A Complete, Practical Guide to Modern Java

Free e-book — download the complete 527-page PDF at no cost.

Learn modern Java the right way — from zero.

No prior programming experience needed. This book starts by installing a JDK and running a single line of code, and ends with a tested, packaged, and deployed REST API. Every concept is explained from scratch, with the "why" behind it, and practiced on one running project: Orbit Store, an e-commerce marketplace you build chapter by chapter.

• 527 pages · 28 chapters + 4 appendices
• Modern Java 21: records, text blocks, switch expressions, sealed types, pattern matching, virtual threads
• Object-oriented programming done well: classes, encapsulation, inheritance, interfaces, enums
• Exceptions, generics, collections, lambdas, streams, and Optional
• Dates and money done right (java.time, BigDecimal), files with NIO.2, concurrency
• Professional toolkit: Maven, Gradle, JUnit 5, AssertJ, Mockito, JDBC, HttpClient, Jackson, logging
• 3 complete projects: a CLI app, a Spring Boot REST API, and packaging/deployment with Docker
• Tips, notes, warnings, "Try It Yourself" exercises, and Key Takeaways in every chapter

Table Of Contents

Part I — Getting Started

• Ch 1 · Why Java? Setting Up Your Development Environment
• Ch 2 · Your First Program: Classes, main, Compiling, and Running
• Ch 3 · Variables, Primitive Types, and Operators
• Ch 4 · Strings, Text Blocks, and Formatting

Part II — Core Language

• Ch 5 · Control Flow: if, switch, and Loops
• Ch 6 · Methods, Parameters, and Scope
• Ch 7 · Arrays
• Ch 8 · Classes and Objects
• Ch 9 · Encapsulation, Packages, and Immutability
• Ch 10 · Inheritance, Polymorphism, and Abstract Classes
• Ch 11 · Interfaces, Enums, and Records

Part III — Building Robust Programs

• Ch 12 · Exceptions and Error Handling
• Ch 13 · Generics
• Ch 14 · The Collections Framework
• Ch 15 · Lambdas and Functional Interfaces
• Ch 16 · The Streams API and Optional

Part IV — Modern Java in Depth

• Ch 17 · Sealed Types and Pattern Matching
• Ch 18 · Dates, Times, and Money
• Ch 19 · Files and I/O with NIO.2
• Ch 20 · Concurrency: Threads, Executors, and Virtual Threads

Part V — Professional Java

• Ch 21 · Building Projects with Maven and Gradle
• Ch 22 · Testing with JUnit 5, AssertJ, and Mockito
• Ch 23 · Working with Databases Using JDBC
• Ch 24 · HTTP, JSON, and Calling APIs
• Ch 25 · Clean Code, Debugging, Logging, and Performance Basics

Part VI — Real-World Projects

• Ch 26 · Project: The Orbit Store Command-Line Catalog
• Ch 27 · Project: The Orbit Store REST API with Spring Boot
• Ch 28 · Project: Packaging, Deploying, and Your Next Steps

Appendices

• App A · Java Syntax Cheat Sheet
• App B · Project Templates and API Reference
• App C · Production Checklist
• App D · Glossary

WHO IT IS FOR
Complete beginners, students in Java courses, developers switching from Python, JavaScript, or C#, and returning Java developers who want to catch up with modern Java.

FORMAT
PDF (A4), 527 pages, English, clickable table of contents and PDF bookmarks. 1st Edition, 2026. Published by thenexbooks.

Book details