the Java ecosystem and has been at the top of the talks. Quarkus is a project tailored to GraalVM and OpenJDK HotSpot that promotes a Kubernate Java Application stack to permit developers write applications to cloud using the breed Java libraries and standards. With Quarkus we can write applications with very faster boot time, incredibly low RSS memory and an amazing set of tools to facilitate the developers to write applications.

Quarkus is really an amazing project that defines a new future to Java platform. This project works with Container First concept and uses the technique of compile time boot to boost the Java applications. If you want to know more about Quarkus click here.

All of these projects and initiatives in the Java ecosystem bring Java back into focus and starts the new era for the Java platform. With this, Java enter on cloud computing offering your way of working with specifications, promoting a standardized solutions to cloud computing. It is amazing to Java and to cloud computing, because from these standardized solutions will emerge many enterprise solutions with support of many companies, turning the adopt of these solutions safer.