Which Java Technologies Are Obsolete? What to Skip in Modern Backend Development

Java has evolved for nearly two decades, creating a rich ecosystem of frameworks and tools. Many developers are unsure which technologies are worth learning and which have become obsolete.

The author evaluates outdated Java knowledge based on three criteria: practical use in real projects, contribution to deeper technical understanding, and relevance for job interviews.

JSP

JSP serves as the view layer in traditional MVC, but most companies have shifted to front‑end‑back‑end separation, rendering JSP learning unnecessary.

Struts

While Struts is a solid MVC framework, Spring MVC now dominates as the one‑stop solution for Java web development; beginners should start with Spring MVC instead of Struts.

Hibernate

Hibernate offers powerful ORM capabilities but suffers from high learning cost, complex configuration, and difficult performance tuning; many developers now prefer the lightweight MyBatis framework, which combines configuration flexibility with direct SQL access.

Servlet (master it)

Pure Servlet development is rare, yet Servlets remain the foundation of Java web containers and underlie all MVC frameworks, including Spring MVC. A deep understanding of the Servlet lifecycle enables advanced request interception, permission checks, and response manipulation.

Other Technologies

Applet and Swing are largely obsolete in modern development. JDBC, while still supported by frameworks, can be deprioritized if time is limited. XML continues to be used but is increasingly replaced by JSON; only basic familiarity is needed.

In summary, focus on current mainstream tools such as Spring MVC, MyBatis, and a solid grasp of Servlets, and ignore the listed outdated technologies.

Below is a simple diagram illustrating the recommendation (illustrative only):