Hello guys, if you want to learn Java 8, in a particular lambda expression, Stream API, method reference, and new Date and Time API, and looking for the best resources then you have come to the right place. Earlier, I have shared the best Spring Framework courses and free Java courses and today, I am going to share the best tutorials to learn Java 8 features. It's a long time since Java 8 was released, and there are so many Java 8 tutorials are written by Oracle, Java bloggers, and other people, but which should you read? Which tutorials are worth your time?
Actually, this question is asked to me by one of my readers called John, he was asking me about some good Java 8 tutorials, which he can read to start with. This encouraged me to take a look at some of the Java 8 tutorials available on the internet and form a list of the best.
I have just used three criteria, content, language, and length. Because tutorials complement books, they should not be like the book. They should be small enough to complete in a few hours and complete enough to give useful information. I also like tutorials, which discuss practical problems and examples.
One more thing which I kept in mind while choosing these tutorials is that this list of Java 8 tutorials must explain core features like lambda expressions, streams, default or extension methods, annotation changes in Java 8, Nashron JavaScript engine, new Date and Time API and a couple of more exciting features.
I think the following Java 8 tutorials have all these qualities, and they are currently the best Java 8 tutorial available online.
Here is my list of Java 8 tutorials, which I will recommend to any Java programmer who wants to learn Java 8. These tutorials are suitable for both intermediate and experienced Java programmers, you will learn sufficient details of all key Java 8 features by following good non-trivial examples.
Most of the tutorials are detailed enough to provide all critical information and good enough to engage you for that period. So let's first start with official Java 8 tutorials from Oracle itself.
It explains all essential features of Java 8, like lambda expressions, streams, functional interfaces, Optional, new date, and time API, and other miscellaneous changes.
You can get this online Java 8 course for free by signing up for a 10-day free trial, which is more than enough to learn some other Java 8 courses from the Pluralsight as well like From Collections to Streams in Java 8 Using Lambda Expressions by Richard Warburton, one of the best course to learn lambda expression with collection classes.
Btw, this course uses IntelliJ IDEA for demonstration and coding, so if you are an Eclipse guy like me, you may be a little bit worried, but don't worry because they provide detailed instruction to install IntelliJ IDEA as part of the course.
IntelliJ IDEA also has many exciting features concerning Java 8, like code completion, compilation support, and debugging Java 8 code, coding lambdas in IDEA is exciting and fun.
Apart from this, Udemy also has some exciting Java 8 courses, like Java 8 Functional Programming: Lambda Expressions Quickly, which is a FREE course, and I suggest every Java developer join that.
This course has two parts, in the first part you will learn lambdas, and in the 2nd part, you will learn about Streams.
They have even started work with Java 9, with features like money API, modules API, and several others. Coming to this tutorial, it's the first one to look at, even if you don't go along with all the examples, you must first look at this and then follow some other tutorials from the internet.
Oracle has covered almost all essential features of Java 8, like lambda expressions, Stream API, default methods, Functional Programming, bulk data operations, Optional, new Date and Time API, annotation changes in Java 8, and others.
This particular link is for their lambda expression tutorial, but you can find all other topics by following this link. It seems they have just done some CSS changes on their website, which makes reading this tutorial an even more pleasant experience.
I really liked how they have organized the tutorial and how they take you from simple to complex concepts in the matter of a few examples. It's one of the best Java 8 tutorials, you can get for FREE, so don't forget to fully utilize it.
They even have lots of useful articles about date and time, options, and other features which you find on the Java Tech network.
It's not as detailed as official Java 8 tutorials from Oracle, but plainly detailed enough to give you exposure to all critical details. It's worth all the seconds you spent on this tutorial, well organized, and helpful and straightforward examples.
Benjamin Winterberg has done a fabulous job, Kudos to him. Along with content, the presentation is also excellent and once you start reading you will only getting up after finishing it, not much scrolling you can do there :)
This will explain to you the concept right from the start, as for why do you need lambda expression, and if you are one who is lost between the cryptic syntax of lambda expression ( I was, almost a year ago ), then this article is something you can look forward.
It explains the syntax of lambda expressions, how lambda does type inference, and how lambda expression works.
The focus is, how do you write clean code using lambdas and how functional interfaces, method reference, and constructor reference help you on your goal.
It also touches on the tricky topic of lexical scoping used in lambda expressions along with default methods, and static methods on interfaces.
