Because such a large percentage of applications are made of open source components, choosing quality OSS dependencies is critical. Inside Endor Labs, you can easily compare packages you’re already using or considering - this list is a public summary of the open source tools most commonly used for Maven applications, with their Endor Scores. 

Endor Scores provide a high-level, easy-to-understand metric of how well a package does based on factors such as security, activity, popularity, and code quality.

• Security: Indicates the number of security-related issues a package may have such as known vulnerabilities, following security best practices when developing code, and the results of static code analysis. Packages with lower security scores can be expected to have many security-related issues when compared with packages with higher scores. 

• Activity: Indicates the level of development activity for a package as observed through the source code management system. Packages with higher activity scores will be more active and presumably better maintained when compared to packages with a lower activity score. 

• Popularity: Indicates how widely a package is used in its ecosystem by tracking both source code management system metrics (for example, the number of stars in GitHub) as well as counting how many other packages import it. A package with a high popularity score indicates that it is used widely.

• Code Quality: Indicates how well the package complies with best practices for code development and includes the results of static code analysis of that package’s source code. A package with a higher quality score has fewer code issues. 

The scores for each category range between 0 and 10. For example, a score of 5 indicates inconclusive analysis and the package is neutral. A score higher than 5 indicates that the package mostly has positive factors while a score lower than 5 indicates negative factors. A score of 10 indicates that the package meets all the positive conditions, while a score of 0 indicates that a package meets all negative conditions.

The most commonly used Maven packages among Endor Labs customers are…

The following open source Maven packages are the most popular among Endor Labs customers, categorized by functionality and listed in alphabetical order. Endor Scores are a high-level metric of how well a package does based on factors such as security, activity, popularity, and code quality, and do not constitute a ranking of packages.

Logging

Logging is essential for monitoring and debugging applications. It involves recording application behavior and events, helping developers understand the application's flow and diagnose issues. Tools in this category provide frameworks and utilities for efficiently managing log messages, offering features like log levels, formatting, and output destinations.

SLF4J API

SLF4J (Simple Logging Facade for Java) is a logging facade that serves as a simple abstraction for various logging frameworks such as java.util.logging, logback, and log4j. It allows developers to plug in the desired logging framework at deployment time, making it a popular choice for applications that require flexibility in logging implementations.

Logback Core 

Logback Core is the generic, reusable core module for logback. Together with logback-classic, it provides a powerful and flexible logging framework. It is popularly chosen because it offers faster implementation and better integration with SLF4J, making it suitable for enterprise-grade applications.

Logback Classic

Logback Classic is the successor to the popular log4j project. It natively implements the SLF4J API, ensuring seamless integration. Developers favor it for its improved performance, advanced filtering, and better configuration capabilities compared to older logging frameworks.

Log4j API 

Apache Log4j 2 is a logging framework that improves upon its predecessor, Log4j 1.x, by offering better performance, a plugin architecture, and support for asynchronous logging. It is widely used due to its flexibility, configurability, and strong community support.

Log4j to SLF4J 

Log4j to SLF4J is an adapter that allows applications using Log4j 2 for logging to route their log messages to SLF4J-compatible logging frameworks. This adapter is commonly used to unify logging frameworks within a single application, leveraging SLF4J's flexibility.

JUL to SLF4J 

JUL to SLF4J is a bridge that redirects java.util.logging (JUL) calls to SLF4J. This allows applications that use JUL to benefit from SLF4J's capabilities and integration with various logging frameworks, providing a consistent logging approach across different libraries and components.

Spring Boot Starter Logging 

Spring Boot Starter Logging is a starter dependency for Spring Boot applications that configures Logback as the default logging framework and routes all logging through SLF4J. It is chosen for its ease of use and seamless integration into Spring Boot projects, simplifying logging configuration.

JSON Processing

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a popular data interchange format. JSON processing tools provide libraries and modules for parsing, generating, and manipulating JSON data. They are essential for applications that communicate with web services or need to serialize and deserialize data.

Jackson Databind

Jackson Databind is a core module of the Jackson library used for converting Java objects to JSON and vice versa. It is popular for its flexibility, ease of use, and extensive features for handling JSON data binding in Java applications.

