Java 8 and Beyond: An In-depth Introduction to Java Development 

Course Overview

Duration: 5 days
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Prerequisites: Basic programming knowledge in any language, understanding of object-oriented concepts helpful

Day 1: Java Fundamentals & Modern Development Environment

Introduction to Java and the Ecosystem

• Java platform overview: JVM, JRE, JDK

• Java's evolution: from Java 8 to modern versions (LTS releases)

• Write Once, Run Anywhere (WORA) principle

• Java Virtual Machine architecture and bytecode

• Understanding Java's role in enterprise and modern development

Development Environment Setup

• Installing OpenJDK and understanding vendor options

• IDE setup: IntelliJ IDEA or Eclipse configuration

• Maven and Gradle build tools introduction

• Version control integration with Git

• Command-line development tools and JAVA_HOME

Hands-on Lab:

• Set up complete Java development environment

• Create and run first Java application

• Navigate IDE features and debugging tools

• Practice command-line compilation and execution

Java Language Fundamentals

• Syntax, variables, and primitive data types

• String handling and string immutability

• Operators, expressions, and type conversion

• Control structures: if-else, switch, loops

• Arrays and array manipulation

• Input/output with Scanner and System.out

Hands-on Lab:

• Build console calculator with user input

• Practice string manipulation and formatting

• Create array-based data processing programs

• Implement various control flow patterns

Object-Oriented Programming Basics

• Classes and objects: definition and instantiation

• Instance variables, methods, and constructors

• Access modifiers: private, public, protected, default

• Method overloading and constructor overloading

• The this keyword and object references

• Static vs instance members

Hands-on Lab:

• Create Person class with multiple constructors

• Build BankAccount class with encapsulation

• Practice method overloading with utility classes

• Implement basic object interactions

Daily Project

Build a "Student Grade Management System" with classes for Student, Course, and GradeBook, demonstrating OOP fundamentals

Day 2: Advanced OOP, Collections & Exception Handling

Inheritance and Polymorphism

• Inheritance with extends keyword

• Method overriding and the @Override annotation

• The super keyword and constructor chaining

• Abstract classes and abstract methods

• Interfaces and multiple inheritance through interfaces

• Polymorphism and dynamic method dispatch

Hands-on Lab:

• Create inheritance hierarchy (Animal -> Mammal -> Dog)

• Implement interfaces for different behaviors

• Practice method overriding and polymorphism

• Build shape hierarchy with area calculations

Java Collections Framework

• Collection hierarchy: List, Set, Map interfaces

• ArrayList vs LinkedList: when to use each

• HashSet, TreeSet, and LinkedHashSet differences

• HashMap, TreeMap, and LinkedHashMap comparison

• Iterator pattern and enhanced for loops

• Collections utility class and common operations

Hands-on Lab:

• Implement custom data storage with different collections

• Practice searching, sorting, and filtering data

• Compare performance characteristics of different collections

• Build inventory management using maps and sets

Generic Programming

• Introduction to generics and type safety

• Generic classes and methods

• Bounded type parameters with wildcards

• Generic collections and type erasure

• Best practices for writing generic code

Hands-on Lab:

• Create generic utility classes (Stack, Queue)

• Implement generic methods for common operations

• Practice working with bounded generics

• Build type-safe data structures

Exception Handling

• Understanding checked vs unchecked exceptions

• Try-catch-finally blocks and resource management

• Creating custom exception classes

• Exception propagation and method signatures

• Best practices for exception handling

• Try-with-resources for automatic resource management

Hands-on Lab:

• Implement robust error handling in file operations

• Create custom exception hierarchy

• Practice resource management with try-with-resources

• Build error-resilient data processing applications

Daily Project

Build a "Library Management System" using inheritance, collections, generics, and comprehensive exception handling

Day 3: Java 8+ Features & Functional Programming

Lambda Expressions and Functional Interfaces

• Understanding functional programming concepts in Java

• Lambda expression syntax and usage

• Functional interfaces: Predicate, Consumer, Function, Supplier

• Method references and constructor references

• Functional interface composition and chaining

Hands-on Lab:

• Convert anonymous inner classes to lambda expressions

• Create custom functional interfaces

• Practice method references with different scenarios

• Build event handling with lambdas

Stream API Deep Dive

• Stream creation from collections, arrays, and generators

• Intermediate operations: map, filter, flatMap, sorted, distinct

• Terminal operations: collect, forEach, reduce, count, min, max

• Parallel streams and performance considerations

• Custom collectors and advanced stream operations

Hands-on Lab:

• Process large datasets with stream operations

• Implement complex data transformations

• Build data analysis pipelines with streams

• Compare performance of sequential vs parallel streams

Optional Class and Null Safety

• Understanding the problems with null references

• Optional creation, checking, and extraction

• Chaining optional operations with map and flatMap

• Best practices for optional usage

• Migrating from null-based to optional-based APIs

Hands-on Lab:

• Refactor null-prone code to use Optional

• Build safe method chains with optional

• Practice optional in stream operations

• Create null-safe API designs

Date and Time API (java.time)

