Designing stunning user interfaces for your Java applications is easier than ever with these high-level GUI frameworks. Discover the best options and take your UI design to the next level.
Java continues to be one of the most popular programming languages on the market. There are many reasons for this, such as its use in the Android operating system, as well as in traditional desktop applications, games, scientific applications, big data, AI, IoT, web applications, and mobile applications. Once you decide to use the Java programming language, you will need to choose which Java graphical user interface (GUI) framework is best suited for your project.
Fortunately, Java does not suffer from a lack of frameworks. And by employing a GUI framework, you empower your teams to not only build better applications, but also build them faster and more reliably.
But what is a GUI framework? Simply put, this type of framework is a collection of libraries that include graphical control elements used for building application GUIs. In other words, if your goal is to build a GUI application, a GUI framework will include several widgets and other UI elements that make such applications considerably easier to create. Your developers won't have to reinvent the wheel for every menu, button, control element, or window they need to build.
These pre-built elements can be put together in countless ways to create the exact GUI needed for your Java application. These frameworks save Java developers time and money and help their teams build reliable and repeatable server, mobile, IoT, and desktop applications.
Without employing these GUI frameworks, your developers will have to write code for each part of the application. With them, they can use and reuse different bits to save considerable time and effort.
As the programming language is so widely used, there are a number of Java development companies available you can hire to carry out the work.
Why Choosing the Right Java GUI Framework Matters
A skilled development team can build all the components to make an app work and be viable for your business or the masses. This same team could probably develop a world-class application with a brilliant GUI suitable for any type of user or use case.
But why would you want them to build every part of that app? Think of it this way: what if your company built cars? You can create the tools and machinery needed to build each part of that car, or you can use a third-party service that creates smaller parts like servos, mirrors, windshields, pipes, wires, and tires. This would not only reduce the cost of your automobile, but it would also make the manufacturing process exponentially faster and more reliable. This is what GUI frameworks can do for your development process.
But it's not just about making things cheaper and faster. Java GUI frameworks include code that has been fully verified and tested. The Java code included in the frameworks works exactly as expected, so there are no surprises. This equates to less debugging, which in turn saves even more money. You'll launch your Java applications faster and those who use them will have fewer problems.
This, in turn, can go a long way toward solidifying your brand. When consumers can trust your software, word will spread and you will see your company's reputation grow exponentially.
On top of all this, using the best Java frameworks makes it easier for your teams to successfully deliver a product they are proud of, which will increase their confidence. Everything will run more smoothly. Your teams will be able to iterate each new project faster and more reliably.
Things to Consider When Choosing Java GUI Frameworks
Each company will have different considerations to keep in mind when selecting a Java GUI framework to create rich components. Depending on your industry, one or more of these things should be discussed during the initial phase of product development:
- The end product: Are you creating an Android app, a desktop app, a web app, an IoT app, or a hybrid app that will be used across multiple platforms? This should be one of the first considerations before starting the selection process for your GUI framework. After all, mobile apps have different requirements than web apps and so on.
- API: Will your application need to communicate with one or more APIs? In this case, you will need to ensure that the framework you choose can communicate with the API (if necessary). What are the API requirements and do these APIs have additional requirements that must be integrated into the application?
- Operating system considerations: What operating systems will your developers use, and are the frameworks you are considering available for any/all of these platforms?
- Open source: Does your project require the use of open source frameworks? If you are releasing your Java applications under a proprietary license, are you legally allowed to use the open source framework in conjunction with your closed source code?
- REST or not: Will your application require the use of RESTful APIs to use HTTP requests to access and use data? In this case, you will need to choose a framework that works with RESTful APIs.
Now that you understand what Java GUI frameworks are (and the considerations to keep in mind when making your choice), let's take a look at some of the best frameworks to choose from for building Java GUI programs and rich user interfaces.
Top 6 Java Frameworks for GUI and UI
The following Java frameworks can help your teams create GUI components and applications quickly and reliably. With less boilerplate code to write and fewer functions to create, the end result will benefit from the approved and tested code included and will require much less debugging.