If you are not convinced yet to read this tutorial, you would after knowing that author of this article is none other than Cay S. Horstmann, professor of computer science at San Jose State University, a Java Champion, and a frequent speaker in the computer industry conferences and author of Java SE 8 For the Really Impatient book.
It can be really confusing when you find you can pass lambdas to some method but not to others, as you can only give a lambda expression to a process whose parameter is a functional interface, annotated by @FunctionalInterface or SAM type (a class or interface with just one abstract way).
The Netbeans IDE really helps here; it will suggest to you when you can use lambdas when you can use method reference, where it is legal, and where it is illegal.
So along with any of these tutorials or books, Netbeans should be your best companion in your Java 8 journey.
This is actually one of the most authoritative sources of lambdas. This list of frequently asked questions is maintained by Maurice Naftalin, author of Mastering Lambdas: Java Programming in a Multicore World, one of the better books to learn Lambda expression.
Sooner or later, you will come to this site, but since you know about it now, it's worth paying a visit and taking an idea of what you can learn about lambda expression in Java 8.
You can find how to filter using streams, how to collect results, finding max and min, average, and working with integer streams there.
If you love to learn by following different kinds of how-to examples, then you will find this tutorial useful. It's more focused on how to do in Java 8 but also gives you essential details while trying those examples.
Some of the Katas are in Scala, which gives you more challenges of converting them into Java 8 code. So if you like to practice some programming Katas using Lambda expressions, Streams, and new Java 8 utilities, this site is for you.
This is a busy developer's guide, who wants to learn by following and doing examples. You will find how you can replace your old anonymous class way of coding with brand new lambda expressions.
I have given examples of how single abstract method interfaces, like Runnable, Comparable, Comparator, and ActionListener, can benefit hugely from lambda expressions and functional interfaces.
Since Java allows SAM type functional interface, you can create a method in Java 8 ways.
After a lot of criticism of Java's handling of Date, Time, and Calendar, Java has now sorted out all its mistakes by giving us a brand new Date and Time API. This API is the result of all experiences of how a programming language should handle critical date and time.
Though API looks largely inspired by joda date and time API, it's exceptionally designed. One of the critical things is the separation of date from a human and a machine point of view.
You have classes like Instant, Duration, LocalDate, LocalTime for your day-to-day needs. Java's handling of time zones is also better in this new API, I hope it provides some way to reduce errors due to confusing names, like Asia/HongKong and Asia/Hong_Kong (one of them is valid).
As suggested, this article provides a more in-depth look into Java 8 Date and Time API. It's an example-driven article, and I am sure you will love it.
I am really surprised by how he covers the concepts one by one in an order, which looks perfect. Since there are a lot of things to learn about Streams, there is a good chance that one or two will be missed.
I think the following Java 8 tutorials have all these qualities, and they are currently the best Java 8 tutorial available online.
List of Best Java 8 Tutorials
Most of the tutorials are detailed enough to provide all critical information and good enough to engage you for that period. So let's first start with official Java 8 tutorials from Oracle itself.
1. What's New in Java 8 by Pluralsight
If you want to learn everything about new features in Java 8 in a quick time, then this is the best tutorial or course for you.It explains all essential features of Java 8, like lambda expressions, streams, functional interfaces, Optional, new date, and time API, and other miscellaneous changes.
You can get this online Java 8 course for free by signing up for a 10-day free trial, which is more than enough to learn some other Java 8 courses from the Pluralsight as well like From Collections to Streams in Java 8 Using Lambda Expressions by Richard Warburton, one of the best course to learn lambda expression with collection classes.
2. The Complete Java Masterclass on Udemy
This is another excellent online Java 8 course that will teach you everything about lambdas, Collections with Stream, new Date, and Time API, and different unique features.Btw, this course uses IntelliJ IDEA for demonstration and coding, so if you are an Eclipse guy like me, you may be a little bit worried, but don't worry because they provide detailed instruction to install IntelliJ IDEA as part of the course.
IntelliJ IDEA also has many exciting features concerning Java 8, like code completion, compilation support, and debugging Java 8 code, coding lambdas in IDEA is exciting and fun.
Apart from this, Udemy also has some exciting Java 8 courses, like Java 8 Functional Programming: Lambda Expressions Quickly, which is a FREE course, and I suggest every Java developer join that.
This course has two parts, in the first part you will learn lambdas, and in the 2nd part, you will learn about Streams.