• LocalDate, LocalTime, and LocalDateTime

• ZonedDateTime for timezone-aware operations

• Duration and Period for time calculations

• Formatting and parsing dates with DateTimeFormatter

• Working with different calendar systems

Hands-on Lab:

• Build date/time calculations and formatting

• Handle timezone conversions and scheduling

• Create date range operations and validations

• Implement time-based business logic

New Language Features (Java 9+)

• Var keyword for local variable type inference (Java 10+)

• Text blocks for multi-line strings (Java 13+)

• Switch expressions and pattern matching (Java 14+)

• Records for data classes (Java 14+)

• Sealed classes for controlled inheritance (Java 17+)

Hands-on Lab:

• Practice modern syntax with var and text blocks

• Create records for data transfer objects

• Implement switch expressions for complex logic

• Use sealed classes for domain modeling

Daily Project

Build a "Data Analysis Tool" using streams, optional, modern date/time API, and latest Java features

Day 4: I/O Operations, Multithreading & Concurrency

File I/O and NIO.2

• Traditional I/O with File, FileReader, FileWriter

• Modern file operations with Path and Files classes

• Reading and writing files with different approaches

• Directory operations and file system navigation

• Watching file system changes with WatchService

Hands-on Lab:

• Build file processing utilities

• Implement file monitoring and backup systems

• Create directory analysis tools

• Practice different I/O performance patterns

Serialization and Data Persistence

• Object serialization with Serializable interface

• Customizing serialization with readObject/writeObject

• JSON processing with popular libraries

• Configuration file handling (Properties, XML)

• Basic database connectivity with JDBC

Hands-on Lab:

• Serialize complex object graphs

• Build configuration management systems

• Create data export/import utilities

• Implement simple database operations

Introduction to Multithreading

• Understanding threads and concurrent execution

• Creating threads: extending Thread vs implementing Runnable

• Thread lifecycle and states

• Thread synchronization with synchronized keyword

• Inter-thread communication with wait/notify

• Common threading problems: deadlock, race conditions

Hands-on Lab:

• Create multi-threaded applications

• Practice thread synchronization techniques

• Implement producer-consumer patterns

• Debug and resolve threading issues

Modern Concurrency Utilities

• Executor framework and thread pools

• Callable and Future for asynchronous tasks

• CompletableFuture for complex async operations

• Concurrent collections: ConcurrentHashMap, BlockingQueue

• Atomic operations and lock-free programming

• Parallel processing with ForkJoinPool

Hands-on Lab:

• Build concurrent data processing applications

• Implement asynchronous service calls

• Use concurrent collections for thread-safe operations

• Create parallel computation algorithms

Daily Project

Build a "Multi-threaded File Processing System" that monitors directories, processes files concurrently, and maintains thread-safe statistics

Day 5: Testing, Build Tools & Enterprise Patterns

Unit Testing with JUnit 5

• JUnit 5 architecture and new features

• Writing effective test methods and assertions

• Test lifecycle methods and setup/teardown

• Parameterized tests and dynamic tests

• Test doubles and mocking with Mockito

• Test-driven development (TDD) practices

Hands-on Lab:

• Write comprehensive unit tests for existing code

• Practice TDD by writing tests first

• Use mocking for external dependencies

• Create test suites and organize tests effectively

Build Automation and Dependency Management

• Maven deep dive: POM files, dependencies, lifecycles

• Gradle fundamentals: build scripts and task management

• Dependency management and version conflicts

• Building executable JARs and WAR files

• Multi-module projects and best practices

• Integration with CI/CD pipelines

Hands-on Lab:

• Set up Maven/Gradle projects from scratch

• Manage external dependencies and plugins

• Create multi-module applications

• Build and package applications for deployment

Design Patterns and Enterprise Patterns

• Singleton, Factory, and Builder patterns

• Observer pattern and event-driven design

• Strategy pattern for algorithm selection

• Dependency Injection and Inversion of Control

• MVC pattern for application architecture

• Repository pattern for data access

Hands-on Lab:

• Implement common design patterns

• Refactor code to use dependency injection

• Build layered application architecture

• Create pluggable and extensible designs

Introduction to Spring Framework

• Spring ecosystem overview

• Dependency injection with Spring IoC container

• Configuration: annotations vs XML vs Java config

• Spring Boot for rapid application development

• Building RESTful web services

• Spring Data for database access

Hands-on Lab:

• Create Spring Boot applications

• Build REST APIs with proper HTTP methods

• Implement data access with Spring Data JPA

• Configure application properties and profiles

Application Architecture and Best Practices

• Layered architecture patterns

• Separation of concerns and SOLID principles

• Package organization and modular design

• Logging with SLF4J and Logback

• Configuration management strategies

• Performance monitoring and profiling

Hands-on Lab:

• Structure applications with proper layering

• Implement comprehensive logging strategies

• Add performance monitoring and metrics

• Create maintainable and scalable code

Final Project Integration

Build a "Task Management REST API" featuring:

• Spring Boot application with layered architecture

• RESTful endpoints for CRUD operations

• Database integration with Spring Data JPA

• Comprehensive unit and integration tests

• Build automation with Maven/Gradle

• Modern Java features throughout

• Proper exception handling and logging

• Documentation and deployment preparation