Hi, guys
I wanna be a backend developer and thought about Java to learn because it is more stable and secure, etc...
But some opinions say that Java is dying and not able to compete with C# or NodeJS (I know NodeJS serves in small-scale projects), but I mean it is not updated like them.
On the other hand, when I search on platforms like LinkedIn, or indeed, they require 5+ years of experience, for example, and no more chance for another juniors

Does anyone know where the future directions of Java 27, 28, etc. are? Firstly, personally, I think there are several major pain points for Java at present:

1. The memory usage is too high.

2. Has Java died as a UI framework? Is the development of Swing and Java FX related to the Java memory model? The excessive memory usage is a big problem.

3. In terms of usability, in a nutshell, it is too cumbersome (this can be accepted for the sake of rigor). In contrast, modern languages such as Python, Swift, etc. have more comfortable syntax. JS is even worse.

4. It's about performance. Now, Go and Rust pose a significant threat to Java. Who knows the direction that Java will focus on for iteration and optimization in the future? It seems that from Java 8 to Java 25, there were only two major revolutionary features: virtual threads and Project Panama FFM. Even the highly used string template was not resolved... This is not a criticism of the Java development team. It's just that we expect Java to quickly solve the areas that have lagged far behind. Otherwise, facing Python, Go, Rust, etc., which have lagged far behind, people will gradually use other languages to solve problems. This is not an exaggeration. If in 2026 or later, there are libraries like Spring in Go or Rust, we might also try to develop using other languages. After all, the attractiveness of being lightweight is too high.

Java really has excessive memory usage! Excessive memory usage! Excessive memory usage! This problem really needs to be focused on and solved.

It’s January 2026, and Java feels simultaneously more modern and more conservative than ever.

On one hand, we have records, pattern matching, virtual threads, structured concurrency, better GC ergonomics, and a language that is objectively safer and more expressive than it was even five years ago. On the other hand, a huge portion of production Java still looks and feels like it was written in 2012, not because the platform can’t evolve, but because teams are afraid to.

It feels like Java’s biggest bottleneck is no longer the language or the JVM, but organizational risk tolerance. Features arrive, stabilize, and prove themselves, yet many teams intentionally avoid them in favor of “known” patterns, even when those patterns add complexity, boilerplate, and cognitive load. Virtual threads are a good example. They meaningfully change how we can think about concurrency, yet many shops are still bending over backwards with reactive frameworks to solve problems the platform now handles directly.

So I’m curious how others see this. Is Java’s future about continued incremental language improvements, or about a cultural shift in how we adopt them? At what point does “boring and stable” turn into self-imposed stagnation? And if Java is no longer trying to be trendy, what does success actually look like for the ecosystem over the next decade?

Genuinely interested in perspectives from people shipping real systems, not just reading JEPs.

you are not alone, you know. who you are and who you are to become will always be with you. ~Q

Hi everyone,

I am a newbie in Java. These days I see a lot of young engineers and cracked peoples are there learning Fullstack development mostly in JavaScript with React and Node.js, Express, etc. They mostly focus on creating SaaS applications to build their next million-dollar company. But what about Java used by big MNCs. Whats the future of Java, is it still relevant upcoming years? Is it Good to go with as a fresher to get a good Job?

Guide me a little. Thank You.

First off, I'm admittedly a Java fanboy, although I did some little programming in PhP, Javascript, and Python, and looked at a bunch of others, I really cannot see languages the way I do Java. From the syntax, to the libraries, I love every little thing about this language, that I tell my friends things like: "Programmers want to write programs, I want to write Java programs" and "If it can't be written in Java, it's probably not worth writing". My ears are deaf to all the debate about: "oh you have to be flexible, and know x and y".
But then ever since I started reading, I've been hit with Oracle's reputation.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but here's what I think Java's (slight) fall from grace, played out:

1. Java reigned supreme in the browser, esp, after the dust of the dot com bubble settled.

2. Someone found a vulnerability (or two?) in applets (around 2009?) that affected the ton of sites that ran Java.

3. Google, which had been pushing hard to become from a search engine, a browser, disabled Java by default in Chrome...and you know, given the "power of default", programmers pivoted to Javascript, because it was disruptive to have average people download an updated Java + enable it.

4. Oracle, being as litigious as ever, wanted to get back at Google, by removing some internal code Android required from Java, making support for Java 9 not possible (although Java 9+ can be used, with some features not being available).

5. Oracle then sued Google claiming they should've paid them for using Java in Android.

6. Google won the case, and pushed Kotlin and Flutter as the primary means of writing Android programs.

Now, resources; books, tutorials, never use Java for Android programming, and other languages developed frameworks, servers, etc. that ate (a chunk of) Java's lunch.

