What Is Java? (Not the Coffee. Not the Island.)

The short answer

It is a programming language. A high-level one to be specific. You may confuse this with JavaScript, but that's a completely different joke language created in 10 days that powers the entire web and is only used by soydevs. Java, though it has many haters out there too, is a complex yet beautiful language.

Origins of Java

Java was designed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems. It was released in 1995. Yes, that makes it 30+ years old by now. Pretty old, I know, but this proves how essential it still is today and how many systems still use it.

Runs on 3 billion devices

You may ask, what the? How? It is actually used on devices you might never think of: fridges, ATMs, printers, cars, you name it.

An object-oriented programming language

Java's design and fundamental principles are centered around the concept of objects. This paradigm structures programs by organizing code into self-contained units called objects, which encapsulate both data (attributes) and the operations (methods).

Similar to C++ but easier

Those coming from a C++ background will notice a lot of similarities between the two languages. Java is much easier in a way, since we don't need to manually manage memory. Java uses automatic garbage collection. Also, Java eliminates explicit pointers, a feature often associated with complexity and potential errors in C++.

It is very popular

Hundreds of thousands of companies use Java. It's the engine behind massive platforms for giants like Google, Netflix, and Amazon, and it's relied upon for countless enterprise applications and mobile apps across the industry.