Java Frameworks

The Java 2 Enterprise Edition (Java EE) platform is considered one of the standard platforms for developing multi-level corporate applications. Frameworks are complete and proven software components that are incorporated into many areas of your corporate application. They greatly assist in the production of software.

A framework consists of a procedure model, a specific application architecture (with corresponding rules for the application design) and implementation. The platform for realizing an application following the framework’s rules makes up the associated class library.

In addition to commercial products, there is also a whole range of free open-source frameworks which can be used in a wide range of scenarios within a corporate application. Taking as an example Spring and Hibernate, currently two of the most popular frameworks, we aim to explain below the contexts in which frameworks can be used and the benefits they bring with them.

The Spring framework can be understood as one of the basic technologies used in developing object-oriented applications. The main aim of the Spring framework is to provide as wide a range of tools as possible for developing structured applications with plain old Java objects (POJOs). POJOs represent the application logic and do not contain any cross-cutting functions (i.e. those which are not associated with business logic). The advantage of this setup is that it enables you to develop well-structured software solutions that can be easily adapted to changes in their environment. Spring offers numerous pre-produced solutions which help to implement such a concept. The assistance it provides can be split into the following three areas:

simplified abstractions for the existing Java programming interfaces
simple configuration of object networks using dependency injection
aspect-oriented programming

Hibernate is a framework for mapping the data of object-oriented applications in relational database systems and is considered as the standard amongst persistence technologies. Hibernate automates this mapping process such that the mapping of the relational and object-oriented world becomes clearer for the developer. Persistent data are then available directly in the corresponding objects. Since the JDBC layer no longer exists, the time needed to develop the application is cut considerably and the software solution’s structure improved significantly. Using frameworks means that many tried and tested software components are included in your corporate application. Since these are being continuously developed and optimized, you get better quality software. We have the know-how required to analyze suitable frameworks for your corporate application and to integrate them in your application. The time needed for the software development process can be cut considerably thanks to our expertise in using frameworks. Using proven and standard frameworks also raises the quality of your software.