It’s been a while since I last developed web apps, and I’d like to know the current go-to frameworks. For backend development, is Spring still the standard choice, or are there other modern options I should explore? Also, what’s commonly used for frontend development today?
Hey! I’ve been following Java backend trends, and Spring Boot is still the industry standard for most web applications.
It’s robust, mature, and has a massive ecosystem (Spring Security, Spring Data, Spring Cloud).
That said, alternatives are gaining attention: Micronaut for fast startup times and low memory usage, Quarkus for cloud-native and Kubernetes-ready apps, and Vert.x for reactive, event-driven systems.
Personally, I use Spring for most enterprise projects, but for microservices or serverless functions, I’ve started experimenting with Quarkus, it’s impressively fast.
For the frontend, Java developers often pair their backend with modern JS frameworks rather than Java-based frontends:
-
React → most widely used, component-driven, great ecosystem.
-
Angular → enterprise-friendly, TypeScript-based, opinionated structure.
-
Vue.js → lightweight and flexible, great for smaller projects or prototypes.
I’ve personally switched to React for most new projects because of its simplicity and reusable component model.
Hey! If you’re thinking full-stack today:
-
Backend: Spring Boot remains the default, but Micronaut, Quarkus, and Vert.x are worth exploring depending on scale and performance needs.
-
Frontend: React or Angular dominate, often paired with REST APIs or GraphQL endpoints.
-
Other tools: Many teams now use Spring Cloud or Kubernetes for microservices orchestration, along with gRPC or GraphQL for efficient communication.
In short, Java backend hasn’t lost its place, but cloud-native and reactive frameworks are growing fast, while frontend has largely shifted to JavaScript/TypeScript frameworks.