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s4kibs4mi/java-developer-roadmap

Roadmap to becoming a Java developer in 2026

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README.md

# Java Developer Roadmap

> 🎓 **Following this roadmap to learn Java and backend engineering?**  
> Continue with structured courses, projects, and guided learning on **[Tarkev →](https://tarkev.com/courses?lang=en&roadmap=backend-engineering&utm_source=github&utm_medium=java-developer-roadmap&utm_campaign=backend-roadmap)**

> Roadmap to becoming a [Java](https://g.co/kgs/bzeRda) developer in 2026:

Below you can find a chart demonstrating the paths that you can take and the libraries that you would want to learn to
become a Java developer. I made this chart as a tip for everyone who asks me, "What should I learn next as a Java
developer?"

[中文版](./i18n/zh-CN/ReadMe-zh-CN.md)

## Disclaimer

> The purpose of this roadmap is to give you an idea about the landscape. The roadmap will guide you if you are
> confused about what to learn next, rather than encouraging you to pick what is hip and trendy.
>
> You should grow some understanding of why one tool would be better suited for some cases than another, and remember
> that hip and trendy does not always mean best suited for the job.

## Give a Star! :star:

If you like this project or are using it to learn, please give it a star. Thanks!

## Roadmap

![Roadmap](java-developer-roadmap.png)

## 🎓 Learn the Roadmap with Tarkev

A roadmap helps you understand **what to learn**.

The harder part is turning that roadmap into an actual learning journey: knowing where to start, understanding concepts deeply, building real projects, and gradually moving from Java fundamentals into backend and distributed systems engineering.

That is what I am building with **[Tarkev](https://tarkev.com/courses?lang=en&roadmap=backend-engineering&utm_source=github&utm_medium=java-developer-roadmap&utm_campaign=backend-roadmap)**.

### Start with Java

If you're new to Java or want to strengthen your fundamentals, start with:

### ☕ Java & Object-Oriented Programming Foundation

A structured Java course designed around software-engineering fundamentals rather than only language syntax.

You will learn:

- Java fundamentals
- Object-oriented programming
- Classes, interfaces, inheritance, and composition
- Collections and generics
- Error handling
- File I/O
- Modern Java features
- Concurrency fundamentals
- Testing and software design
- Practical exercises and projects

👉 **[Start Java & OOP Foundation →](https://tarkev.com/o/tarkev/courses/java-and-object-oriented-programming-foundation?lang=en&utm_source=github&utm_medium=java-developer-roadmap&utm_campaign=java-foundation)**

### Continue into Backend Engineering

Once you are comfortable with Java, continue through the **Tarkev Backend Engineering Roadmap**.

The goal is not simply to learn frameworks.

It is to understand **how production backend systems are designed, built, operated, and evolved**.

👉 **[Explore the Backend Engineering Roadmap →](https://tarkev.com/courses?lang=en&roadmap=backend-engineering&utm_source=github&utm_medium=java-developer-roadmap&utm_campaign=backend-roadmap)**

> **The GitHub roadmap shows you what to learn. Tarkev helps you learn it step by step.**

## Resources

1. Prerequisites

- [Java](https://www.java.com/en/download/)
   - [Gradle](https://gradle.org/)
     or [Maven](https://maven.apache.org/)
   - [SQL](https://www.w3schools.com/sql/default.asp)

2. General Development Skills

- Learn GIT, create a few repositories on GitHub, share your code with other people
   - Know HTTP(S) protocol, request methods (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, OPTIONS)
   - Don't be afraid of using Google, [Power Searching with Google](http://www.powersearchingwithGoogle.com/)
   - Read a few books about algorithms and data structures
   - Learn about implementation of a basic Authentication
   - Solid principles, etc

3. CLI Tools

1. [args4j](http://args4j.kohsuke.org/)
   2. [JCommander](http://jcommander.org/)
   3. [airline](https://github.com/airlift/airline)

4. Web Frameworks + Routers

1. [Spring](https://spring.io/)
   2. [helidon](https://helidon.io)
   3. [Spark](http://sparkjava.com/)
   4. [dropwizard](https://www.dropwizard.io/en/stable/)
   5. [nanohttpd](https://github.com/NanoHttpd/nanohttpd)
   6. [Vertx](https://vertx.io/)

5. Databases

1. Relational
      1. [SQL Server](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-2017)
      2. [PostgreSQL](https://www.postgresql.org/)
      3. [MariaDB](https://mariadb.org/)
      4. [MySQL](https://www.mysql.com/)
      5. [Oracle](https://www.oracle.com/database/)

2. Cloud Databases
      - [CosmosDB](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cosmos-db)
      - [DynamoDB](https://aws.amazon.com/dynamodb/)

3. Search Engines
      - [ElasticSearch](https://www.elastic.co/)
      - [Opensearch](https://opensearch.org/)
      - [Algolia](https://www.algolia.com/)

4. NoSQL
      - [MongoDB](https://www.mongodb.com/)
      - [Redis](https://redis.io/)
      - [Apache Cassandra](http://cassandra.apache.org/)
      - [Clickhouse](https://clickhouse.com/)
      - [InfluxDB](https://www.influxdata.com/)
      - [CouchDB](http://couchdb.apache.org/)
      - [Weaviate](https://weaviate.io)