3. Official Java 8 Tutorial from Oracle
Oracle has done an outstanding job with Java after its acquisition from Sun Microsystem. All the worries of Java no longer being open source and destroyed by Oracle are settled by now, and if you still have that in mind, then it will surely go away after using Java 8.They have even started work with Java 9, with features like money API, modules API, and several others. Coming to this tutorial, it's the first one to look at, even if you don't go along with all the examples, you must first look at this and then follow some other tutorials from the internet.
Oracle has covered almost all essential features of Java 8, like lambda expressions, Stream API, default methods, Functional Programming, bulk data operations, Optional, new Date and Time API, annotation changes in Java 8, and others.
This particular link is for their lambda expression tutorial, but you can find all other topics by following this link. It seems they have just done some CSS changes on their website, which makes reading this tutorial an even more pleasant experience.
I really liked how they have organized the tutorial and how they take you from simple to complex concepts in the matter of a few examples. It's one of the best Java 8 tutorials, you can get for FREE, so don't forget to fully utilize it.
They even have lots of useful articles about date and time, options, and other features which you find on the Java Tech network.
4. Java 8 Tutorial By Benjamin Winterberg
When I first come across this tutorial, I was thinking of it as "Yet Another Java 8 Tutorial," but I was wrong, it's very well written and probably better than official Java 8 tutorials from Oracle for impatient developers.It's not as detailed as official Java 8 tutorials from Oracle, but plainly detailed enough to give you exposure to all critical details. It's worth all the seconds you spent on this tutorial, well organized, and helpful and straightforward examples.
Benjamin Winterberg has done a fabulous job, Kudos to him. Along with content, the presentation is also excellent and once you start reading you will only getting up after finishing it, not much scrolling you can do there :)
5. Lambda Expressions in Java 8
Dr. Dobbs is one of the respected sites among developers, and they often introduce new concepts with excellent details. This article has done justice with the most important feature of Java 8, lambda expression.This will explain to you the concept right from the start, as for why do you need lambda expression, and if you are one who is lost between the cryptic syntax of lambda expression ( I was, almost a year ago ), then this article is something you can look forward.
It explains the syntax of lambda expressions, how lambda does type inference, and how lambda expression works.
The focus is, how do you write clean code using lambdas and how functional interfaces, method reference, and constructor reference help you on your goal.
It also touches on the tricky topic of lexical scoping used in lambda expressions along with default methods, and static methods on interfaces.
If you are not convinced yet to read this tutorial, you would after knowing that author of this article is none other than Cay S. Horstmann, professor of computer science at San Jose State University, a Java Champion, and a frequent speaker in the computer industry conferences and author of Java SE 8 For the Really Impatient book.
6. Overview of JDK 8 Support in NetBeans IDE
Out of the big three Java IDEs (Eclipse, Netbeans, and IntelliJ IDEA), I think Netbeans has the best support for Java 8. Their code assist and quick tips helped me a lot to master the syntax of lambda expression and where I can use lambda.It can be really confusing when you find you can pass lambdas to some method but not to others, as you can only give a lambda expression to a process whose parameter is a functional interface, annotated by @FunctionalInterface or SAM type (a class or interface with just one abstract way).
The Netbeans IDE really helps here; it will suggest to you when you can use lambdas when you can use method reference, where it is legal, and where it is illegal.
So along with any of these tutorials or books, Netbeans should be your best companion in your Java 8 journey.
7. Maurice Naftalin's Lambda FAQ
This is one of the premier resources for lambda expression and Java 8. You will get answers to all your queries related to lambda expression here, e.g., Why Java needs lambda expression, how Lambda expression works internally, and all syntax and semantics of Java 8 lambdas.This is actually one of the most authoritative sources of lambdas. This list of frequently asked questions is maintained by Maurice Naftalin, author of Mastering Lambdas: Java Programming in a Multicore World, one of the better books to learn Lambda expression.
Sooner or later, you will come to this site, but since you know about it now, it's worth paying a visit and taking an idea of what you can learn about lambda expression in Java 8.
8. My Java 8 Streams Examples
I love streams for their expressiveness, lazy optimization, and ease of code, and I found it while trying several different examples. This collection contains those tried and tested code snippets of stream API.You can find how to filter using streams, how to collect results, finding max and min, average, and working with integer streams there.
If you love to learn by following different kinds of how-to examples, then you will find this tutorial useful. It's more focused on how to do in Java 8 but also gives you essential details while trying those examples.
