Java Web Application Development

Java

Java EE / Jakarta EE (Java EE 9+) is the java specification for developing web applications and services. Currently, all CLASSE productaion application servers are running Java 11.

• "The case for Java EE" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slEqCW9Rf5c
• Java EE 8 API https://javaee.github.io/javaee-spec/javadocs/
• Java SE 11 API https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/11/docs/api/
• Create a Jakarta EE 8 Web Application with Payara Server and NetBeans https://blog.payara.fish/create-a-jakarta-ee-8-web-application-with-payara-server-and-netbeans
• Java EE Tutorial https://javaee.github.io/tutorial/
• Java EE 8 works with Java SE 11

Java Server Faces (JSF) is the initial java specification for web-based user interfaces, but is now considered somewhat dated. However, its age also means that many answeres to questions and examples can be found online.

If you use JSF it is highly recommended that you implement the JSF libraries PrimeFaces (UI component library) and OmniFaces (utility library).

Other options for UI libraries are Angular and React. Primefaces has UI component libraries that will make it easier to integrate these libraries into your application.

Apache NetBeans IDE

Netbeans is our recommended IDE, and allows you to develop and test Java EE applications with a local Payara server. Please see ApacheNetBeans for more information.

Gradle

We recommend using Gradle (installed with netbeans) for building your applications and managing dependencies. Information on updating to Java 11 are at https://docs.gradle.org/current/userguide/toolchains.html

Maven is another popular option. The big difference between the two is that Maven requires editing XML files while Gradle's syntax is similar to JSON.

Payara

Payara is the java application server used to deploy java applications. Please see PayaraServer for more information.

MySQL / MariaDB

CLASSE supports central MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB servers, but in most cases MariaDB is selected. Please see DatabaseSupport for more information.

For development, you may choose to install a local Maria DB server on your devopment computer. Note that to connect to the central CLASSE database servers from offsite, you will need to first connect to the ClasseVPN.

GitLab

We recommend using GitLab for version control, issue tracking, and continuous integration for automated testing of your applications and deployment from the test to the production environment. Please see GitLab for more information.