I’m trying to find some good examples of open source web applications that use Java for their backend development. I know there are popular examples in other programming languages like Reddit, which is built with Python, and OpenStreetMap that uses Ruby on Rails. But I’m specifically interested in Java-based projects since that’s what I’m working with right now.
Can anyone recommend some well-known open source websites or web applications that have their backend code written in Java? I want to study their architecture and see how they handle things like database connections, user authentication, and API endpoints. It would be really helpful to look at real production code to learn best practices.
I’m particularly interested in projects that are actively maintained and have good documentation. Social media platforms, e-commerce sites, or content management systems would be perfect examples if they exist in the Java ecosystem.
you should def look into Atlassian projects! they got lots of open-sourced bits and a strong java backbone. by the way, what frameworks are you thinking about? like spring boot or microservices? that could help narrow things down!
Jenkins is an excellent choice for studying Java backend architecture. It’s widely deployed and illustrates key patterns in plugin management, distributed computing, and REST APIs. Observing how it manages concurrent jobs while maintaining stability under heavy loads can provide valuable insights.
Apache Kafka serves as another notable example, particularly for high-throughput messaging and distributed systems. It showcases advanced Java patterns related to networking, serialization, and cluster coordination.
For web applications, consider Broadleaf Commerce. This robust e-commerce platform built on Spring offers lessons in complex business logic, payment integration, and scalable database patterns relevant to real-world commercial projects.