Home

Learning Hub

Articles

Features of Java Programming Language You Must Know

Java is one of the most commonly used programming languages because it is reliable and easy to use. It runs on any device with a Java Virtual Machine (JVM), hence its high versatility. Whether for mobile apps or large-scale systems, Java’s cross-platform compatibility has made it a favourite among developers for many years.

In this blog post, we will look at some of the main characteristics that make it so popular. From how straightforward and secure it is to how well it performs and its multithreading capacity, everything you should know about why Java remains developers’ top choice will be covered here.

Why is Java so Popular?

Several important factors have made Java very popular. Some of these reasons include:

• Cross-Platform Compatibility: This means you can write your code once and run it on any device with JVM.
• Object-Oriented Programming: Java promotes a clear structure in programs, thus making application management and scaling much simpler.
• Robustness and Security: The fact that there are error-handling mechanisms built into the language makes Java a safe bet for mission criticality.
• Huge Community Support: There are libraries, frameworks, and tools for enhancing Java development, provided by a large number of active developers.
• High Performance: The use of Just-In-Time (JIT) compilers enables Java to achieve high speeds hence suitable for demanding applications.

Features of Java Programming Language You Must Know

Java has several remarkable features which make it one of the preferred languages amongst developers worldwide. These features not only simplify the development process but also enhance the performance and security of applications. Some essential aspects of Java are explained below.

Simplicity

Java was designed to be simple enough for beginners to learn. Those who know C or C++ easily get started with it. The syntax used in this language is clean compared with others, making writing code easier as well as reading it later. It does not have advanced features like explicit pointers or overloaded operators found in other languages.

Key points that make Java simple:

• Familiar Syntax: Developers coming from other languages like C or C++ can quickly adapt to Java.
• No Complex Features: Java omits confusing features like pointers, reducing the chances of errors.
• Automated Memory Management: The built-in garbage collector automatically handles memory, freeing up developers to focus on core logic.

Here’s a basic example of a simple Java program:

Output:

This simple program prints “Hello, World!” to the console, demonstrating how easy it is to get started with Java.

Object-Oriented

Java is an object-oriented programming language at its core, which means that it centres software design around data, or objects, rather than functions and logic. This approach makes the code modular, flexible and easy to maintain.

Major Aspects of Java’s Object-Oriented Nature:

• Classes and Objects: This allows defining ‘classes’ and ‘objects’, encapsulating data and behaviour.
• Inheritance: When creating new classes from existing ones to share code, Java enables this by supporting inheritance.
• Polymorphism: Java enables objects to be treated as instances of their parent class, enhancing flexibility and integration.
• Encapsulation: By bundling the data (variables) and methods that operate on the same data into a single unit or class, Java promotes better control and security of the data.

Here’s a simple example demonstrating object-oriented programming in Java:

Output:

This example shows how inheritance and polymorphism work in Java, with the Dog class inheriting from the Animal class.

Portable

One notable aspect of Java is its portability. Irrespective of the operating system or hardware underneath it, a Java application runs using a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) installed on any device. For developers who have to deploy apps across multiple platforms, this feature offers a great advantage called “write once run anywhere”.

How to Make Java Portable:

• Compilation into Bytecode: In Java, your code is compiled into bytecode that can be executed on any JVM irrespective of platform differences.
• Uniform Execution Environment: The JVM ensures that whatever platform you use your Java program behaves uniformly.
• Hardware Independence: Java abstracts the underlying hardware, making the code portable across various devices.

Platform Independent

Java’s platform independence is closely related to its portability. The language is designed to run on any platform that has a JVM, eliminating the need for platform-specific adjustments.

Java’s Platform Independence Essentials:

• Java Virtual Machine (JVM): The JVM allows the execution of Java byte code in any environment, irrespective of its nature.
• Standard Libraries: Java has a rich set of standard libraries which are consistent across different platforms thereby promoting cross-platform development.
• Uniform Behaviour: Because it runs on multiple platforms, Java guarantees that your application will always behave in the same way.

Platform Independence not only saves time during development but also eases maintenance burdens across various environments.

Secured

Security is a major concern when developing modern applications and thus, Java is built with security components in place. As it comes with several layers of security features, the language can be utilised for building secure applications ranging from small web apps to large enterprise-scale systems.

