The Best Static Code Analysis Tools for Java Programmers

Newbie developers aren’t well versed with the tips and tricks they should follow to check and analyze the code for their Java application.

Once you start working on Java, you will find it hard to verify the authenticity of the code. In this article, we help solve the problem of inaccurate code and help you come up with a code analysis technique. Stay with us to find out the best static code analysis tools for programmers on Java.

The Rise of Java

All of Netflix, Slack, Minecraft, Hadoop, Jenkins and Android have one thing in common – they are built on Java. Almost all of the applications that you view on your smartphone are based on Java. Java recently completed around 25 years since its start. The language has prevailed through the test of time and has become the most popular and widely used programming language across the programming world.

Java, as all developers would know, is an object-oriented programming language with multiple implementation dependencies. The programming language allows developers to write code once and then implement it across multiple places and anywhere they want.

Read: Things You can Do with Java

Optimizing Code Development on Java

Knowing the nature of coding on Java, it is highly necessary that you use a code analysis tool alongside it for further assistance. Code analysis is the verification and analysis of a code used to compile programs and find errors.

The code analysis process is extremely important for programmers to find out coding errors early in the process. Most developers end up ignoring the code analysis process without understanding the ramifications that it may carry.

The analysis is then through either static or dynamic code. Static analysis gives organizations a chance to test code without actually implementing and executing it. The static code process helps organizations come up with an easy manner to identify faults during the early stage of the code creation process.

The issues programmers can face here include:

• Vulnerabilities in the system
• Poor documentation of the app
• Difficulty in adding new and exciting features to your program, without disrupting the current ones.
• The complexity of the code can make it difficult to onboard a new developer.
• Lack of code analysis can lead to issues with operating devices and systems.

The Best Static Code Analysis Tools for Programmers on Java

We now look at 10 of the best static code analysis tools for Java programmers to go through:

Error Prone

Error Prone is a successful tool for analyzing Java code that catches errors in the Java system during the compile time. Error Prone can help hook to the standard build of your app and can update you on the mistakes to avoid. The use of an automatic bug detector can help you get the best results.

The  to be used for a bug detector is:

package com.google.errorprone.bugpatterns;
import static com.google.errorprone.BugPattern.Category.JDK;
import static com.google.errorprone.BugPattern.MaturityLevel.EXPERIMENTAL;
import static com.google.errorprone.BugPattern.SeverityLevel.SUGGESTION;
import com.google.errorprone.BugPattern;
import com.google.errorprone.VisitorState;
import com.google.errorprone.bugpatterns.BugChecker;
import com.google.errorprone.bugpatterns.BugChecker.MethodTreeMatcher;
import com.google.errorprone.matchers.Description;
import com.sun.source.tree.MethodTree;
/**
 * Bug checker to detect usage of {@code return null;}.
 */
@BugPattern(
  name = "DoNotReturnNull",
  summary = "Do not return null.",
  category = JDK,
  severity = SUGGESTION,
  maturity = EXPERIMENTAL)
public class DoNotReturnNull extends BugChecker implements MethodTreeMatcher {
  // your code here

  @Override
  public Description matchMethod(MethodTree tree, VisitorState state) {
    // your code here
    return Description.NO_MATCH;
  }
}

Infer

Infer is the perfect tool for code analysis on Java. Infer can also be used on C, Objective C and C++. The code catches all bugs and deflects them from reaching the end consumer. Customers can use Infer to easily prevent poor performances in their app and negate crashes. Infer can help identify all null pointer exceptions in Java, along with improving annotation reachability.

NullAway

NullAway lives up to the name and potential you expect from it. NullAway will help you eliminate all Null Pointer Exceptions from your Java code. You can use this code by adding Nullable annotation. Additionally, you can check the configuration on Github.

PMD

PMD is a source code analyzer that includes unused variables, unused project creation, empty catch blocks and so on and so forth. PMD can work on a number of programming languages, including Java, PLSQL, XML, JavaScript, VisualForce XSL, Salesforce Apex and Apache.

Checkstyle

Checkstyle is a successful analysis tool for code, which can help validate rules and lead to code affirmation. Checkstyle can automate the analysis process for Java. Checkstyle is easy to configure and comes with support for almost all kinds of coding standards. Checkstyle can help you detect all kinds of class design problems, formatting issues and other methods designed for a smooth code layout.

The standard solutions for Checkstyle can be applied to Java code, without external libraries. Checkstyle can directly be applied to the source code. The errors and bugs you find here can then be averted with the right steps.

Spoon

Spoon is currently rated among the best open-source codes and libraries for analyzing, transpiling and rewriting Java Source code. Spoon can easily work with advanced Java versions like Java 14 and 15. Spoon can develop Abstract Syntax Tree or AST on Java programs and solutions.

jQAssistant

jQAssistant is built on the Neo4j engine and can help with the automatic detection of bugs in the standard code. The solution can help detect problems in the test and separate the implementation process from API. The automatic detection of visual constraints can help save your app from errors.

The tools mentioned in this article can help guide developers to the best analysis solutions for Java. You can save time on the coding process through static code analysis tools. Additionally, your final apps will be flawless and come with the best UI.