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JVM Languages

If you're going to build anything serious in the Java ecosystem, it's good to understand the JVM and the languages that play nice with it.

The Magic of "Write Once, Run Anywhere"​

You've probably heard the phrase: "Write once, run anywhere." That's the JVM's superpower, and it delivers real value. Here's how it works:

  1. Your code (Java, Kotlin, Groovy, etc.) gets compiled down to something called JVM Bytecode. Think of bytecode as an intermediate language, like a universal translator.
  2. The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) then takes this bytecode and executes it. The beauty is, the JVM handles all the nitty-gritty details of the underlying operating system and hardware.

So, you write your code, compile it to bytecode, and that bytecode can run on any system that has a JVM installed – Windows, Linux, macOS, even some obscure fridge OS, if it has a JVM. It abstracts away the platform specifics, saving you a world of pain that developers in other ecosystems often face.

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Java: The Reliable Workhorse​

Let's start by inserting obvious public static void String main args joke here.

Fun fact: with Java 21, you don't need that boilerplate for a main method anymore.

Java is the language you pick when you want reliability. If you hit a weird bug, chances are someone, somewhere, has already debugged it, written a Stack Overflow answer, or published a comprehensive blog post about it. It would be genuinely strange to encounter a Java error that nobody else in the history of computing has seen before.

It's not always flashy, but it gets the job done, and it keeps getting better with every release.

Kotlin: The Pragmatic Challenger​

Kotlin hails from JetBrains, the same folks who brought you IntelliJ IDEA.

My personal experience with Kotlin is limited to a fun side project. I didn't push it into any real-world production scenarios, so I can't give you strong opinions or war stories. From what I saw, is "Java, but better" for those who want a more expressive syntax without completely abandoning the JVM ecosystem.

Groovy: The Indie Artist​

Bias alert: I have a soft spot for Groovy, as it was the langauge I used at my first dev job back in 2021.

Groovy expressive syntax aims to make Java better by cutting down on boilerplate and embracing a more dynamic style.

  • Semicolons? Optional.
  • Checked exceptions? Handled implicitly.
  • Java verbosity? Neutralized by powerful features like closures and the ?. safe navigation operator.

It is like coding in Java's cooler, more laid-back cousin. Yet, Groovy remains the indie artist of JVM languages: beloved by Gradle buildscript writers, but never quite achieving Scala's academic prestige or Kotlin's JetBrains-backed fame.

Which One for Spring Boot?​

For Spring Boot development, any of these three languages will work just fine. It ultimately comes down to personal preference and, more importantly, your team's existing skillset and agreements.