My Top Java Blogs of 2020

It has been more than 20 years since Java became a major player in the programming world. Since then, it has cemented its place as one of the most versatile programming languages in almost every field of programming; system, application, web apps and APIs are just a few of the areas in which Java has dominated.

As such, Java resources are not hard to come by. But with SO much available, how can you be sure that your reading and learning is both relevant to your interests and time well spent?

To streamline your search across 2020 these are some of my favourite Java blogs to bookmark.

Oracle Blog.

Oracle is quite possibly the most renowned name in the Java industry. A fully integrated and comprehensive stack of platform services and cloud applications, Oracle offers “The Java Source”; a blog where Java lovers can nerd out on the latest updates and insights on Java SE and Java OpenJDK.  

This blog offers learning opportunities through its extensive tutorials and a FAQ forum on the various Oracle Java SE releases.

Professionals can click through and sign up to receive ‘Java Magazine’; a free bi-monthly publication written exclusively by and for the Java community. 

InfoQ

InfoQ will not be of exclusive interest to Java developers. It is a 360 education for software developers, whatever your language preference.  

Looking a little more closely at the Java content though, Java professionals will not be disappointed.

The Java section includes presentations by top Java experts, as well as all the news and industry-insider opinions which can be applied to learning as well as work and professional development.  

This regularly updated content covers several topics including AI, ML, data engineering, architecture & design, program culture & methods, DevOps and more.

The InfoQ blog includes a multitude of other resources. Readers can enjoy all the latest news articles, podcasts, book reviews and a host of other content; all valuable to keen Java developers looking to learn and progress their careers.

Javaworld.

This highly informative Java blog is owned by IDG (International Data Group); one of the world’s leading media technology companies.

It is one of the leading Java blogs for learning resources, glossaries, the latest news and reviews related to tools & applications and much more.  

Graduates, newly certified professionals and job seekers can even use this blog as a tool to find the latest updates regarding Java as a career option.

There is also an option for peer to peer learning. Having a problem? Type your query into the help centre search box and wait for hints, tips and solutions from fellow professionals.

Javarevisited.

This extensive blog is created by Javin Paul; a passionate Java programmer and an avid technology blogger.   

Here, you can find detailed study materials on Java; including the programming basics, frameworks, design patterns, APIs, architectural styles, multithreading and OOPS concepts.  

There are also multiple learning opportunities. Readers are guided toward relevant java certifications, links to books and online courses from industry-leading platforms such as Udemy, Whizlabs, and Pluralsight.

Looking to move into Java Development? Job seekers are covered here too. The blog gives guidance on interview techniques as well as providing sample questions.  

Just one example includes a recent article detailing a comprehensive “roadmap” toward becoming a Java Developer. This roadmap is a journey encompassing all of Paul’s years of experience. It answers many burning questions including “What are the technologies a Java developer should learn?”, “what tools make you a better Java developer?” and “which framework a Java developer must learn”.

JOOQ Blog.

First and foremost, JOOQ or Java Object Oriented Querying is an SQL centric programming model in Java that allows writing SQL queries safely with a powerful API.

JOOQ is highly specialised. It is relational model-centric rather than domain-centric which is used in many of the ORMs,   

As such, this blog is an exhaustive library that contains highly specialized topics in Java and SQL. It includes how-to articles, step by step guides, tricks and topics as well as best practices in Java programming and more.   

 Adam Bien’s weblog.

Adam Bien’s position as a member of the Java elite is indisputable. He has received numerous accolades within the Java Community for his various achievements across the whole Java ecosystem; programming, community management and leadership are just some.

His weblog houses a massive amount of content. To date, he has penned more than 1500 articles on his weblog, covering many Java-related topics including Java testing, web sockets, Java EE7 micro-services, application servers and more. For every article written in his weblog, there is also a free, self-narrated video to accompany it.  

If you are looking for a Java blog written for developers by a pro who is specialised in enterprise software, you may not find a better Java resource than Adam Bien’s Weblog.

‘A Java Geek’ by Nicolas Frankel.

Nicolas Fr?nkel is a software architect who has proven his expertise in several Java technologies including internet applications, build processes, Java EE and Spring framework.

One of the most popular Java blogs for programmers who love the craft of programming, Nicolas Fr?nkel’s blog features in-depth program explanations, diagrams, log management and much more.

