Eclipse Vs NetBeans Vs IntelliJ: Select the Right Java-Based IDE for your Application

Eclipse Vs NetBeans Vs IntelliJ: Select the Right Java-Based IDE for your Application

When it comes to the best programming language used for developing websites and applications, then the name Java always comes first place. It is one of the widely used programming languages and has got several editors, IDEs, and tools to help Java developers to speed up the development process. The selection of the right Java tool matters a lot to maintain an optimum level of efficiency while developing a mobile app, website, embedded apps, enterprise apps, and more. For this very reason, we bring forth here the three most popular Java IDEs comparison i.e. Eclipse Vs NetBeans Vs IntelliJ.

Eclipse Vs NetBeans Vs IntelliJ

Before we began differentiating all the three Java IDEs separately, important to know the fact that Eclipse and NetBeans are open-source in nature. These are two free-of-cost IDEs available for Java developers to use the same for personal and commercial purposes.

On the other side, IntelliJ is a commercial product, introduced by the brand called JetBrains. Apart from being commercial, it also has a free community version available with a limited scale of features.

Now, let’s focus on Eclipse Vs NetBeans Vs IntelliJ after we get to understand the basis of IDE.

What is IDE?

IDE stands for Integrated Development Environment which is used for developing feature-rich software by providing a series of tools to developers. Just like, Java developers can make the best use of a line debugger to check every line, git version control, and several other advanced tools.

Now, the focus is on making the comparison among Eclipse Vs NetBeans Vs IntelliJ that are the three most popular Java programming language IDEs.

Top Three Choices in Java IDE

1. Eclipse

Eclipse is one of the highly used Java IDE which was developed by IBM and its first version was released way back in 2001. It offers a variety of plugins to customize the software development environment as per your requirements. As compared with IntelliJ, the only thing lacks in Eclipse is unable to catch up with the updates of Java 8 for its Luna release.

Features of Eclipse IDE

* Code Insight: Eclipse identifies the function of any programming language to ease up the task of developers writing code without any error. It offers a wide range of plugins to further assist the developers to write code in any favorable programming language.

* Multi-Lingual Support: This Java IDE support multiple languages including C, PHP, C++, HTML, and more.

* Advanced Set of Tools: Eclipse offers the support of DOCKER which is a tool to organize the stack of packages. It also supports git to track the existing files.

2. NetBeans

The oldest among all is NetBeans IDE that made its presence felt since 2014. Although, it started way back in 1996 in the Czech Republic as an integrated development environment introduced by students for the development of Java applications. In this IDE, you will find different kinds of modules that can be used to develop result-oriented Java-based projects.

Features of NetBeans

* Ideal for MAVEN Project: One of the features of NetBeans IDE is the already plugged-in MAVEN. Developers need not again import MAVEN into this IDE.

* Latest Tech Support: NetBeans was developed by some of the prominent Java developers that provide an advanced set of features to this IDE for making other professionals job goes easy. It has a series of latest tech features like code analyzers, editors, and converters.

* Multi-Language Assistance: NetBeans has the support of a lot of languages like C/C++, PHP, client-side JSP, JavaScript, HTML, XML, and several others.

3. IntelliJ

IntelliJ is another popular JAVA IDE used for developing growth-oriented software or application. It was developed by a private company called JetBrains. This IDE is heavier than other IDEs that contain different kinds of libraries, developing tools, and testing Java projects.

Features of IntelliJ

* Smart Code Completion: IntelliJ offers the flexibility of getting code suggestions while writing the same. These suggestions help Java developers to pick an appropriate word for the statement and ease up the task of minimal coding requirement.

* Navigate to Duplicates: IntelliJ offers the intelligent feature of finding duplicates in your program. In case the developers have used single variable two times within the software, then there is no need to start finding the duplicate place. IntelliJ is too smart to let you know the place of duplicate variables and remove the same in a hassle-free manner.

* Easy Fixes: Another prominent feature of IntelliJ IDE is finding the mistakes or errors in the codes. Whenever there is a mistake, a light bulb will appear on the left-hand side of the editor window. Developers can take the curser to that light bulb to find out the error and fix the same without any delay.

Major Difference Among Eclipse Vs NetBeans Vs IntelliJ

Now, you must have got the idea of all three Java IDEs, their features, and their reach. So, before you Hire Java developers for a particular IDE, it is better to know the difference between the three.

Debugging

* Eclipse: Developers need to select the whole section to evaluate the issue.

* IntelliJ: For debugging, developers have to place the cursor at an expression and press Alt+F8 to open the dialogue window suggestion and choose from the list.

* NetBeans: Similar to IntelliJ in which developers need to click the right mouse button and choose Debug.

Plugins

* Eclipse: It has got approximately 1250+ plugins.

* IntelliJ: This IDE has got 750+ plugins.

* NetBeans: 1000+ plugins.

PerformanceMac

* Eclipse: This IDE is best used for large and complex projects.

* IntelliJ: Can be efficiently used for the existing projects.

* NetBeans: Slow in performance as compared to Eclipse and IntelliJ.

WorkFlow

* Eclipse: Best used for the implementation of larger projects.

* IntelliJ: Major focus is on Android development and Java projects.

* NetBeans: It has got a variety of databases and is lighter as compared to the other two IDEs.

Final Analysis

Each of the IDEs has its own benefits and reach. It all depends on your need, development workflow, features, and budget requirement to choose the best Java IDE. For an enterprise to make the right decision, then get in touch with JavaIndia which is a prominent Java application development company.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Java?

Java is a widely-used programming language for developing simple to complex websites, applications, and software. Most of the developers are well-acquainted with Java and help enterprises to create profitable software to meet diverse customer requirements.

2. What is the Role of IDE?

IDE i.e. Integrated Development Environment offers plenty of tools and functionalities to developers. It helps in the efficient, hassle-free, error-free, and speedy development of applications at a low cost.

3. How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Java-Based Application?

The cost of developing a Java-based application relies completely on your requirements based on features, size of the project, functionalities, resources required, budget, and more.