Java Web Developer Roadmap
Stage 1: Core Java (1-2 months)
Topics:
- Variables, Data Types, Operators
- Control Statements (if, switch, loops)
- Arrays, Strings
- OOP Concepts (Inheritance, Polymorphism, Abstraction, Encapsulation)
- Exception Handling
- File I/O
- Collections Framework
- Java 8 Features (Lambdas, Streams, Functional Interfaces)
Tools:
- IDE: IntelliJ IDEA / Eclipse
- Compiler: javac, online compilers
Resources:
- Java Programming - GeeksforGeeks
- Java Course - freeCodeCamp YouTube
Stage 2: Web Basics (1-2 weeks)
Topics:
- HTTP/HTTPS, REST APIs
- Frontend basics: HTML, CSS, JavaScript (just the basics)
- JSON
Resources:
- MDN Web Docs - HTML/CSS/JS
- Frontend Crash Course - Traversy Media
Stage 3: Java Web Development with Servlets & JSP (1 month)
Topics:
- Apache Tomcat server
- Servlets and Servlet lifecycle
- JSP (JavaServer Pages)
- MVC Architecture
- Sessions and Cookies
- Form handling
- JDBC (Java Database Connectivity)
Resources:
- Java Web Application Tutorial - [Link]
- Java EE Full Tutorial - YouTube
Stage 4: Frameworks - Spring & Spring Boot (1-2 months)
Topics:
- Spring Core (IOC, DI)
- Spring MVC
- Spring Boot (auto-configuration, starters)
- Spring Data JPA
- Hibernate ORM
- REST APIs using Spring Boot
- Validation, Exception Handling
- Security basics (Spring Security)
Tools:
- Spring Initializr
- Postman (API testing)
- Maven or Gradle
Resources:
- Spring Boot - Baeldung
- Spring Boot Crash Course - Amigoscode
Stage 5: Database (1 month)
Topics:
- SQL basics (joins, group by, subqueries)
- MySQL or PostgreSQL
- Database design (Normalization)
- Using Spring Data JPA and Hibernate with MySQL
Resources:
- SQL Tutorial - W3Schools
- MySQL + Spring Boot Tutorial - Javatpoint
Stage 6: Build Projects
Project Ideas:
1. Employee Management System (CRUD with Spring Boot + MySQL)
2. E-commerce Backend API
3. Library Management System
4. Blog Application with Authentication
5. Todo App with Spring Boot + React (full-stack)
Stage 7: Advanced Topics (optional but good to learn)
Topics:
- Spring Security (JWT Auth)
- Docker basics
- Unit Testing (JUnit, Mockito)
- Swagger (API documentation)
- CI/CD basics (GitHub Actions)
Tools You Should Know:
- Git and GitHub
- Maven or Gradle
- Postman
- Docker (basics)
- IntelliJ IDEA
Suggested Weekly Plan (12 Weeks):
Week | Focus Area
1-2 | Core Java
3 | Web Basics (HTML/CSS/JS)
4-5 | Servlets & JSP
6-7 | JDBC + MySQL
8-10 | Spring Boot + REST APIs
11 | Spring Data JPA + Hibernate
12 | Build a Project & Deploy