Topics within the ‘Java Geek’ blog are wide and far-reaching. Among the articles, readers can find material on topics such as JUnit vs TestNG, Kotlin and mutation testing and log management in Spring Boot, for example.

Experienced Java developers, in particular, may benefit from this blog. This is because Frankel steers away from an explanatory approach towards one of perspective and opinion through his writing in this blog.

If you enjoy this blog and want more from this Java heavyweight, Frankel has written some eminent and highly esteemed full-length publications. “Learning Vaadin 7” (two editions) and “Integration Testing from the Trenches” are two of his more notable books.

Vlad Mihalcea’s Blog.

Vlad Mihalcea is the CEO of Hypersistence, a company that provides expert-level training on database systems, high-performance data access, and enterprise software architectures. He is also a Java Champion, a JPA expert, and a top Hibernate ORM committer.

He is also an author, and has published a book entitled ‘High-Performance Java Persistence’.  

His blog is a little more focussed than the ones previously mentioned. Mihalcea is an expert in Java technologies, in particular, Hibernate.  

With this in mind, if you’re specifically looking for an in-depth guide on the Hibernate framework, you probably won’t find a better resource than this.  

Apart from the Hibernate Framework, this blog also discusses several other technologies such as Spring framework, JOOQ, and SQL. You can find logging JDBC statements, database integration tests, inheritance among the topics up for discussion more in his blog. 

‘Baeldung’ by Eugen.

The Baeldung blog is created by Eugen, an engineer with a great passion for web apps and tutoring. For example, “REST with Spring” is a course available through this blog which provides detailed training for java developers who work through a Spring 5 REST API implementation.  

There are, of course, other opportunities available. Another such example is “Learn Spring Security” where professionals can gain in-depth training on the security of a Java application.

Baeldung is one of the most popular Java blogs for programmers of different experience levels. Eugen caters for all professional levels with master, certification and coaching versions of this course available.  

On top of courses such as these, there is an extensive library full of informative articles covering the 360 java ecosystem, including HttpClient, Jackson-JSON, basic Java series and a roundup - Java weekly reviews.  

Baeldung’s weekly reviews are perfect for those who wish to receive reliable and relevant updates from the Java world straight to their inbox. Java lovers can make use of the Email subscription option in this blog. 

‘Thoughts on Java’ by Thorben Janssen.   

Akin to Vlad Mihalcea’s blog I mentioned earlier, “Thoughts on Java” is a blog specialised in the Hibernate framework in Java.  

In it, readers can find specialist articles, training & workshop opportunities, YouTube videos, as well as a host of tips and tricks on Hibernate. Again, the videos are narrated by Thorben himself.

No matter what your skill level on Hibernate and related technologies; this java blog can help you.  

Such a specialist blog can rarely cater for all levels of aptitude so efficiently, but Thoughts manages it. Whether you are an advanced professional, a developing intermediate or a novice beginner, this blog can explain complex concepts in Hibernate with absolute simplicity.

Once signed up to this blog, readers receive exclusive access to Printable Hibernate tips, Java cheat sheets, and downloadable eBooks.  

If you are particularly enthusiastic, (although perhaps more suited to advanced Java devs), Thorben Janssen is also known for his advanced level Java Books. “Hibernate Tips: More Than 70 Solutions to Common Hibernate Problems” is an example of such a book.

 ‘The Pragmatic Integrator’ by Pascal Alma.

Finally, to round off my favourite Java blogs, this is a popular and well-read Java blog from Alma, who is a Java developer with years of experience in developing scalable solutions. The blog is home to a catalogue of informative and authoritative articles on topics such as continuous integration, web services, cloud technologies, REST (Representational State Transfer) APIs, open-source ESBs (Enterprise Service Bus) and more.  

He is a passionate author on his subject and readers can see his enthusiasm for open-source tools stacks including JBoss, SOA, Mule, Spring framework, etc. from his articles. 

He deviates away from Java at times and explores development with a wider lens. Apart from Java frameworks, readers can explore topics related to Spark, Swift and Python for example.

 This rounds up my top java blogs you should bookmark in 2020.  

I hope that amongst my choices you can find a blog of value, whatever your skill level or specialism. I would love to hear from you with your Java blogs….perhaps I have missed one that you find particularly useful?

Are you a Java professional hoping to springboard your career in this new decade? I would love to help. Reach out to me today!