Jackson Core

Jackson Core is the foundational module of the Jackson library, providing low-level JSON parsing and generation capabilities. It is commonly used due to its high performance and reliability in processing JSON data.

Jackson Annotations 

Jackson Annotations is a module that provides annotations for configuring data binding in the Jackson library. It simplifies the customization of JSON serialization and deserialization, making it a popular choice for developers needing fine-grained control over JSON processing.

Jackson Datatype JSR310 

Jackson Datatype JSR310 is an extension module for Jackson that adds support for Java 8 Date and Time API (JSR-310). It is widely used because it enables seamless serialization and deserialization of Java 8 date and time types.

Jackson Datatype JDK8

Jackson Datatype JDK8 is a Jackson module that adds support for other Java 8 types, such as Optional. Developers choose it for its ability to handle the latest Java types, ensuring comprehensive JSON processing.

Jackson Module Parameter Names

Jackson Module Parameter Names is a Jackson module that uses Java 8 parameter name reflection to improve the deserialization of JSON into Java objects. It is favored for its ability to enhance the accuracy and ease of JSON to Java object mapping.

Spring Boot Starter JSON 

Spring Boot Starter JSON is a starter dependency for Spring Boot applications that includes Jackson for JSON processing. It simplifies the configuration and use of Jackson in Spring Boot applications, making it a go-to choice for JSON processing in the Spring ecosystem.

Spring Framework

The Spring Framework is a comprehensive platform for building enterprise Java applications. It offers modules for various functionalities, including dependency injection, aspect-oriented programming, and web application development. Tools in this category simplify and enhance the development of robust, scalable Java applications.

Spring Core 

Spring Core is the core module of the Spring Framework, providing fundamental features like dependency injection and inversion of control. It is essential for building enterprise-level applications due to its robust architecture and flexibility.

Spring Beans

Spring Beans is a module that provides the foundation for Spring's IoC container, managing the configuration and lifecycle of application beans. Developers use it to leverage the powerful bean management capabilities of the Spring Framework.

Spring Context

Spring Context is a module that provides the application context, a central interface for accessing the Spring IoC container. It is commonly used for its robust dependency injection and configuration management features.

Spring Expression

Spring Expression (SpEL) is a module that provides a powerful expression language for querying and manipulating object graphs at runtime. It is widely used for its flexibility and integration with the Spring Framework's core features.

Spring AOP

Spring AOP is a module that provides aspect-oriented programming capabilities, allowing developers to define cross-cutting concerns such as logging and transaction management. It is popular for its ability to modularize and manage these concerns effectively.

Spring JCL 

Spring JCL is a module that provides a logging abstraction for the Spring Framework, allowing it to integrate with various logging frameworks. It is commonly used to ensure consistent logging practices across Spring applications.

Spring Boot Starter

Spring Boot Starter is a set of convenient dependency descriptors for building Spring Boot applications. It simplifies the setup of new applications by providing a curated set of dependencies and configurations, making it a favorite among developers for quick project bootstrapping.

General Utilities

General utilities encompass a wide range of libraries that provide common, reusable functionality not specific to a particular application domain. These tools offer utilities for tasks such as string manipulation, object comparison, and concurrency management, enhancing productivity and code quality.

Apache Commons Lang3

Apache Commons Lang3 is a library that provides extra functionality for Java's core classes, such as String manipulation, object utilities, and concurrency utilities. It is widely used for its comprehensive set of utility functions that simplify common programming tasks.

Guava

Guava is a set of core libraries for Java developed by Google, offering a wide range of utilities, including collections, caching, concurrency, and more. It is popular for its high performance, rich feature set, and ability to improve code readability and reliability.

Lombok

Lombok is a Java library that automatically plugs into your editor and build tools to spice up your Java code. It is widely used for its ability to reduce boilerplate code through annotations, making code cleaner and more maintainable.

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Commons Codec

Commons Codec provides implementations of common encoders and decoders such as Base64, Hex, Phonetic, and URLs. It is commonly used for its reliable and efficient encoding and decoding capabilities, simplifying the handling of binary data.

