Oracle JDeveloper

An integrated environment for the application lifecycle

Oracle JDeveloper is a free integrated development environment for building Java-based applications. Oracle says it covers every step of the application lifecycle and gives complete end-to-end development for Oracle's own platform and applications. It is used to write Java EE composite applications. It includes code templates, a view of the modification history of files and source code navigation, which help developers move quickly around a large project.

Working with ADF and Oracle's platform

JDeveloper is designed to work with Oracle's Application Development Framework, known as ADF. The package includes ADF Faces components for building web user interfaces, and desktop integration for applications that need to reach a user's computer. Oracle also documents an Application Testing Suite for ADF applications, and it gives developers a route to write extensions that extend the environment itself.

Learning material for developers

Oracle publishes a getting started guide, documentation libraries for JDeveloper and ADF, installation instructions and a set of tutorials. Demonstrations and recorded training sessions are available, together with a discussion forum where developers can ask questions. Recorded ADF sessions and architecture videos cover best practices and code samples.

Tutorials and reference material for ADF

A set of ADF best practices and code samples sits alongside the tutorials, and Oracle publishes data sheets and overviews for both JDeveloper and ADF as downloadable documents. Developers who want the background can read the ADF architecture material and the new features guide for each version, which show what has changed since earlier releases and how the pieces fit together in a working application.

Current release and older versions

The current release is 14.1.2.0. Earlier versions, including 12c Release 2 (12.2.1.4) and 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.9), keep their own documentation. The documentation for the 11g release also covers the Oracle Team Productivity Center server, for teams that need shared support.