6. ORMs

1. [Hibernate](https://hibernate.org/)
   2. [Ebean](https://ebean.io/)

7. Caching

1. [Caffeine](https://github.com/ben-manes/caffeine)
   2. [EHCache](http://www.ehcache.org/)
   3. [Cache2k](https://cache2k.org/)
   4. Distributed Cache
      1. [Java-Redis](https://github.com/xetorthio/jedis)
      2. [Java-Memcached](https://redislabs.com/lp/memcached-java/)
      3. [Infinispan](http://infinispan.org/)

8. Logging

1. Log Frameworks
      - [Zap](https://github.com/uber-Java/zap)
      - [TinyLog](http://www.tinylog.org/)
      - [log4j](https://logging.apache.org/log4j)

2. Log Management System
      - [ELK Stack](https://www.elastic.co/what-is/elk-stack)
      - [Sentry.io](http://sentry.io)
      - [Loggly.com](https://loggly.com)
      - [Tracer](https://github.com/zalando/tracer)

9. Real-Time Communication

1. [Socket.IO](https://socket.io/)
   2. [atmosphere](https://github.com/Atmosphere/atmosphere)
   3. [webbit](https://github.com/webbit/webbit)

10. API Clients

1. REST
      - [okhttp](https://square.github.io/okhttp/)
      - [retrofit](https://square.github.io/retrofit/)

2. [GraphQL](https://graphql.org/)

11. Good to Know

- [Beanvalidation](https://beanvalidation.org/)
   - [bouncycastle](https://www.bouncycastle.org/java.html)
   - [gson](https://github.com/google/gson)
   - [Apache Shiro](https://shiro.apache.org/)
   - [JJWT](https://github.com/jwtk/jjwt)
   - [RxJava](https://github.com/ReactiveX/RxJava)
   - [Quarkus](https://quarkus.io/)

12. Testing

1. Unit, Behavior, Integration, Load Testing
      - [JUnit](http://junit.org/)
      - [JMeter](https://jmeter.apache.org/)
      - [CitrusFramework](https://citrusframework.org/)
      - [Gatling](https://gatling.io/)
      - [Tsung](http://tsung.erlang-projects.org/)
      - [Mockito](https://site.mockito.org/)
      - [Assertj](https://joel-costigliola.github.io/assertj)

2. E2E Testing
      - [Selenium](https://github.com/tebeka/selenium)
      - [Wiremock](https://wiremock.org/)
      - [Testcontainers](https://testcontainers.com/)

13. Task Scheduling

- [Aurora](https://aurora.apache.org/)
   - [elasticjob](https://github.com/elasticjob/elastic-job-lite)
   - [Sundial](https://github.com/knowm/Sundial)
   - [cron-utils](https://github.com/jmrozanec/cron-utils)

14. AI/ML/LLM

- [langchain4j](https://github.com/langchain4j/langchain4j)
   - [langgraph4j](https://github.com/langgraph4j/langgraph4j)

15. MicroServices

1. Message-Broker
      - [RabbitMQ](https://www.rabbitmq.com/)
      - [Apache Kafka](https://kafka.apache.org/)
      - [ActiveMQ](https://github.com/apache/activemq)
      - [Apache Pulsar](https://pulsar.apache.org/)

2. Message-Bus
      - [mbassador](https://github.com/bennidi/mbassador)
      - [rmq](https://github.com/xetorthio/rmq)

3. Frameworks
      - [Apollo](https://spotify.github.io/apollo/)
      - [lagom-framework](https://www.lightbend.com/lagom-framework)
      - [micronaut](https://micronaut.io/)
      - [eureka](https://github.com/Netflix/eureka)
      - [helidon](https://helidon.io/#/)
      - [armeria](https://github.com/line/armeria)

4. RPC
      - [Protocol Buffers](https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf)
      - [gRPC-Java](https://github.com/grpc/grpc-java)
      - [thrift](https://thrift.apache.org/)

5. Workflow Engine
      - [Temporal](https://temporal.io)

16. [Java-Patterns](https://github.com/iluwatar/java-design-patterns)

## Wrap Up

If you think the roadmap can be improved, please open a PR with any updates or submit an issue.

I will continue improving this roadmap, so you might want to star the repository and revisit it as the Java ecosystem evolves.

Idea from: [Golang Developer Roadmap](https://github.com/Alikhll/golang-developer-roadmap)

## Contribution

The roadmap is built using [Draw.io](https://www.draw.io/).

The project file can be found at `java-developer-roadmap.xml`.

To modify it:

- Open Draw.io
- Click **Open Existing Diagram**
- Choose the `xml` file
- Update the roadmap
- Export it as PNG with 400% zoom
- Minify it with [Compressor.io](https://compressor.io/compress)
- Update the image in the repository
- Open a pull request

You can also:

- Open a pull request with improvements
- Discuss ideas in issues
- Spread the word

## License

[![License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-CC%20BY--NC--SA%204.0-lightgrey.svg)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)

Repository info

Default branch: main
Latest version: —
Created: 2019-04-23
Last activity: 2026-10-07
License: MIT
Open issues: 0
Watchers: 110

Topics

guidelines java jee roadmap software-architecture software-development software-engineering spring-boot

Contributors

s4kibs4mi

20 contributions

muhammadattia95

4 contributions

amenomori

1 contributions

dammike

1 contributions

ErdemOzgen

1 contributions