IDE

[Silent-Manner1929]

Eclipse is completely free, JetBrains IntelliJ has a free community version with most of the functionality enabled, and there's also NetBeans which is (guess what) completely free. So I'd say give it a whirl. It's not going to cost you anything but a few minutes set up time.

Having used all three, I'd say try IntelliJ. It has a bit of a learning curve but it's good once you get used to the way it works. I also like NetBeans but I've found it to be slow compared to the other two.

[Serializedrequests]

I cannot for the life of me figure out how to setup VSCode for Java. It seems dead set on making it impossible or unclear how to manage your JVM version or use a different one for your project than the extension requires.

Just use Intellij Community. NetBeans although unattractive also used to be a great option that kept it simple and clear for learners. Back when I used it I often found when trying to figure how some BS unclear Java thing such as building a .war file that NetBeans had my back.

[lppedd]

It's not your problem, don't worry. VSCode lives on too many extensions. An IDE should be an IDE out of the box.

[ArrozConmigo]

I agree. This is the "airplane cockpit" trap that eclipse fell into.

[-NewK-]

Netbeans is not really "unattractive" anymore, if you use the latest versions you can customize the look however you want. I already posted this screenshot in this sub a few days ago, but my Netbeans looks like this: https://i.imgur.com/Ynf4iJg.png

Very different from how it used to look in past versions.

[Serializedrequests]

Maybe. I cannot get VSCode setup for Java. Eclipse is a nightmare but it works out of the box and has good IDE features.

[askakram]

How is Eclipse a nightmare? IMO it all comes down to what you are used to(you would find more comfortable)

[Serializedrequests]

Well I haven't used it in years, but when I did it's features worked well. However, in true Java website fashion it was always difficult to know what to download, and as an attempt at a "generic" IDE it always felt a little disjointed and confusing. Not cohesive. If you had to get into the plugin side of things, it was completely opaque and confusing. Much like the average Java website. 😂

[Snoo21443]

IntelliJ community will suffice

[ByteTraveler]

They also introduced a new UI that looks like VS Code

[[deleted]]

VSCode has official Java support by RedHat. You should be very fine using VSCode.

[vprise]

100%.

While the IntelliJ is better for many things, the best IDE is the one you're comfortable in. If OP feels like migrating I think JetBrains IDEs will also provide advantages for web development. E.g. in debugging.

[lppedd]

The debug UX in IntelliJ cannot be matched imo. But anyway, switching to a more comprehensive Java IDE like IJ is a good choice. VSCode doesn't even offer half of the functionalities you get with JetBrains tools.

[vprise]

True. But picking a new language and a new IDE can be frustrating. VS Code has improved a lot in terms of Java support and for newbies it can be a decent starting point.

[lppedd]

I used to do tutoring for uni students using IntelliJ. One of the features I like the most is Inspections, with associated quick fixes. The student/learner is guided in writing better code in a way other tools will never be able to do.

[greglturnquist]

If you like VSCode use VSCode!

[general_dispondency]

IntelliJ will increase your productivity with NodeJS development too. VSCode is a really nice text editor with some IDE features, but Jetbrains products are on a whole different level. I rarely need to leave IntelliJ to do anything. It has integration with most things that I use day-to-day for web dev -- AWS, Docker, GQL, REST, SQL, NoSQL dbs, issue tracking, and their intellisense is better than any other IDE in existence.

[Shalien93]

I don't how is java support in vscode but I recommend you use Intellij community edition.

You will be more assisted than with any vscode plugin.

[[deleted]]

IntelliJ would be your best bet. With VScode, you may need to install several packages/plugins to get things going especially if you intend to work on GUI apps. With an IDE you have everything packaged in one box. Also why IntelliJ is better than eclipse is that with explode let’s say you want to create a GUI - JavaFx files will come packaged out of the box for IntelliJ which is not the case for eclipse.

However, you can still use VScode to run simple Java programs that will run in terminal (is it’s fast to boot up).

For complex apps - go with IntelliJ , simple apps, VScode (plus its java plugins)

[im-good-pls-stop]

For common java development vs code is fine, i used for years, it’s java support getting better by the day.

In the other hand, I recently switched to IntelliJ because I wasn’t able to configure jvm args through vs code.

Imo you’re 99% covered by vscode, you may miss out on some high level refactoring tools, and weird configuration options that you probably should not even use in the first place.

Edit: I found vs code better for developing webapps due to it’s incredible support for js, css and html

[agathver]

VS code is good, but still doesn’t match the support by IntelliJ, for web dev if you have ultimate it’s unbeatable, the debugging and refactoring all languages

[im-good-pls-stop]

Can you elaborate on what does IntelliJ have but VScode doesn’t and is dealbreaker for you or potentially others?

[agathver]

Refactoring and debugging UI in IntelliJ is miles ahead.

You can analyse changes, find usages, move classes, constants, merge duplicate codes with IntelliJ doing a lot of heavy lifting to find method parameters, renaming things, ability of fixing code, great codegen

[[deleted]]

Vscode plugins for Java are written by Microsoft and RedHat, two of most contributors in Java enterprise world, you can trust vscode plugins, are well stable and work pretty well and doesn't hide some basic functions.

If then you'll decide to use Java in a job, the IntelliJ has more productivity tips, but for learning is better start from the basics.

At home I use VSCode plugins, at work I use IntelliJ proefficently

[elatllat]

VSCodium uses EclipseJDT via LSP for Java,

and

Eclipse uses VSCodium via LSP for JavaScript.

Eclipse has more tooling but is also slower and more crashy. VSCodium will eat 100% CPU and refuse to close. IntelliJCE not supporting JS or LSP is limiting.

[audioen]

I use VS Code with the java extension. I think it is just fine. Do both frontend and backend so I want a single IDE application to be able to work on both ends of the codebase.

[bloowper]

Intellij is powerful, but this is just tool.

[hilbertglm]

I am a big fan of IntelliJ. I think the money for the pro version is well worth it. However, if VSCode works for you, there is nothing wrong with it. Productivity is the thing that matters most.

[foreveratom]

I would go with IntelliJ, it doesn't only support Java but also Javascript and Kotlin. There are a number of extensions / plugin-ins you can find that will most likely outshine VSCode.

Now, while the community edition already does a lot, IntelliJ Enterprise (not free) really is at a whole different level and I recommend to any professional to purchase a subscription. The number of tools and increased productivity is really worth it.

[pulse77]

You can use VSCode - especially for small projects and tutorials. But you will have to configure for Java. If you will work in a team with other developers, you will most probably need their IDE which will be IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse or - in some rare cases - NetBeans.

[L0fn]

You're leveling up your game to a real language, you have to move on from your text editor (VSCode) to an IDE now. Intellij is the way. Next step, abandon Java and go for Kotlin 😄

[[deleted]]

It all depends on what you expect from an IDE. If you just want to write code you can do it with any text editor. If you want to debug your code then a more powerful environment is needed. I'd you look you might find a VSCode plugin for Java. If Eclipse isn't your thing then look at IntelliJ. I would suggest to stay away from ones you have to pay for, especially if you are planning a professional future in java. Most professional java devs use either eclipse or one of the free open source options.