What is Core Java
The word Core describes the basic concept of something, and here, the phrase ‘Core Java’ defines the basic Java that covers the basic concept of Java programming language. We all are aware that Java is one of the well-known and widely used programming languages, and to begin with it, the beginner has to start the journey with Core Java and then towards the Advance Java. The Java programming language is a general-purpose programming language that is based on the OOPs concept. The ocean of Java is too deep to learn, i.e., as much you learn more, you will know its depth. Java is a platform-independent and robust programming language. The principle followed by Java is WORA that says Write Once, Run Anywhere. The programming language is quite simple and easy to understand. But one should know that Core Java is not different from Java. Java is complete in itself, but for the beginners, it is natural that the beginner must begin with the core concepts of Java. In actual, Java has different editions, where Core Java is one of the parts of an edition.
Java Editions
The Java Programming Language has the following defined editions that it supports:
Java SE (Java Standard Edition)
The Java SE is a computing-based platform and used for developing desktop or Window based applications. Thus, core Java is the part of Java SE where the developers develop desktop-based applications by using the basic concepts of Java where JDK (Java Development Kit) is a quite familiar Java SE implementation.
Java EE (Java Enterprise Edition)
Also known as Java 2 Platform or J2EE. It is the enterprise platform where a developer develops applications on the servers, i.e., the enterprise development. This edition is used for web development.
Java ME (Java Micro Edition)
It is the micro edition that is used for the development of mobile phone applications. Thus, for the development of mobile applications, one needs to use Java ME.
Thus, it is clear that Core Java is the part of Java SE and Java SE is the foundation for all other Java editions.
Concepts Covered in Core Java
The following concepts are some of the major basic concepts of Java through which a beginner should go through:
- Java Fundamentals
- OOPs Concepts
- Overloading & Overriding
- Inheritance with Interface and Abstract Class
- Exception Handling
- Packages
- Collections
- Multithreading
- Swings
- Applets
- JDBC (Basic Database Connections)
Although these major concepts hold its own depth, after gaining and implementing the best knowledge in the basic Java concepts, one can move towards the advanced Java version as the advanced section of the Java is quite interesting but can only be understood when the core concepts of Java are clear.
Core Java Vs. Advance Java
Both Core Java and Advance Java are parts of Java programming, but for understanding the entire Java better, we need to differentiate between both. So, below we have described some differences between both core java and advance Java:
| Core Java | Advance Java |
|---|---|
| Core Java covers the basic concepts of the Java programming language. | Advance Java covers the advanced topics and concepts of the Java programming language. |
| Core Java is used for developing computing or desktop applications. | Advance Java is used for developing enterprise applications. |
| It is the first step, to begin with, Java. | It is the next step after completing the Core Java. |
| Core Java is based on single-tier architecture. | Advance Java is based on two-tier architecture. |
| It comes under Java SE. | It comes under Java EE or J2EE. |
| It covers core topics such as OOPs, inheritance, exception handling, etc. | It covers advanced topics such as JDBC, servlets, JSP, web services etc. |