Spring
Primavera is one of the oldest Java frameworks. It is also one of the most popular Java frameworks. Spring includes several modules and libraries that make project development considerably easier and also includes security features such as advanced validation and authentication.
Spring was originally created in 2002 and initially released under the Apache 2.0 license in June 2003. This framework was developed to be fast and easy to use and to increase the productivity levels of software developers, but the platform remains equally suitable for projects minors.
The list of Spring modules includes the following:
- Spring Core Container: Provides Spring containers (BeanFactory and ApplicationContext)
- Aspect-oriented programming: provides for the implementation of cross-cutting concerns
- Authentication and authorization: Provides configurable security processes
- Convention over Configuration: Rapid Application Development Solution
- Data Access: Provides the ability to work with relational databases
- Control Container Inversion: Provides application component configuration and lifecycle management of Java objects
- Messages: Provides declarative registration of message listener objects
- Model–view–controller: Provides hooks for extension and customization for web applications and RESTful web services
- Remote Access Framework: Provides declarative remote procedure calling of Java objects over networks
- Transaction Management: Provides unification of multiple transaction management APIs and transaction coordination for Java objects
- Remote Management: Provides declarative exposure and management of Java objects for local or remote configuration
- Testing: Provides classes for writing unit and integration tests
Key Features // Product Highlights
- Light
- Rapid development/delivery
- Loose coupling
- Works well with ML and AI
- Good split testing functionality
| PROS | CONS |
| Suitable for ML and AI | Very steep learning curve |
| Light | Parallel engines can lead to confusion and delays |
| Flexible | No guidelines |
| Portable | Lots of XML required |
| Spring has been discontinued but is still in use |
To play
Play is an open-source Java framework built specifically for web application development. Licensed under the Apache 2.0 license, this framework is a little easier to use than Spring and only requires a web browser and a text editor to work.
Play offers several plugins and is capable of integration with NoSQL databases. Hence, it is an ideal framework for mobile app development. This does not mean, however, that Play is limited to Android or iOS applications. In fact, Play is useful for virtually any type of Java GUI application, even those that must work at scale.
Play was originally released in 2007 by Lightbend and Zengularity to follow the Model-View-Controller architectural pattern. Written in Scala, the framework can be used with several programming languages.
Key Features // Product Highlights
- Optimizes developer productivity using convention instead of configuration
- Hot code reload
- Browser error display for easy debugging
- No configuration required
- Supports RESTful architecture
- Supports multiple IDEs
| PROS | CONS |
| Great option for building web applications with Java and Scala | Can be volatile |
| Facilitates the evolution of your application over time | It may take a considerable amount of time to get started |
| Easy to learn | Whenever you do I/O (make a remote service call, process a client request, etc.), Play maintains a thread |
| Use only the components you need | Customizing modules and functions can be challenging |
Grails
Grails is an open source framework (licensed under Apache 2.0), based on Groovy, which uses the Java Virtual Machine to create web applications. Grails is based on Spring Boot, which means developers have access to a wide range of features. And thanks to some very efficient API calls, Grails is a great option for building RESTful web applications.
Grails was initially developed by Graeme Rocher in October 2005 and was intended to be a framework aimed at high productivity, hiding configuration details from the programmer (following the “coding by convention” paradigm). Grails was originally known as “Groovy on Rails”, but in March 2006 this name was dropped following a request from the founder of Ruby on Rails.
Key Features // Product Highlights
- Great option for developers who prefer Groovy to Java
- Includes simple object mapping
- Code can be reused in Grails applications with the help of an easy-to-use plugin
- Documentation for the persistent framework
- Templates using Groovy Server Pages (GSP)
- Dynamic tag libraries for creating web components
- Customizable and extensible Ajax support
- Smooth integration with Java
| PROS | CONS |
| Rapid development | Must handle runtime language |
| Extensible through plugins | Multithreaded application development can be challenging |
| Clean architecture | Must learn Groovy coding |
| Works with GORM but no other ORMs |
Hibernate
Hibernate is a Java framework used by several large companies for user verification and access. It is also one of the most popular open source Java frameworks on the market.
