Series: Java-Tech-Popularity-Index

Java Tech Popularity Index Q1/2024: JVM Languages

Summary for Q1/2024

Here is the scorecard of Java (left) and Scala (right) vs. Kotlin (100%), not on the card. The arrows show the trend vs. Kotlin.

Please take the Kotlin numbers with a huge grain of salt: Most Kotlin development is on Android, not in JVM projects. Java loses to Kotlin in all categories except for jobs. Scala declines against Kotlin in searches and Stack Overflow but holds steady in Udemy Courses. Please see the job ad section for why job numbers for Scala are missing.

Java Tech Popularity Index Q1/2024: Front-End Mobile

Summary for Q1/2024

Here is the scorecard of React Native (left) and Xamarin (right) vs. Flutter (100%), not on the card. The arrows show the trend vs. Flutter.

React Native and Xamarin lose to Flutter in all categories.

Here are my recommendations:

• Don’t build two separate applications with Apple’s and Google’s first-party frameworks. Use a cross-platform framework instead.
• If you already use Flutter or React Native in your project, keep using them. Otherwise, evaluate a migration. In many (most?) cases, such migration doesn’t make business sense.
• If you start a new project or migrate and have used React before, start with React Native first and use Flutter otherwise.
• If you start a new project or migrate and have not used React, begin with Flutter first and use React Native otherwise.

Archive

Table Of Contents

• Summary for Q1/2024
• Archive
• Applications
• Choices
• State of the Art
• Popularity
  • Why Popularity - and How?
  • Installed Base
  • Employers: Job Ads
  • Developers
    • Students at Udemy
    • Google Searches
    • Monthly Questions at Stack Overflow
• Analysis
• Next Issue

Applications

These recommendations are for building native enterprise applications on iOS and Android - forms, data grids, and reports. They are not for games or media applications.

Java Tech Popularity Index Q1/2024: Build Tools

Summary for Q1/2024

Here is the scorecard of Maven (left) and Ant (right) vs. Gradle (100%), not on the card. The arrows show the trend vs. Gradle.

Maven loses to Gradle except for jobs, where it rises slightly. Ant has disappeared from searches and Stack Overflow but surprisingly gains in jobs.

Java Tech Popularity Index Q1/2024

What’s This?

Picking a popular technology makes our developer life easier. My free, quarterly newsletter measures Java technology popularity by following the money: job ads in 59 countries and online course purchases by 60+ million developers. I also analyze developer interest with Google searches and developer engagement with questions at Stack Overflow.

The Java technologies are: IDEs, build tools, JVM languages, databases, back-end frameworks, web frameworks, and mobile app frameworks. I also recommend options in each of these seven areas. My recommendations are based on that popularity, industry analysis, and my 25 years of Java experience.

Java Tech Popularity Index Q4/2023: IDEs

Summary for Q4/2023

Here is the scorecard of VS Code (left) and Eclipse (right) vs. IntelliJ (100%), not on the card. The arrows show the trend vs. IntelliJ.

VS Code pulls away from IntelliJ in all categories but Udemy courses, where IntelliJ catches up ever so slightly. Eclipse loses ground to IntelliJ in all categories.

Java Tech Popularity Index Q4/2023: Databases

Summary for Q4/2023

Here is the scorecard of MySql (left) and MongoDB (right) vs. Postgres (100%), not on the card. The arrows show the trend vs. Postgres.

MySQL gains jobs on Postgres but loses slightly (courses, searches) or heavily (Stack Overflow questions). MongoDB hold steady in job jobs but loses slightly everywhere else.

Java Tech Popularity Index Q4/2023: Back-End Frameworks

Summary for Q4/2023

Here is the scorecard of Spring Boot (left) and Quarkus (right) vs. Jakarta EE (100%), not on the card. The arrows show the trend vs. Jakarta EE.

Spring Boot pulls away from Jakarta EE everywhere except for job ad mentions. Quarkus gains on Jakarta EE everywhere.

Java Tech Popularity Index Q4/2023: JVM Languages

Summary for Q4/2023

Here is the scorecard of Java (left) and Scala (right) vs. Kotlin (100%), not on the card. The arrows show the trend vs. Kotlin.

Please take the Kotlin numbers with a huge grain of salt: Most Kotlin development is on Android, not in JVM projects. Java loses to Kotlin in all categories except for jobs. Scala declines against Kotlin in all categories (see the job ad section for why job numbers for Scala are missing).

Java Tech Popularity Index Q3/2023: JVM Languages

Summary for Q3/2023

Here is the scorecard of Java (left) and Scala (right) vs. Kotlin (100%), not on the card. The arrows show the trend vs. Kotlin.

Please take the Kotlin numbers with a huge grain of salt: Most Kotlin development is on Android, not in JVM projects. Kotlin gains on Java in all categories except for jobs. Scala declines against Kotlin in all categories (see the job ad section for why job numbers for Scala are missing).

Java Tech Popularity Index Q3/2023: Front-End Mobile

Summary for Q3/2023

Here is the scorecard of React Native (left) and Xamarin (right) vs. Flutter (100%), not on the card. The arrows show the trend vs. Flutter.

React Native and Xamarin lose to Flutter in all categories except installed apps.

Java Tech Popularity Index Q3/2023: Build Tools

Summary for Q3/2023

Here is the scorecard of Maven (left) and Ant (right) vs. Gradle (100%), not on the card. The arrows show the trend vs. Gradle.

Maven holds steady against Gradle except for Stack Overflow. Ant has disappeared from searches and Stack Overflow and trends downwards in jobs.

Java Tech Popularity Index Q3/2023

What’s This?

Picking a popular technology makes our developer life easier. My free, quarterly newsletter measures Java technology popularity by following the money: job ads in 59 countries and online course purchases by 60+ million developers. I also analyze developer interest with Google searches and developer engagement with questions at Stack Overflow.

Java Tech Popularity Index Q2/2023: JVM Languages

Summary for Q2/2023

Here is the scorecard of Kotlin (100%), not on the card, vs. Java (left) and Scala (right). The arrows show the trend vs. Kotlin.

Please take the Kotlin numbers with a huge grain of salt: Most Kotlin development is on Android, not in JVM projects. Kotlin gains on Java in all categories except for jobs. Scala declines against Kotlin in all categories (see the job ad section for why job numbers for Scala are missing).

Java Tech Popularity Index Q2/2023: Front-End Mobile

Summary for Q2/2023

Here is the scorecard of Flutter (100%), not on the card, vs. React Native (left) and Xamarin (right). The arrows show the trend vs. Flutter.

Flutter gains on its competitors in all categories but installed apps.

Java Tech Popularity Index Q2/2023: Build Tools

Summary for Q2/2023

Here is the scorecard of Gradle (100%), not on the card, vs. Maven (left) and Ant (right). The arrows show the trend vs. Gradle.

Maven holds steady against Gradle except for Stack Overflow. Ant holds up surprisingly well in jobs for its age but has disappeared from searches and Stack Overflow.

Java Tech Popularity Index Q2/2023

What’s This?

My quarterly “Java Tech Popularity Index” measures the popularity of IDEs, build tools, JVM languages, databases, back-end frameworks, web frameworks, and mobile app frameworks with data from millions of developers: job ads from 59 countries, online training students, Stack Overflow questions, and Google searches.