Which Java Technologies Are Still Worth Learning? A Practical Guide

Recently I received many private messages from readers asking whether certain technologies are worth learning, including some overseas students interested in Java GUI development and job opportunities.

Below are the criteria I use to judge a technology's relevance: whether it is used in real development, whether it deepens technical understanding, and whether it is useful for interviews.

JSP

JSP is mainly used as the View layer in the MVC model, but most companies have moved to full front‑end/back‑end separation, providing services via REST APIs. Consequently, learning JSP is no longer necessary.

Struts

Although Struts was once a solid MVC framework, Spring MVC now dominates Java development as a one‑stop solution, and new projects rarely use Struts. Beginners should start with Spring MVC instead.

Hibernate

Hibernate is a powerful ORM framework but comes with high learning cost, complex configuration, and difficult tuning. For performance‑critical applications, its abstraction can be a drawback. Lightweight alternatives like MyBatis offer similar benefits with better SQL control, making Hibernate less popular today.

Servlet (must master)

Despite not being a mainstream web development technology anymore, Servlet remains the foundation of Java web containers and underpins all MVC frameworks, including Spring MVC. Understanding Servlet deeply is essential for mastering any higher‑level framework.

Other technologies

In the Chinese market, many Java technologies are less relevant:

Applet : Browser plug‑in technology, virtually obsolete.

Swing : Desktop UI framework; most desktop apps use C++ (MFC) or C# (WinForms/WPF) instead.

JDBC : Low‑level database access; frameworks like MyBatis cover most needs, so JDBC can be deprioritized.

XML : Still used for data exchange but increasingly replaced by JSON; deep XML APIs (e.g., XPath) are rarely required.

These are my personal opinions and may be subjective; I hope they help your learning journey.