Why Java and Blockchain are a match made in heaven

It’s highly likely that whenever you hear the term “blockchain”, Java isn’t one of the first things that come to mind.

18:18 28 October 2019

It makes sense. While blockchain is a cutting-edge technology that is going through its first stages of development, Java has that feeling of a rusted old thing that, while useful, seems like it belongs to another era. If that’s the case, then this article’s title might catch you off guard. How can they be a match made in heaven?

Yet, there are many experts and developers that would definitely back that claim up without a second thought. In fact, many blockchain developers prefer to work with a Java development company on their projects rather than using newer languages like Solidity and Rust. Why can that be? Well, Java is a versatile programming language that has been around for a long time and has proven to be very reliable.

But there’s more than that. Keep reading to learn why you should consider hiring Java development services for your next blockchain project!

5 main reasons why you should go with Java for blockchain

Though Java developers could surely add a lot of reasons to this list, there are 5 main reasons why Java makes sense when working with that language in blockchain projects.

1. It’s fast: Java had a reputation for being one slow language, mainly because it took a lot for the VM to start up. However, those days are long gone. Now, thanks to its just-in-time (JIT) compiler and its Garbage Collection (GC) algorithm, Java can be considered as a faster language than other established alternatives like Python or Ruby and as fast as Go or C. Being fast is highly important for blockchain development, as the digital ledger is a distributed system that has to handle large quantities of data and deliver a smooth and high performance.
   
   

1. It’s easy to maintain: blockchain applications can become large and complex depending on their purpose. That’s especially true for platforms dealing with cryptocurrencies, so having a base code that can be easily maintained is a must. Thankfully, Java is a static, typed language whose code can easily be refactored. It’s true that Java development services have to write more code to develop an application than they would have to if they used other languages. However, the flexibility provided by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) guarantees that said code is highly portable, which means that it can run on several platforms without issues.
   
   

1. It has a large community: as any Java development outsourcing team could attest, this language has a big and active group of developers that are constantly working with it. That might seem inconsequential for some but when working with blockchain, it becomes a major defining point. Why? Because that ensures that the language is mature and well-documented. This, in turn, means that anyone working with it in almost any project imaginable will surely find help when needed. And since blockchain is such a new technology, it’s highly likely that Java outsourcing pros working with it will run into some challenges and hurdles that the community will surely help overcome.
   
   

1. It meets certification standards: as more and more organizations start investing in blockchain and developing their own ledgers, cybersecurity standards will become essential. That’s why Java is so good a choice for this kind of project—it already has a lot of work done surrounding the certification of cryptographic modules. And since Java has a library for pretty much anything imaginable, it’s no surprise to learn that there are many cryptographic constructs that are ready to be used. These also can be used to create new constructs depending on the evolution of blockchain as a technology and of security standards as a whole.
   
   

1. It’s pluggable: the large amount of libraries mentioned above is one of the biggest benefits of working with Java in blockchain projects. That’s because there are already a lot of components that have been developed and that can be used to build blockchain solutions. Java supports pluggability, which means that those libraries can be used at any time without major issues. The existence of strong typing and the adoption of interfaces and class hierarchies also contribute to the language’s pluggable architecture, a true advantage for blockchain projects.
   
   

A great choice for blockchain projects

The benefits listed above should be enough to encourage anyone to try Java in blockchain projects. This makes more sense for people that are coming from a technical background, as teams that already have a certain knowledge can approach the emerging blockchain technology to leverage its own benefits.

It’s true that the most popular technologies like Java, .NET, and relational databases are rare in the blockchain development world. Blockchain usually sees developers go for C, Go, Rust and JavaScript that are technically more adapted to the digital ledger. However, that doesn’t mean that Java developers can’t take a shot at blockchain. In fact, there are several projects and components written in Java, especially in the cryptocurrency sector.

Popular projects like Pantheon and Eventeum are written in Java and closely related to blockchain in general and to Ethereum in particular. Both of them are living proof of what Java can do when combined with blockchain and they are fantastic entry points for people in disbelief about this combination or newbies that want to take a step into the blockchain world.