Code Optimization Using the Lombok Library

In Java, there are many moments in the code that are repeated. These have to be written constantly day after day, which the developer wants to optimize and on which he wants to save time. The community of Java programmers should consider such a pleasant and convenient library as Lombok.

It is a Java library that provides a set of annotations aimed at eliminating the very Java code that is known to be repetitive and/or boilerplate. Project Lombok is included directly in the build process. Lombok will then automatically generate Java bytecode that it inserts into the .class files needed to implement the behavior you want, depending on the annotations you use. Therefore, each annotation provided by Project Lombok eliminates some of the methods and logic you would like to avoid, such as constructors, equality, and hash functions. This will save you a lot of time and allow you to focus on the business logic of your project. It will also help you keep your code base relatively compact, clean, readable, and maintainable.

Lombok is available for Gradle and Maven. You can install it from the Maven Central Hub.

Here is a list of popular annotations:

1. @Getter/@Setter – generate getters/setters for fields.

@Getter @Setter

private User user;

2. @EqualsAndHashCode – generating equals() and hashCode().

@EqualsAndHashCode

public class User;

3. @ToString – generating the toString() method.

@ToString

public class User { … }

4. Operations with the constructor.

@AllArgsConstructor – a constructor for all fields.

@NoArgsConstructor – no arguments constructor.

@RequiredArgsConstructor – constructor for final and @NonNull fields.

5. @Data 

Combines annotations: @Getter, @Setter, @ToString, @EqualsAndHashCode, @RequiredArgsConstructor

6. @Builder 

Convenient implementation of the Builder design pattern

@Builder 

public class User { private String name; private int age; }

7. @Anccessors – allows customizing the naming style of getters and setters, and also includes chaining

@Getter

@Setter

@Accessors(chain = true)

public class User {

    private String name;

    private int age;

}

Allows chaining methods:

User user = new User()

    .setName(“Alice”)

    .setAge(30);

Is Lombok risky?

You might be wondering what will happen if you put Lombok annotations all over your codebase. In practice, this is not a big problem, because Lombok has a tool called Delombok. As stated in the official documentation, this tool simplifies the process of deconstructing your code. It provides automatic generation of Java source code containing bytecode exactly the same features that would be implemented using Lombok. Thus, your Lombok-annotated codebase is simply replaced by a standard Java codebase, without Lombok. After that, your entire project will no longer depend on Lombok at all. Accordingly, working with Lombok does not pose any risks to the future development of your project.

In conclusion, I want to add that there are about 30 annotations in Lombok, which you can still consider by reading the official documentation. Perhaps you will find for yourself other things that you can optimize in your project.

At Swan Software Solutions, we create reliable, scalable, and affordable solutions for our clients. To find out how we could help your company with its technology needs, schedule a free assessment.