Front-End in Java – You have probably heard of JSP, or Java Server Pages. Many computer science students were taught about it in school, and it’s still covered in some books on Java for the web. However, it’s been outdated since the 2010s. Let’s discuss some alternatives, starting with Struts.
Struts
The Struts front-end framework is a free open source software used to create web applications. It combines Java Servlets, Java Server Pages, and custom tags to create a collaborative platform for building web applications. It can be used by both independent developers and development teams. The Struts framework is very versatile and can be used for a variety of purposes.
The Struts framework is based on the MVC architecture. It consists of a controller and a model. A controller implements a request and a model provides a response. The result, or the view, implements a presentation logic. The Action and Model components are coupled through the Struts dispatch servlet filter.
The Struts ActionForm bean is used to persist data between requests. It stores user data, displays it if it is valid, and rejects invalid data. It also provides an interface between the view and other components. Using the ActionForm bean will prevent you from having to write a separate action for every request.
Struts 1 requires that model objects be constructed from ActionForms. This breaks the object-oriented principle of uniting data and actions. Because business applications contain many related validations, it’s incongruent to separate data validation from the Model Object. This approach also makes it difficult to unit test the code.
Java frameworks are software libraries that make Java applications easier to develop. The best frameworks enforce coding best practices and allow you to focus on the business logic of your application. You can then add the basic functionality of your app.
Hibernate ORM
The Hibernate ORM library is a popular Java ORM library. Developed by Gavin King, it has become one of the most popular JPA implementations. Hibernate ORM 6 implements JPA 2.2 and provides support for domain-model persistence in NoSQL databases.
Hibernate is a free and open-source object-relational mapping framework for Java. It replaces direct database access with high-level object handling functions. This free tool provides query and retrieval facilities that relieve developers of the tedious task of manually mapping objects to databases.
Hibernate makes your applications more portable. If you want to switch databases, you can simply change the SQL dialect in the Hibernate configuration file. The resulting application can be ported across different databases without rewriting any SQL queries. In addition, Hibernate also allows you to change between Data Access Object and SQL dialects in your application’s database.
Hibernate is a powerful, lightweight, and flexible object-relational mapping framework that eliminates common data handling mismatch cases. It is compatible with JPA and helps bridge the gap between the two paradigms. Hibernate has been used by IBM for web applications and is highly recommended for OOP-type projects.
The Hibernate ORM framework provides an SQL inspired language that enables users to write queries against Hibernate’s data objects. It also includes an object-oriented alternative to HQL, known as Criteria Queries. It provides an object-oriented syntax for SQL and enables you to specify object restrictions and modifications in your data objects.
For Hibernate ORM, you can use the Quarkus library. It automatically includes Agroal connection pool. However, you must configure your datasource to use Agroal. Agroal supports the Hibernate ORM framework. However, if you want to use a cache, you can use Infinispan or Caffeine. If you use the XML mapping files, make sure to include a unique path for them.
Dropwizard
Dropwizard is a Java framework for building simple, RESTful web services. It bundles best practices and incorporates a number of libraries for fast development. Dropwizard provides a simple pipeline for building business logic and RESTful web applications.
It was first released by Coda Hale in late 2011. It has already gone through over 20 versions, and is now on version 0.8. The project has a solid community and is updated regularly. The current version, 0.8, focuses on fixing small bugs and integrating 3rd party libraries. It supports Java 7 and Java 8.
The Dropwizard team maintains a repository of Dropwizard modules and supports tens of community supported integrations. It is built on top of a REST framework called Dropwizard and comes with support for Spring. Its documentation is very comprehensive, so developers will find it easy to get started.
Dropwizard is more lightweight than Spring Boot. It requires less customization and debugging, allowing the user to build on top of the framework. Springboot offers a broader user base and more official support. It is also more advanced than Dropwizard, but is an excellent choice for beginners.
Dropwizard provides a low-complexity, production-ready RESTful API for Java applications. The framework is extremely fast, compliant with best practices, and combines many components in a single, modular application. This makes it easier to integrate new features as your application grows.
OpenXava
OpenXava is a Java framework for building business applications. It is designed to use the Business Components pattern and has a high degree of flexibility in terms of how it can be used and customized. Business components are reusable Java classes that contain code for business logic, data structures, and persistence. The OpenXava framework provides a number of built-in Business Components.
OpenXava generates user interfaces and business components for web applications, and enables developers to easily define their application’s layout and look. The framework also provides mechanisms for programming user interfaces manually.
Custom editors and JSP fragments are available for creating custom interfaces. Users can even customize the appearance of their applications by defining the properties they wish to display.
In addition to supporting business processes, OpenXava is compatible with many enterprise tools and technologies. Talend, Bonita Open Solution, Ehcache, Quartz, Docker, and Eclipse are all examples of enterprise tools that can be integrated into OpenXava applications. Regardless of your application development environment, OpenXava is a valuable tool for rapid web application development.
The OpenXava framework comes with predefined controllers, but it is also possible to create custom controllers. The JSP file should be placed in the web/xava/editors folder. The JSP editor should implement IFormatter, so that the value of a property can be converted to a string or object.
OpenXava offers many features that make it a compelling framework for Java applications. The low-code architecture of OpenXava makes it easy to create a mobile user interface using the same codebase. It also eliminates the need for Client-side technologies.
Vert.X
The Vert.X front-end in Java framework supports a variety of popular JVM languages including Java, Kotlin, Scala, Ruby, Ceylon, and more. Whether you are developing a simple or complex application, you’ll find that the Vert.x framework will fit your needs.
With this framework, you can build a HTTP server and a RESTFull web service. You’ll also be able to test your code using Vert.x unit tests. You can even package the library in an executable jar and deploy it to your application.
Getting started with Vert.x requires some time and effort on your part. Since this framework is so new, you’ll need to spend a considerable amount of time to learn the basics. There are very few resources on the web that offer training for all skill levels.
The code generated with this framework is often slower than that generated by threaded logic. For this reason, developers coming from the Node ecosystem may feel more comfortable with Vert.x than with Spring Boot.
The Eclipse Vert.x framework is a polyglot application framework that runs on the Java Virtual Machine and supports a variety of languages. This framework is maintained by the Eclipse Foundation, the company best known for the Eclipse IDE. It is one of the most popular open source frameworks, and supports a variety of programming languages.
The Vert.X framework includes the Verticle building block, which enables developers to write scalable and simple applications. Verticle is similar to an actor-based concurrency model. Each actor is a computation unit, and communicates with other actors through message passing.