Hibernate offers many advanced security features for managing data in a secure environment. It works with relational databases and avoids several vulnerabilities associated with misuse of data.
Hibernate was developed by Red Hat and initially released on May 23, 2001, and provides a framework for mapping an object-oriented domain model to a relational database. Hibernate is open source (GNU Lesser General Public License 2.1) and features mapping of Java classes to database tables.
Key Features // Product Highlights
- Portable
- Promotes high productivity
- Projects are easy to maintain
- Avoid code repetition
- Light
- Very fast performance
- Database independent queries
- Automatic database table creation
- Simplifies database joins
- Provides query statistics and database status
| PROS | CONS |
| Object-oriented interface | Performance may be suboptimal on complex databases |
| Supports subtypes | Requires manual optimization |
| Java Persistence Provider | Steep learning curve |
| Scalable | Database must be optimized |
Faces of Jakarta
Jakarta Faces (formerly known as JavaServer Faces or JSF) is a framework that specializes in helping you create modern user interfaces. JSF includes several UI components that can be used in a variety of ways and connected to client events and data. The main function of JSF is to create front-end applications that work seamlessly with back-end services.
JSF was originally developed by Eclipse and released in 2001. Written in Java, the JSF API (known as Moonwalk) is an application framework for creating web-based user interfaces. Eventually, Faceletes became the official JSF preview technology in version 2.0, which eliminates lifecycle conflicts that caused Java developers to use complicated (and unreliable) workarounds.
Key Features // Product Highlights
- Extensive UI component libraries
- Minimum coding required
- ManagedExecutorService is used to create thread pools in the Jakarta EE environment to generate threads in a more manageable way
- MVC framework
- State management
- Event handling
- Input validation
- Page navigation
- Support for internationalization and accessibility
| PROS | CONS |
| Component-based framework | Steep learning curve |
| Powerful APIs | Requires solid knowledge of HTML/CSS/JavaScript |
| Integrates well with other Java technologies | Does not work well with REST |
| open code | There is no easy way to comment the incorrect fragment of the page |
Google Web Toolkit
The Google Web Toolkit (GWT) framework is very popular among developers looking to build highly complex web applications. GWT translates Java into usable JavaScript, so developers don't need to know both Java and JavaScript. And since it's supported by Google, you know it'll be around for a long time.
GWT was originally released in 2006 and focused on a reusable approach to web development tasks such as asynchronous remote procedure calls, history management, bookmarking, UI abstraction, internationalization, and cross-browser. portability .
Key Features // Product Highlights
- open code
- Provides a single code base for client and server
- Only requires knowledge of Java programming
- Easily integrates with other Java tools
- Manage browser history
- Provides dynamic and reusable UI components
- Includes many libraries to simplify development
| PROS | CONS |
| If you know Java, you're ready | Numerous versions available which can be confusing |
| Create highly responsive UIs | Few educational resources |
| Supported by several IDEs | Compiling Java to JavaScript is slow |
| Built-in debugging | |
| Built-in protocol for transferring data between client and server |
The right Java framework for a rich GUI
The right Java GUI framework will go a long way in making your in-house or outsourced Java programming team's work considerably easier and help you create robust graphical user interfaces. Instead of reinventing the wheel every time, they can use and reuse code from multiple libraries so there will be less need for debugging, saving time and money.
When choosing the best Java GUI framework for your project, make sure your development teams know how to follow Java best practices to make the most of the language and framework.
If you liked this, be sure to check out one of our other Java articles:
- 6 Best Java GUI Frameworks
- 8 Best Java IDEs and Text Editors
- 7 Best Java Machine Learning Libraries
- C# x Java: main differences explained
Source: BairesDev
