The first and foremost reason is the platform-independent feature of Java.

Platform
independence means programmers who developed their software in one platform can execute
it on any platform or operating system regardless of underlying configuration, because of
Java Virtual Machine. In other words, we can say that Java follows the WORA rule which
says Write Once Run Anywhere. Besides that Java provides security over eavesdropping,
tampering, impersonation, and virus threat. Java also provides a multi-threading feature
through which we can create multiple threads under any process which works independently
and simultaneously.

Other than these, the performance of Java is also impressive. It uses JIT(Just In Time
Compiler) that is capable of compiling only that method which is being called and not the
whole program. This saves a lot of time and makes overall development efficient. Due to its
high performance, Java has a wide variety of applications. Java is one of the oldest
programming languages used for the development of android applications. It is also used for
scientific and web applications. These all made Java so popular.

Major Features of Java

1. Simple and Easy to Learn

Java is easy to learn and simple to use as a programming language. It is because of
following reasons:

• Java comprises the same syntax as C, and C++.

• It holds automatic garbage collection features.
• Java eliminated its unused features.
• It keeps bringing regular updates for better performance.
Java has its own community to make learning and using Java easy.

2. Object-Oriented Programming
Almost everything written in Java is object and class, making it a true object-oriented
programming (OOP) language. The basic concept of OOP is:

• Object: Object is a real-world entity in Java that encompasses state, functionality,

and identity.
• Class: Class is a logical entity which includes a group of objects with common
properties. It contains fields, methods, constructors, blocks, nested classes and
interfaces.
• Inheritance: It’s a concept in Java through which developers can create new
classes built upon existing classes to achieve runtime polymorphism.
• Polymorphism: A Mechanism in Java through which you can perform a single
action in multiple ways. Polymorphism can be of two types- Compile time and
runtime.
• Abstraction: It’s a method to hide internal processing and show only essential
things to the users.

3. Platform Independence
Unlike other languages, Java is not limited to any specific machine and dependent on other
factors to run. The Java platform is independent because:

• It uses a runtime environment of its own, i.e. JVM.

• It is a write-once, run-anywhere language.
• It is a software-based platform that runs on top of other hardware-based platforms.
• Its code can be executed on multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, Sun
Solaris, and Mac/OS.
• The Java code is compiled by the compiler and converted into bytecode.

4. Automatic Memory Management

Automatic memory management is a crucial feature of Java programming. It helps in:

• Create high-performance system.

• Automatically allocate and free up space for objects.
• Eliminating the worries about memory management.
• Issues like object destruction don’t occur.
• There is no need to add memory management logic.

5. Security
Java programming language is known for its security. With it, you can create virus-free
systems because:

• Java programming language runs inside a virtual machine.

• It uses its own runtime environment- JVM.
• Java includes a security manager, which determines what resources a class can
access, such as reading and writing to the local disk.
• In Java run time, a class loader separates the package for the classes of the local
file system from the files imported from network sources.
• Java also consists of Bytecode Verifier, which checks the code fragments for illegal
code.

6. Rich API
Being one of the oldest programming languages, Java has a rich API. Some popular Java
APIs are:

• Java Advanced Imaging (JAI)

• Java Data Objects (JDO)
• Java Media Frameworks (JMF)
• Java Persistence API (JPA)
• Java 3D (J3D)

7. Multithreading
Multithreading is an essential feature of Java that makes Java programming exclusive. It
offers several benefits:

• It lets Java developers execute multiple threads at the same time.

• It’s used to achieve multitasking.
• It saves time.
 • It’s mostly used in games and animation.
• Threads work independently and don’t impact other threads, even if created
simultaneously.

8. High Performance
Java is a programming language with a high-performance rate. It is because:

• Java uses bytecode that can be easily translated into native machine code.
• It has multiple easy-to-use frameworks.
• It is compatible with multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, Sun Solaris,
and Mac/OS.
• It is a write-once, run-anywhere language.
• Java also automatically clears the garbage to enhance its performance.