9. Java 8 Tutorials through Katas: Berlin Clock (Easy)
Programmers love Katas, I do, don't you? And what would have been better than learning new Java 8 concepts using classical programming Katas? Viktor Farcical and Jordi Falguera have done an excellent job of teaching Java 7 and 8 coding style handling problems like Fizz Buzz, Berlin Clock, Tennis Game, Prime Factors, String Permutations, Word Wrap, Mars Rover, Bowling game and Reverse Polish Notation.Some of the Katas are in Scala, which gives you more challenges of converting them into Java 8 code. So if you like to practice some programming Katas using Lambda expressions, Streams, and new Java 8 utilities, this site is for you.
10. My Java 8 Lambda Expression and Streams Example
What can be better than sharing your own experience, and in this article, I have shared Java 8 lambda expression and Stream's wisdom with some easy-to-follow examples.This is a busy developer's guide, who wants to learn by following and doing examples. You will find how you can replace your old anonymous class way of coding with brand new lambda expressions.
I have given examples of how single abstract method interfaces, like Runnable, Comparable, Comparator, and ActionListener, can benefit hugely from lambda expressions and functional interfaces.
Since Java allows SAM type functional interface, you can create a method in Java 8 ways.
11. A more in-depth look into the Java 8 Date and Time API
When someone talks about Java 8, including myself, the main focus is always on lambda expression, but there are some other significant changes, which are also as crucial as lambdas.After a lot of criticism of Java's handling of Date, Time, and Calendar, Java has now sorted out all its mistakes by giving us a brand new Date and Time API. This API is the result of all experiences of how a programming language should handle critical date and time.
Though API looks largely inspired by joda date and time API, it's exceptionally designed. One of the critical things is the separation of date from a human and a machine point of view.
You have classes like Instant, Duration, LocalDate, LocalTime for your day-to-day needs. Java's handling of time zones is also better in this new API, I hope it provides some way to reduce errors due to confusing names, like Asia/HongKong and Asia/Hong_Kong (one of them is valid).
As suggested, this article provides a more in-depth look into Java 8 Date and Time API. It's an example-driven article, and I am sure you will love it.
12. Java 8 Stream Tutorial
I have become a fan of Benjamin Winterberg after reading his Java 8 tutorial, so when he publishes the next two articles in this series, I was quick to learn. Like his previous article, he has done justice with Streams as well.I am really surprised by how he covers the concepts one by one in an order, which looks perfect. Since there are a lot of things to learn about Streams, there is a good chance that one or two will be missed.
But, this article covers most of them, like different kinds of stream operations like intermediate and terminal, lazy evaluation of streams, filtering, transformation, parallel execution, special Stream classes for primitives, and several others.
You will not only learn basics like what is a Stream in Java 8 and how it works but also some advanced operations, like how to use FlatMap, Map, and Reduce function in Java 8, filtering, collecting results, and so on.
Nashron is in the same league as Google V8 (JavaScript engine of Chrome browser) and Node.js. Though I have yet to be proficient in utilizing this powerful feature of Java, I like this article.
It's good to learn about JJS (Java's command-line tool to execute JavaScript) but also how to run JavaScript code from Java Class itself. If you have just started exploring this feature, this is the article you should read.
Takipi blog has some interesting Java 8 tutorials, one of them is Java 8 StampedLocks vs. ReadWriteLocks and Synchronized. Tal Weiss, CEO of Takipi, has done a great job in explaining how StampedLock fair with classical synchronized keywords and better performing alternative ReadWriteLocks.
He has nicely compared the performance of these three locks on the various scenario like 19 readers vs. 1 writer, 16 readers vs. 4 writers, 10 readers vs. 10 writers, and 5 readers vs. 5 writers.
Though the conclusion is somewhat intuitive but more realistic as on average, still central lock provided by synchronized keyword performs better. If you are interested, you can further check these best multithreading and concurrency courses to learn Java concurrency in depth.
You can also read Java SE 8 for Impatient by Cay S. Horstmann, which explains all crucial features, including functional and non-functional like new date and time API. In short, both are great books to learn Java 8.
These were some of the best Java 8 tutorials you will find online at this moment. Though these tutorials don't cover all the features introduced in Java 8, You will get an excellent overview of most of the core features, like Streams, Lambdas, new Date and Time API, Repeatable annotations, Nashorn, and others.
If you are hungry for more Java 8 tutorials, resources, and books, You can also take a look at my earlier article about some of the best Java 8 books.
I personally like to thank all authors for taking their time and sharing knowledge, making it easy for us to understand the power of Java 8. Great job, guys.
Other Programming and Technology articles you may like
Thanks for reading this article. If you like these best Java 8 tutorials, books, and courses, then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any feedback or comment, then please drop a note.
