One of the types of software that’s important for a web developer is the web framework. A framework “is a code library that makes a developer’s life easier when building reliable, scalable, and maintainable web applications” by providing reusable code or extensions for common operations. By saving development time, developers can concentrate on application logic rather than mundane elements.
A web framework offers the developer a choice about how to solve a specific problem. By using a framework, a developer lets the framework control portions of their application. While it’s perfectly possible to code a web application without using a framework, it’s more practical to use one.
This article examines the best Java micro-frameworks. Micro means the framework is small, with little or no tools and libraries. Micro-frameworks are designed with extensibility in mind. They provide an essential set of features and rely on extensions to do the rest. Micro-frameworks have the advantage of making no or fewer decisions for you, making it easy to start development.
When it comes to web development, there are a wide range of Java microframeworks to choose from. The choice actually helps you find the right tool for the job. Here’s our pick of the finest open source micro-frameworks.
Let’s explore the 13 Java micro-frameworks in more detail. For each program we have compiled its own portal page, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, together with links to relevant resources.
| Java Web Microframeworks | |
|---|---|
| Spring Boot | Create Spring-powered, production-grade applications and services |
| Ktor | Asynchronous framework for creating microservices, web applications and more |
| Javalin | Simple web framework for Java and Kotlin |
| Quarkus | Kubernetes native Java stack tailored for OpenJDK HotSpot and GraalVM |
| Dropwizard | Java framework for developing RESTful web services |
| Armeria | Build any type of microservice leveraging your favorite technologies |
| Ratpack | Simple, capable, toolkit for creating high performance web applications |
| Spark | Simple expressive web framework for Java |
| Jooby | Modern, performant and easy to use web framework for Java and Kotlin |
| Helidon | Set of Java libraries for writing microservices |
| Jodd | Set of micro-frameworks and developer-friendly tools and utilities |
| Pippo | Aims to be easy to use and hack |
| Rapidoid | HTTP server and modern Java web framework / application container |
This article has been revamped in line with our recent announcement.
 Read our complete collection of recommended free and open source software. Our curated compilation covers all categories of software. The software collection forms part of our series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. There are hundreds of in-depth reviews, open source alternatives to proprietary software from large corporations like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. There are also fun things to try, hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. |