Checker Qual

Checker Qual is a set of annotations used with the Checker Framework to add pluggable type-checking to Java. It is commonly used to enhance code quality by catching more errors at compile time through static analysis.

JSR305 

JSR305 is a set of annotations for software defect detection in Java, aiding tools like FindBugs in identifying potential issues. It is widely used for improving code quality and reliability through static analysis.

Error Prone Annotations

Error Prone Annotations are used with Google's Error Prone tool to catch common mistakes in Java code at compile time. It is popular for its ability to detect and prevent a wide range of coding errors, enhancing code robustness.

J2ObjC Annotations

J2ObjC Annotations are used with J2ObjC, a tool that translates Java code to Objective-C for iOS applications. It is chosen for its ability to facilitate code sharing between Java and iOS projects, improving development efficiency.

Jakarta Annotation API 

Jakarta Annotation API provides a set of annotations used by Jakarta EE for dependency injection and lifecycle management. It is commonly used in enterprise applications for its standardization and support within the Jakarta EE ecosystem.

Networking

Networking tools provide libraries and modules for building and managing network communications. They support protocols like HTTP and are essential for developing client-server applications, web services, and other networked applications. These tools focus on performance, scalability, and ease of use.

Apache HttpComponents HttpCore 

Apache HttpComponents HttpCore provides a set of low-level components for building custom client and server-side HTTP services. It is widely used for its flexibility and performance in handling HTTP protocols.

Apache HttpComponents HttpClient 

Apache HttpComponents HttpClient is a robust, full-featured, and efficient HTTP client library for Java. It is commonly used for its powerful and flexible API, ease of use, and comprehensive support for HTTP standards.

Bytecode Manipulation

Bytecode manipulation involves dynamically modifying Java bytecode at runtime. Tools in this category provide libraries for creating, altering, and transforming Java classes and methods. They are used in frameworks and applications that require runtime code generation and enhancement.

Byte Buddy

Byte Buddy is a code generation library for Java that allows developers to create and manipulate Java classes at runtime. It is popularly chosen for its ease of use, powerful API, and ability to simplify complex bytecode manipulation tasks.

Data Binding and Serialization

Data binding and serialization tools facilitate the conversion between Java objects and other data formats, such as XML and JSON. These tools are essential for applications that need to persist data, communicate with external systems, or adhere to specific data formats.

Jakarta XML Bind API

Jakarta XML Bind API (JAXB) provides a convenient way to bind XML schemas and Java representations, enabling seamless conversion between Java objects and XML. It is widely used for its ease of use and integration with enterprise Java applications.

Jakarta Activation API 

Jakarta Activation API defines a standard framework for handling data types and encapsulates access to data in a uniform manner. It is chosen for its standardization and support in the Jakarta EE platform.

Reactive Programming

Reactive programming is a programming paradigm oriented around data streams and the propagation of change. Tools in this category provide frameworks and libraries for building responsive, resilient, and scalable applications that handle asynchronous data streams efficiently. They are crucial for developing modern, high-performance network applications.

Netty Common

Netty Common is part of the Netty project, which provides an asynchronous event-driven network application framework. It is commonly used for building high-performance network applications, such as servers and protocol implementations.

Netty Buffer 

Netty Buffer is a module in Netty that provides a more efficient way to manage byte buffers in network applications. It is popular for its high performance and reduced memory footprint, critical for scalable network applications.

Netty Resolver

Netty Resolver is part of the Netty project, providing DNS resolution capabilities for asynchronous network applications. It is chosen for its non-blocking, high-performance DNS resolution features.

Netty Codec

Netty Codec is a Netty module that provides codec (encoder/decoder) support for various protocols. It is popular for its ease of use in building custom protocol implementations and handling complex network data transformations.

Best practices for selecting open source tools for your Maven application

In this tutorial, we demonstrate how you can use Endor Labs' DroidGPT feature to quickly and easily research open source software (OSS) packages in a conversational manner. DroidGPT combines the power of ChatGPT and Endor Labs' proprietary risk data. Ask questions like "what are the best logging packages for Java" and receive instant answers. All results are overlaid with risk scores revealing the quality, popularity, trustworthiness, and security of each package.

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