Top 10 best Java IDEs for 2024

What makes a good Java IDE?#

An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) bundles all the tools you need to write, debug, and test your code. An IDE allows developers to work in a single environment and improve their programming workflow. Each IDE has different resources, but they all include a text editor, build tools, and a debugger.

When deciding on a Java IDE, it’s important to first determine what you need out of it to ensure that it has the essential tools for your needs. No matter your experience level, there’s an ideal Java IDE for you.

Essential Java IDE tools#

• Debugging: While debuggers vary among different IDEs, it’s important to have a tool to highlight potential errors and help you step through your code.
• Syntax highlighting: Built-in highlighting is crucial for readability and efficiency. This tool can help you find errors in your code and allows you to sift through your code at a quicker speed.
• Build automation: A good IDE will allow you to write and run your Java code in the same window, increasing the productivity and efficiency of your program.
• Code completion: This tool identifies and inserts code components to save you time and lower the risk of typos and bugs.
• Graphical User Interface (GUI): An effective GUI enables an intuitive programming interface.

Eclipse#

Eclipse is one of the most popular Java IDEs on the market. It’s free, open-source, and has an extensive plugin ecosystem that allows users to customize functionalities for application development.

The Eclipse IDE comes in both desktop and cloud editions, with the cloud edition allowing developers to code in a web browser.

Eclipse is a top choice because of its development tools. Eclipse offers the Eclipse Marketplace that contains a variety of plugins available for download, along with a Plugin Development Environment that allows developers to create their own features.

Eclipse supports over 100 programming languages, including JavaScript, Groovy, and Scala, and it has a robust set of modeling, charting, and testing tools. Eclipse also supports the popular Java build tools Maven and Gradle.

NetBeans#

Apache NetBeans is the official IDE for Java 8, making it a top Java IDE for creating desktop, mobile, and web applications. NetBeans is open-source and is used to develop desktop, web, and mobile applications along with HTML5 and C++.

With NetBeans, it’s easy to customize software applications because it highlights Java code syntactically and semantically.

With powerful refactoring and debugging tools, NetBeans helps increase accuracy and efficiency. Developers mainly use NetBeans for Java, but it has extensions that allow you to work in other programming languages, such as C, C++, and JavaScript.

IntelliJ IDEA#

IntelliJ is one of the best IDEs for Java development. It’s a capable and ergonomic IDE, with features to boost productivity without cluttering the user interface. It includes a set of tools that make programming easier, like smart completion, cross-language refactoring, data flow analysis, and language injection.

IntelliJ is available in two editions: the Apache 2 licensed community edition and the proprietary ultimate edition. The community edition is free and open-source, with a focus on Android and Java Virtual Machine (JVM) development. The ultimate edition is paid, with a focus on web and enterprise development.

BlueJ#

BlueJ was originally created for educational content but is now used on a smaller scale for software development. While BlueJ is a great Java IDE for beginners, many Java veterans opt to use BlueJ because of its interactive and clutter-free user interface.

BlueJ allows for simple interaction with objects and has a strong editor that helps developers scan their code visually and create dynamic objects. BlueJ is an innovative Java IDE with unique features that many others lack, such as scope coloring, code pads, and object benches. BlueJ is portable and supports various operating systems.

Oracle JDeveloper#

JDeveloper is a freeware IDE offered by Oracle. It includes features for application development in Java, PHP, SQL, XML, HTML, and JavaScript. JDeveloper covers the entire development lifecycle: coding, designing, debugging, optimizing, profiling, and deploying.

It integrates with the Oracle Application Development Framework (Oracle ADF) to simplify development.

JDeveloper offers visual and declarative editors and enables developers to directly edit their applications from the coding environment. JDeveloper has a drag-and-drop feature that simplifies application development. It also supports Java EE and Java SE.

MyEclipse#

MyEclipse is a proprietary Java IDE that is built upon the Eclipse platform. It uses both proprietary and open-source code in the development environment, and its tools can be used for Java application development and web development. MyEclipse offers support for Angular, HTML, TypeScript, and JavaScript.

It also supports database and application server connectors and has enhanced support for Maven and Spring. MyEclipse helps build powerful frontends and backends.

Greenfoot#

Greenfoot was designed with an educational intent to make Java programming simpler and more enjoyable for young developers. Greenfoot uses two-dimensional graphics to create interactive programs, games, and simulations.

This IDE attracts the attention of teachers and students and provides a platform for them to interact online. Greenfoot offers free access to sounds and animations and illustrates concepts such as object-oriented programming, object interactions, and parameters.

jGRASP#

jGRASP is a lightweight Java IDE that automatically produces software visualizations. It was developed in Java, so it is platform-independent and runs on all platforms with JVM. jGRASP offers a workbench, an integrated debugger, and UML class diagrams.

jGRASP can produce static software visualizations of source code and visualizations of data structures at runtime. It can even produce Control Structure Diagrams for other programming languages like Python, C++, Objective-C, and Ada.

This lightweight IDE configures with most free and commercial compilers for different programming languages.

JCreator#

JCreator is a powerful and lightweight Java IDE written in C++, which makes it faster than other Java IDEs. It has an interface similar to that of Microsoft’s Visual Studio making source code navigation easier. JCreator can handle various JDK profiles for multiple projects and offers strong API guidelines for developers.

It’s a great option for beginners because of its intuitive user interface. It provides features like project templates, code completion, syntax highlighting, and wizards. It allows developers to directly compile or run their Java code without triggering the main document. JCreator is offered in a Pro Edition and a LE Edition.

DrJava#

DrJava is a lightweight IDE that was developed for beginners and students. Although it’s not as powerful as some of the other IDEs on this list, it has a clutter-free interface and a consistent appearance on different platforms.

DrJava allows developers to interactively evaluate their code from a console and present their outputs in the same console. It helps developers with features like find/replace, auto-completion, automatic indentation, commenting, and syntax coloring. It even integrates into Eclipse via a plugin.

Next steps for your learning#

Now that you can pick your ideal Java IDE, you can start coding! The best way to practice is through hands-on tutorials and projects. If you’re new to Java, some good things to learn are:

• Object-oriented programming with Java
• Java conditional statements
• Printing with Java
• And more

To help you develop your Java skills fast, check out Educative’s Learning Path Java for Programmers. This curated Learning Path is perfect for you if you already have some experience programming, but you’re new to Java. It will help you become a strong Java developer with valuable skills that will prepare you for employment.

Happy learning!