P. S. - If you are a beginner and want to learn Java from scratch, then you should check out these best Java Programming courses from Udemy, one of the best resources to learn Java in depth. It's also one of the most up-to-date courses and covers, not just Java 8 features but several other key features from recent Java releases.
You will not only learn basics like what is a Stream in Java 8 and how it works but also some advanced operations, like how to use FlatMap, Map, and Reduce function in Java 8, filtering, collecting results, and so on.
13. Java 8 Nashorn Tutorial
This is another gem by Benjamin Winterberg, and it's actually one of the rare best articles on Java's new JavaScript engine, Nashorn. For those who don't know, Java supports the execution of JavaScript code from Java 1.6 by supporting Rhino (Java's legacy JavaScript engine from Mozilla).Nashron is in the same league as Google V8 (JavaScript engine of Chrome browser) and Node.js. Though I have yet to be proficient in utilizing this powerful feature of Java, I like this article.
It's good to learn about JJS (Java's command-line tool to execute JavaScript) but also how to run JavaScript code from Java Class itself. If you have just started exploring this feature, this is the article you should read.
14. Java 8 StampedLocks vs. ReadWriteLocks and Synchronized
He has nicely compared the performance of these three locks on the various scenario like 19 readers vs. 1 writer, 16 readers vs. 4 writers, 10 readers vs. 10 writers, and 5 readers vs. 5 writers.
Though the conclusion is somewhat intuitive but more realistic as on average, still central lock provided by synchronized keyword performs better. If you are interested, you can further check these best multithreading and concurrency courses to learn Java concurrency in depth.
Books to Refer
Btw, if you are like many programmers who like to follow a book from start to end to learn concepts in the right order and with completeness then you can take help from Java 8 in Action by Raoul-Gabriel Urma, Mario Fusco, and Alan Mycroft, which explains lambda expression, stream API and other functional features in great detail.You can also read Java SE 8 for Impatient by Cay S. Horstmann, which explains all crucial features, including functional and non-functional like new date and time API. In short, both are great books to learn Java 8.
These were some of the best Java 8 tutorials you will find online at this moment. Though these tutorials don't cover all the features introduced in Java 8, You will get an excellent overview of most of the core features, like Streams, Lambdas, new Date and Time API, Repeatable annotations, Nashorn, and others.
If you are hungry for more Java 8 tutorials, resources, and books, You can also take a look at my earlier article about some of the best Java 8 books.
I personally like to thank all authors for taking their time and sharing knowledge, making it easy for us to understand the power of Java 8. Great job, guys.
Other Programming and Technology articles you may like
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- 15 Java 8 Stream and Functional Programming Interview Questions
Thanks for reading this article. If you like these best Java 8 tutorials, books, and courses, then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any feedback or comment, then please drop a note.
P. S. - If you are a beginner and want to learn Java from scratch, then you should check out these best Java Programming courses from Udemy, one of the best resources to learn Java in depth. It's also one of the most up-to-date courses and covers, not just Java 8 features but several other key features from recent Java releases.
The best tuotrial of Java 8 is the official one, which is http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/javaOO/lambdaexpressions.html , it is complete, comprehensive yet easy to understand.
ReplyDeleteInstead of reading tutorial here and there, I guess just check out any good book on Java 8.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, you will learn much better with a book like Java 8 in Action than these random tutorials.
DeleteCan you please let me know from where I can download Java 8 books in PDF format, e.g. I want Java 8 in Action and Java 8 for Really Impatient in PDF format so that I can read them in my smartphone. Thanks
ReplyDeleteHere is another list of great books to learn Java 8 in quick time
ReplyDeleteAll the worries of Java no longer to be open source and destroyed by Oracle is settled by now...
ReplyDeleteHow can you say this?
@Devesh, just look at the progress or number of Java releases after Oracle took over Java from Sun. Java 8 is barely out in 2014 and Java 9 is coming shortly. Certainly Java is priority in Oracle's mind if not then also they are not ignoring it.
Deletegreat
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone think that Python will take over Java in the future or they are already taking over?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous, Python is a great language and its already replaced Java in United states as one of the first few languages in Academics e.g. Colleges and University, but Java is just so huge, it has used all over the places, you can read my post where Java is used in real world to get an Idea. So, I don't think Python can totally replace Java but yes it can complement it.
DeleteYou can also read my opinion on Python vs Java, which language to learn first
Where is the java code for Classification function ( as shown in photo ) ?
ReplyDeleteKeep this going please, great job!
ReplyDelete