Understanding Java from the JVM up gives you a solid foundation to grow your expertise and take on advanced techniques for performance, concurrency, containerization, and more.

In The Well-Grounded Java Developer, Second Edition you will learn:

• The new Java module system and why you should use it
• Bytecode for the JVM, including operations and classloading
• Performance tuning the JVM
• Working with Java’s built-in concurrency and expanded options
• Programming in Kotlin and Clojure on the JVM
• Maximizing the benefits from your build/CI tooling with Maven and Gradle
• Running the JVM in containers
• Planning for future JVM releases

The Well-Grounded Java Developer, Second Edition introduces both the modern innovations and timeless fundamentals you need to know to become a Java master. Authors Ben Evans, Martijn Verburg, and Jason Clark distill their decades of experience as Java Champions, veteran developers, and key contributors to the Java ecosystem into this clear and practical guide. You’ll discover how Java works under the hood and learn design secrets from Java’s long history. Each concept is illustrated with hands-on examples, including a fully modularized application/library and creating your own multithreaded application.

Foreword by Heinz Kabutz.

About the technology

Java is the beating heart of enterprise software engineering. Developers who really know Java can expect easy job hunting and interesting work. Written by experts with years of boots-on-the-ground experience, this book upgrades your Java skills. It dives into powerful features like modules and concurrency models and even reveals some of Java’s deep secrets.

About the book

With The Well-Grounded Java Developer, Second Edition you will go beyond feature descriptions and learn how Java operates at the bytecode level. Master high-value techniques for concurrency and performance optimization, along with must-know practices for build, test, and deployment. You’ll even look at alternate JVM languages like Kotlin and Clojure. Digest this book and stand out from the pack.

What's inside

• The new Java module system
• Performance tuning the JVM
• Maximizing CI/CD with Maven and Gradle
• Running the JVM in containers
• Planning for future JVM releases

About the reader

For intermediate Java developers.

About the author

Benjamin J. Evans is a senior principal engineer at Red Hat. Martijn Verburg is the principal SWE manager for Microsoft’s Java Engineering Group. Both Benjamin and Martijn are Java Champions. Jason Clark is a principal engineer and architect at New Relic.

Table of Contents

PART 1 - FROM 8 TO 11 AND BEYOND!

1 Introducing modern Java

2 Java modules

3 Java 17

PART 2 - UNDER THE HOOD

4 Class files and bytecode

5 Java concurrency fundamentals

6 JDK concurrency libraries

7 Understanding Java performance

PART 3 - NON-JAVA LANGUAGES ON THE JVM

8 Alternative JVM languages

9 Kotlin

10 Clojure: A different view of programming

PART 4 - BUILD AND DEPLOYMENT

11 Building with Gradle and Maven

12 Running Java in containers

13 Testing fundamentals

14 Testing beyond JUnit

PART 5 - JAVA FRONTIERS

15 Advanced functional programming

16 Advanced concurrent programming

17 Modern internals

18 Future Java

Review

"Ben, Jason, and Martijn have done a fantastic job with this book. Take advantage of their collective wisdom." —From the Foreword by Heinz Kabutz, The Java Specialists' Newsletter

"True to its name, it introduces and reinforces concepts from language level down to the JVM bytecode." —Yogesh Shetty, ING Bank

"Great information...a worthy update." —Michael Wall, Wall Technology Consulting

"A deep dive into modern Java and JVM-based languages." —Gilberto Taccari, faire.ai

"A must-read for every Java developer, including seasoned ones!" —Jean-François Morin, Laval University

About the Author

Ben Evans is a senior principal engineer at Red Hat, a Java Champion, and a Java/JVM editor at InfoQ, as well as a frequent contributor to Oracle's Java Magazine, and a regular speaker at conferences worldwide. He co-founded the Adopt-a-JSR and AdoptOpenJDK initiatives, and served on the Java Community Process Executive Committee for 6 years. Ben has also authored Optimizing Java, Java in a Nutshell, (6th & 7th Edition), and Java: The Legend.

Martijn Verburg is the principal SWE group manager for the Java Engineering Group at Microsoft. He is the co-leader of the London Java User Group (LJC) where he co-founded AdoptOpenJDK, the world's leading (non-Oracle) OpenJDK distribution. He has been made a Java Champion in recognition for his contribution to the Java ecosystem.

Jason Clark is a principal engineer and architect at New Relic, and was previously an architect at WebMD. A regular conference speaker, Jason contributes to the open-source project Shoes, aiming to make GUI programming