How Java ensures security:

• Bytecode Verification: Java’s compiler checks the code for illegal code that could violate access rights to objects.
• Security Manager: Applications can define specific policies through the security manager which determines what resources can be accessed by a given class.
• Automatic Memory Management: For example, an automatic garbage collector used in Java helps to prevent common security issues like memory leaks and buffer overflows.

As an example, malicious code cannot perform unauthorised operations if a local file system or network access is restricted by Java’s security manager. This makes it an ideal choice for sensitive environments where secure applications need to be developed.

Robust

Java is a robust programming language, built to be reliable and able to handle a broad range of situations. The language achieves this through the inclusion of various inbuilt components that not only allow for error-resistant code but also make maintenance easier.

Major factors contributing to Java’s strength:

• Strong Memory Management: Garbage collection automatically allocates and deallocates memory, thus reducing the chances of memory leaks.
• Exception Handling: This makes it easy to catch errors where they occur during program execution.
• Type Checking: For instance, Java checks all variables at run time as well as compile time so that potential mistakes can be spotted early enough.

Here’s an example of exception handling in Java:

In this example, the program catches an ArithmeticException and prevents the application from crashing, demonstrating Java’s robust error-handling capabilities.

Output:

Architecture Neutral

The architecture-neutral attribute helps in ensuring that compiled code runs on any platform unchanged. However, while this is closely linked with the platform independence and portability of Java, it pertains to how Java maintains consistent behaviour across various hardware architectures.

Why Java is architecture-neutral:

• Bytecode: Any processor or operating system can execute Java codes since they are written as byte codes which do not belong to any specific processor.
• Independence from Underlying Architecture: Flexibility and versatility are inherent characteristics of Java programs due to the lack of ties between these programs and any particular hardware.

This kind of architecture neutrality is essential for developers who want their applications deployed across different hardware without worrying about some peculiarities of platforms.

Interpreted

Java is an interpreted language implying that a JVM (Java Virtual Machine) executes its code instead of being compiled into machine instructions directly. This makes it highly flexible and adaptable since it can work on every device which has JVM.

Benefits of Java being interpreted:

• Platform Independence: The JVM interprets Java bytecode. This makes it possible to run Java applications on any platform without modification.
• Dynamic Linking: Dynamic linking is supported by Java, which loads classes when needed during runtime, hence reducing memory utilisation.
• Ease of Debugging: The interpretation of the code allows easy detection and correction of errors in real time, making debugging a simple process.

High Performance

Java is famous for its high performance, which is achieved by several essential characteristics optimising the execution of Java programs. However, despite being an interpreted language, the Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler influences the performance of Java.

How Java achieves high performance:

• Just In Time Compiler (JIT): JIT compiles Java bytecodes into native machine codes at runtime, improving speed dramatically.
• Efficient Memory Management: By efficiently managing memory and thus minimising overhead on memory allocation and deallocation, Java garbage collector reduces this overhead cost.
• Optimised Libraries: The standard libraries of Java are heavily optimised to give efficient implementations of common functions and data structures.

For instance, in Java, the JIT compiler dynamically compiles the most used code into native machine code that allows for faster execution. This is very useful in long-running applications where over time, the JIT compiler can optimise the code.

Multithreading

Java supports multithreading, thereby permitting concurrent running threads within a single program. For example, multitasking applications like those handling user input, data processing and updates on a user interface can be developed using this capability.

Advantages of multithreading in Java include:

• Improved Performance: Using multiple threads in parallel enables Java to utilise system resources efficiently, hence better application performance.
• Easy Development: Building concurrent applications becomes easier because multithreading is already supported in Java as a built-in feature.
• Responsive Applications: Multithreading allows Java applications to remain responsive, even when performing complex tasks.

Here’s an example of a simple multithreaded program in Java:

In this example, multiple threads are created and run concurrently, demonstrating how Java handles multithreading.

Output:

Therefore, features found within the Java programming language make it a leading choice among developers globally. Its ease of use with object-oriented architecture and platform independence makes it flexible enough for building large-scale applications. Additionally, high performance, robust security measures, and multithreading capabilities all contribute to making Java one of the best languages developers may utilise for various types of projects.

Furthermore, based on its portability, architecture-neutral design, and interpreted nature Java can run seamlessly on different platforms and devices. These characteristics coupled with Java’s dynamic abilities and distributed nature ensure that it remains a favourite in today’s rapidly changing technological landscape. Java provides everything you need to create successful applications regardless of your level of experience.