With the fast-paced technology, every developer wants to build something which requires less time and effort. Being in one of the most growing communities with a count of more than 10 million, developers have to maintain that by working more efficiently. The best plugin you use for your project, the more efficient an application is. Like Python which has uncountable libraries used to build an application, Java has plugins that can be installed in Eclipse to boost productivity and add extra functionalities to the application. Plugins are the smallest, deployable and extensible libraries that contain pieces of code meant for some specific purpose.
How to install plugins in your IDE (Eclipse)? The answer is using the marketplace in Eclipse. Eclipse marketplace has provided you with the feature to search for a plugin and its download count in the IDE itself. Eclipse has 1667 plugins available for Spring Boot and Java development. Having too many plugins creates confusion as to which one to choose. We have filtered some of the best plugins which you can use for SpringBoot and Java in Eclipse. Let’s explore them one by one.
1. EGit
EGit (an Eclipse provider for Git) is one of the best plugins for Java developers. As many of us know that Git is an open-source version control system where every developer can manage and update changes to the source code of the website. When using Eclipse for implementing software, EGit is an essential tool that can be used by developers to perform operations like branching and reverting a single file. This plugin provides rebasing and has streamlined commands to pull/push, synchronize view, support, and read for . git/exclude files. It has multiple views to perform Git actions without knowing git commands.
Features of EGit:
- Creating backup is easy
- Track and update changes
- Git repository cloning to pull, push, merge, commit, etc
2. SonarLint
SonarLint is a free plugin for Eclipse that is primarily responsible for detecting and fixing quality and security issues while writing code. It provides instant feedback on the problems faced in the code during development supporting multiple languages other than Java such as JavaScript, PHP, and Python. Additionally, SonarLint can also be integrated with SonarQube or SonarCloud. SonarLint is used by developers to analyze code, detect errors/bugs, and act as a quality editor.
Features of SonarLint:
- Big picture of all issues
- Secure, reliable, and maintainable
- Find logs wherever needed (Bug detection)
- Solves previous issues
3. TestNG
TestNG is an excellent plugin for Eclipse. Developers use it to perform unit, end-to-end, functional, and integration testing for Java projects. After performing tests, all errors found are reported in a new tab which helps you to fix issues efficiently. Also, it contains several templates to create easily. It comes with additional functionalities like data-driven testing, flexible test configuration, and execution models, and has default JDK functions for runtime and logging. If you’re new to Eclipse and don’t know how to install it, here you go – How to Install TestNG on Eclipse IDE?
Features of TestNG:
- Dependent groups, methods
- Multithreaded execution
- Uses more Java and Object-Oriented features
4. ADT (Android Development Tool)
Android Development Tool is an Eclipse plugin designed for Java developers with the intention to provide a robust and integrated environment to build android applications. It lets you perform tasks such as creating an application UI, adding packages on the basis of framework, and debugging applications. Java Programming Foundation – Self-Paced will help you ace the Java trends and will guide you with all the technical concepts.
Features of ADT:
- Powerful and integrated plugin
- Custom XML editors
- Ability to customize extensively
- Supports multiple operating systems
5. Spring Tools
Spring Tool is the most popular Java plugin in Eclipse used to create Spring Boot projects. This plugin comes with tools used to run and monitor apps from inside IDE. You can also navigate through spring-specific code completion. It eases the development of applications by integrating Spring Boot with Initalzr. Having integration with Cloud Foundry, this plugin helps you to make it a perfect plugin for microservice development. The latest version used by Java developers is Spring Boot 4.
Features of Spring Tools:
- Provides you with run-time information
- Fast and productive
- Flexible plugin
- Secure and productive
6. EclEmma Java Code Coverage
EclEmma, with its latest version 3.1.6 is available at the Eclipse marketplace is a free code coverage tool for Eclipse. It mainly focuses on supporting the individual developer in an interactive way. It was inspired by the great EMMA library which is developed by Vlad Roubtsov. It helps in faster development, also when the execution is done, it highlights the coverage results with different colors indicating different statuses.
Features of EclEmma:
- Testing(JUnit, TestNG, SWTBOt)
- Analysis of code coverage
- Allows you to export/import files
- Speeds up your development
7. JRebel for Eclipse
JRebel is a tool used for productivity by developers to instantly reload code changes. It helps Java developers to create awesome applications very fast and gives them a high ROI productivity solution. It skips the rebuild, restart, and redeploy cycle common in Java development. It is easy to install and supports the majority of real-world enterprise Java stacks.
Features ofJRebel:
- Maintains state of the application
- Dedicated integration
- Visible real-time change
- Integrates with your stack seamlessly