After most major/seminal books in the field used to use Java for example codes, newer books and editions of said books switched to different languages. (e.g. Martin Fowler's Refactoring comes to mind: Java -> Javascript).

Between 2000, and 2010, authors of major libraries:

- Kent Beck, author of xUnit (originally in SmallTalk).
- Doug Cutting, author of Lucene, which gave birth to elastic search, and inspired other IR libraries...plus pretty much all of Apache Software, were automatically either written in or translated to Java.

Meanwhile now, while efforts of developers of the JDK, and the countless major Java frameworks, can't be dismissed by any means, the community just sounds ...quiet. Even here, Java-related sub-reddits are pretty inactive compared to dotnet/python subreddits.

So, senior devs of the early 2000s, curious to know what your thoughts on Java's journey so far, and possibly its future?

I'm not asking like is java going to die or will Java be relevant in future. I'm just curious to know about the future of java. What are the upcoming things coming in java that can change the future of it.

I।kinda new coder

To be clear I have never tried using Java at all and honestly I am just learning Python so my programming experience isn't much at all. This question came up because my instructor said that Java is becoming obsolete that is why he went into C# and C++, but we overheard that they will still be teaching us Java in our second year so what gives? Is his statement just pure personal opinion or does he have a reason for that?

It's been 8 years in a row and I've repeatedly come across statements like "Java is digging its grave" here and there. Some surveys show it's on the decline in popularity, but that curve just fluctuates. I believe Java is heavily shoved into enterprise but what about newer projects? Is it still favored over other cool stacks around?

What planned features of the Java language or the JVM do you consider as most exciting (or most useful)?

To the risk of asking something that has been asked every year since Java got released, do you believe Java is still the best/ good at anything in 2022-2023?

Since so many technologies and programming languages tend to outclass it one way or another I was wondering just out of curiostity how many of y'all would choose it for a new project (so excluding working on legacy code that has been written in Java)

I m gonna need 2 more years to finish Uni and I would love to work in Java backend with something like Spring Boot, I would also be happy to swap Java for Kotlin. Could someone in the industry reassure me that Java/Kotlin has a future in Web ? Not only in 2 years when I will first apply for a Job but also in the coming decade. I really despise JS and NodeJS so I don't want to start learning and building a portfolio in backend just to end up working with something I do not enjoy.

Hi, I am planning to get ocp java se 17, my class mate are saying that java is a old language and there is no point learning this language, could someone advise me on this?

With 2025 coming to a close, let's summarize Java's year and look at the current state of the six big OpenJDK projects as well as a few other highlights: Project Babylon is still pretty young and hasn't shipped a feature or even drafted a JEP yet. Leyden, not much older, has already shipped a bunch of startup and warmup time improvements, though. Amber is currently taking a breather between its phases 1 and 2 and just like projects Panama and Loom only has a single, mature feature in the fire. And then there's Project Valhalla...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n9PqIUObLA

After years (decades?) we’re starting to see exciting projects like Loom, Panama, Valhalla,Amber land as JEPs. These will all still take some iterations to be complete, but they are now very real.

My question is, what do the next generation of JDK projects look like?

Hi all, not sure if this is in the right place if it’s more career guidance I can shift it.

Mods feel free to remove.

Anyway I started a Computing and IT degree with the OU a while back, completed the first 3 modules which included basic python, amongst a plethora of other areas, currently doing two modules side by side the last 1st year module which is concluding with AI and robotics and is mostly python a little more in depth and my first 2nd year module is OOP with Java which I’m enjoying thus far.

I originally wanted to get into web design/dev but the more I’m doing with Java I’m shifting interests. I’ve always been a problem solver so this is drawing me in.

Looking forward as I’m 31 and basically starting over (career switching) would I be better off aiming for a career path involving Java? Web dev is a highly saturated area currently and whilst I’m doing my uni work I’ve sort of left it behind a little.

Any input is appreciated obviously still in the throes of deciding ultimately but I need to plan ahead and get some projects underway.

Cheers all.

Edit: For clarity I know a fair bit of html/css and a little JavaScript for basic sites. Started University studies and have thus far learnt a little Python and the past several months on OOP with Java.

For Uni we’re going through the book: Objects first Java Using BlueJ. Im supplementing areas not covered as much with Head first Java.

Edit No 2: Appreciate all the comments, I didn’t expect quite so much input - it’s all appreciated.

The more I get stuck in I guess will give me an indication of what I want to do going forward but so far really enjoying the learning process (even if it occasionally feels like hitting my head against a brick wall until something clicks). Will definitely look into gainful employment once I’m at a decent level.