9. Scalability
Java offers its users scalability, which means it can deal with more and more users and
works. It is so because:

• Java is an object-oriented programming language.

• It has the ability to handle large databases.
• Java doesn’t require multiple resources while running.
• It uses multithreading and multiprocessing.\
• Java includes a higher volume of code.

10. Simplified Syntax

Java is one of the most used programming languages with simplified syntax. Some basic
features of writing syntax for Java:

• Java programming language is easily understood by the compiler and computer.

• It is case-sensitive, which means “hello world” or “HelloWorld” are two different
things.
• It includes a bunch of objects and classes.
• The Java code statements end with semicolons (;).
• In Java syntax, there are delimiters “{…}” that denote a block of code

What are the main uses of Java?

Answer: Since Java is distributed and system independent, it can be used anywhere like:

1. Web Development
2. Software Development
3. Mobile Application Development
4. Distributed Applications
5. Web servers
6. Enterprise Application
Advantages of Java
1. Allows reusability of code - Java is a general-purpose programming
language that enables coders to write the program once and run it on the
same platform or anywhere else, thus allowing them to create reusable
code.

2. WORA (Write once run anywhere) - Java does not rely on one particular
platform to run the codes. The "byte code" or compiled code of Java
enjoys platform independence, meaning the code can be written once and
run anywhere else, regardless of the operating system, provided it supports
Java virtual machine.

3. Vast ecosystem of libraries - Java has large ecosystem of libraries,

frameworks, and tools that cater to various application domains, such as web
development, mobile app development, and more.

4. Java mitigates client-side security risks - By minimizing the usage of

explicit pointers, Java decreases security concerns and dangers since a
pointer maintains the memory address of another value that can be used to
gain unwanted or unauthorized access. This problem can be solved by
eliminating the idea of pointers. In addition, each Java programming has a
 security manager that allows us to create class access constraints, thus
removing risks.

5. Automatic Garbage Collection - Java's automatic memory management

system (Garbage Collection) efficiently handles memory allocation, removing
objects not in use without user intervention.

6. Multithreading - A thread is the smallest unit of a program. Multithreading

means multiple threads can run together in Java programming. These
threads share the same memory space and run independently of one
another. This allows efficient utilization of the processor.

7. Multi-purpose - Applications of Java include a wide range of mobile

applications, distributed applications, applications based on IoT, gaming-
based and web-based applications. The overview of the Java-based
application programming interface is very different from that created using
native applications.

8. Stability - Any new version of Java can be quickly and easily released and
used. This is a huge advantage and makes this language stable and reliable.

9. Active community and ecosystem - Java has a large and strong

community of developers, so you can find many resources, libraries, and
frameworks to assist in your development projects. It also has strong support
from Oracle.
Disadvantages of Java
1. Poor performance - It is a slow and time-consuming language compared to
C/C++ since the code gets interpreted to machine-level code every time.
This adds an extra step of running it by JVM. The garbage collector also
adds to the consumption of time and memory space as it uses higher CPU
time.

2. No backup facility - Java is known for excellent code and data storage
but does not back it up for later use by Java developers. Therefore, many
coders abstain from using this language in the long run.

3. GUI looks are boring - Java has some popular builders and frameworks
like Swing toolkit and JavaFX for an attractive-looking GUI, but those
are not very useful when building complex and rich interfaces.
Therefore, programming via a language that does not provide an interface as
attractive as others can get monotonous and unworthy.

4. Complex codes - To make the program manageable, there are many long
and complex sentences and complicated words in the syntax of Java that
make the code difficult to read and memorize. In other words, Java code can
be verbose, requiring more lines of code to accomplish tasks compared to
some other programming languages.

5. Occupies vast memory space - Although garbage collection is a boon in

Java programming, but due to its execution, memory efficiency and
processor performance are negatively impacted. In short, Java requires
an enormous memory space and storage compared to C/C++, which is
worth considering before shifting our language base.

6. Limited Low-Level Access - The strong security features of Java restrict

low-level access to system resources and hardware, which can be a
disadvantage for certain types of applications.