Apache NetBeans

Apache NetBeans is an open source IDE for Java, PHP and C/C++ developers, run as a top-level project of The Apache Software Foundation with no paid edition.

Apache NetBeans puts the editor, debugger, test runner, profiler and version control a developer needs into one desktop application. One download carries two products: the NetBeans IDE and the NetBeans Platform, a base for building desktop software. Sun Microsystems opened the source in June 2000, and Oracle donated it to The Apache Software Foundation in 2016. NetBeans became a top-level Apache project in April 2019. Smart Code Completion suggests methods and fields that fit the expected type, while Go to Declaration and Find Usages move around a codebase. The debugger stops at breakpoints and shows program state in the Variables and Debugging windows, and the Profiler watches thread states, CPU performance and memory use. Tests run from the Run menu, with each pass and failure listed in the Test Results window. Git, Mercurial and Subversion are built in, including Git branches and a three-way merge view. The Services window connects to databases and runs queries in a built-in SQL Editor, and the Plugin Portal adds extensions, AI coding assistants among them. NetBeans suits Java developers, including those building Jakarta EE applications, and PHP, JavaScript and C/C++ developers who want one tool across those languages. Teams that build their own desktop applications can start from the NetBeans Platform. Companies may reuse the source code as they see fit within the Apache License. Help comes from the community mailing lists or from third-party firms that sell commercial support. Work in NetBeans often starts with a JUnit test written beside the class it covers, run again until the Test Results window is clean. The change then reaches GitHub through the built-in Git client. Database work stays in the same window, with a MySQL or Oracle Database connection open in the Services panel while the querying code is edited. C and C++ projects begin in a wizard that sets up the application, and unit tests run from the same Run menu as the Java ones. NetBeans fits a developer who wants code, tests, data and history in one open source workspace.