Integrated Development Environments (IDE)

Basic

Text editors with programming support and simple Java IDEs:

  • Text Editors for Programming
  • JCreator (Free / Shareware)
    JCreator is a easy and powerful IDE for Java. Lite Edition (LE): Freeware; Pro: Shareware.
    JCreator LE is a great Java IDE for Windows, simple and efficient, specially for standard Java (J2SE) application development. Pro version (shareware) also includes Code Completion (tooltip and inline filling for name and syntax of class members, methods and its parameters), Debugger Interface for jdb and advanced productivity tools.
  • Gel (Freeware)
    Gel is a Java IDE natively compiled for Windows, very small and very quick. Written in Delphi, by Gerald Nunn. However, its development is no longer maintained since late 2004, as explained by the author Gerald Nunn himself from his blog 2008-06-24.
    Gel IDE. Gel Features: Programming editor with Syntax highlighting for Java, JSP, HTML, XML, C, C++, Perl, Python and more, Unlimited undo/redo, auto-indent and block indent, regular expression and file searches, among other useful features. Integrated support for source control systems (CVS, VSS and more). Code Assistants with code/tag completion and parameter hints for Java and JSP. Project Management, integrated support for Ant and JUnit, Difference tool. Extensible by plug-ins and customizable.
    Gel RC40 Download: GelRC40.zip. Gel Support site. Yahoo Groups: Gel Java IDE.

Advanced

Java IDEs Java with advanced productivity features and support for complex projects:

  • Eclipse (Free software)
    The Eclipse Project is an open source software development project dedicated to providing a robust, full-featured, commercial-quality, industry platform for the development of highly integrated tools. It is composed of three subprojects: Platform, JDT - Java development tools, and PDE - Plug-in development environment. Eclipse is a kind of universal tool platform - an open extensible IDE for anything and nothing in particular. You will need a 1.3 or better level Java runtime (JRE or JDK) installed on your machine in order to run Eclipse.
    Eclipse Project FAQ.
    The Eclipse.org consortium is an open platform for tool integration built by an open community of tool providers. Eclipse.org has IBM as project founder, but has many other industry leaders as members, including: Borland, Oracle, OMG, Merant, Novell (SuSE), Red Hat, Sybase, Fujitsu, among others.
  • NetBeans (Free software)
    NetBeans is an open-source project, consisting of a full featured, professional IDE and a Platform on which you can build any kind of application. NetBeans was acquired and lauched as open source by Sun Microsystems, primary project sponsor and which uses it as base for the Sun ONE Studio.
    NetBeans IDE is a world-class development environment written in Java. It can be used to develop code in Java, HTML, XML, JSP, C/C++ and other languages. The IDE is modular, and there is a huge variety of free and commercial extensions to it to support various technologies. Advanced syntax highlighting, error checking code editor; support for JSP, XML, RMI, CORBA, JINI, JDBC and Servlet technologies; support for Ant, CVS and other version control systems; pluggable support for compilers, debuggers and execution services; wizards and code generation and management tools.
  • Oracle JDeveloper (Free OTN)
    By Oracle, Oracle Technology Network (OTN). Java and XML IDE for J2EE Development. OTN Java Developer Center.
    Oracle JDeveloper Downloads: JDeveloper free for all developers.
    JDeveloper 11g New Features List & Oracle JDeveloper 11g Release Info: Install Guide, Release Notes, Oracle JDeveloper Update 1 (11.1.1.0.1) Fix List, JDeveloper and ADF FAQ, Application Server (Oracle WebLogic, Tomcat, JBoss) and Database (Oracle, MS SQLServer, MySQL, IBM DB2, Sybase, Informix) Certification Matrixes, Desupported and Deprecated Features, Third Party Software Library.
    Documentation and Developer Guides - Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 (11.1.1): Oracle Application Development Framework (ADF), Oracle TopLink.
  • IBM Tools for Software Design & Construction (Commercial)
    IBM Software: Rational Software product family, based on Eclipse technology.
  • IntelliJ IDEA (Commercial)
    By JetBrains. IntelliJ IDEA is a full-featured Java IDE with a high level of usability and productivity thru outstanding advanced code editing and refactoring support. For Windows, Linux, MacOS X, Unix.
    Interface: Java, JSP, XML, HTML and text files editing with syntax highlighting; fully customizable user interface and editing colors and fonts; matching braces highlighting. In-line editing features: code completion, parameter info, common syntax errors and mistakes instant highlight, live templates, auto-indentation (including of pasted text); code block (un)commenting; surrounding code fragment with "try/catch", "if" and other block constructs. Code generation: Automatic insertion and removal of necessary imports; creation of classes, interfaces and packages with templates and assistants; generation of class constructors and field access methods (set/get). Refactoring: Moving and renaming of packages, classes, methods, fields, method parameters and local variables with global reference correction, various specialized tools. Many features on Navigation, Search & Replace, Code style, JavaDoc, Version Control (CVS, SourceSafe), Running, Debugging, Integration (Ant, JUnit etc.)
    IntelliJ Community Wiki site.
  • Sun Java Studio Creator (Free SDN)
    Formerly known as Project Rave, the Sun Java Studio Creator environment is the next generation tool for productive Java application development, specially using JavaServer Faces (JSF), with visual drag-and-drop development and simplified coding. Sun Java Studio Creator does not have just a name remembering Microsoft's .NET IDE, it was in fact inspired by the successful user interface and working model of its competitor.
    Sun Developer Network (SDN) - Development Tools Free.
  • Sun Java Studio Enterprise (Free SDN)
    Java Studio (former names: Sun ONE Studio, Forte) Standard, Enterprise, Mobility. By Sun Microsystems. Integrated development environment (IDE) for Java technology. It is based on the NetBeans Tools Platform, and it is tightly integrated with the Sun Open Net Environment (Sun ONE).
  • CodeGear JBuilder (Commercial / Free)
    By CodeGear, a division of Embarcadero (formerly from Borland). JBuilder is a great visual development environment for building Java applications, applets, JSP/Servlets, JavaBeans, Enterprise JavaBeans and distributed applications for the Java Platform.
    CodeGear Java Community Page.
    Turbo JBuilder: free.
  • Oracle Workshop for WebLogic (Commercial / Development)
    By Oracle/BEA Systems. Fully featured, Java development environment for enterprise applications. Incorporates the M7 NitroX tools. Free download from OTN, fully functional.
    Since February 2005, BEA became Strategic Developer Member of the Eclipse Foundation and should converge its development tool WebLogic Workshop to Eclipse, as it happens with IBM WebSphere Studio.
  • CodeWarrior Development Studio for Mac OS (Commercial)
    By Freescale Semiconductor (formerly by Metrowerks). The CodeWarrior Family of Products.
    CodeWarrior is the most used development environment (IDE) on Macintosh, with support to C/C++ and Java. Platforms: Windows and Mac OS.

Java IDE Comparisions