I'm currently taking a class titled 'Java for Business Applications' and I've been using NetBeans for development. I've noticed that it consumes RAM like crazy! Is this typical for IDEs when coding in Java? I mean, I'm just exploring the IDE itself, not the actual applications I'm developing. I previously used Visual Studio, which felt lighter, hovering around 300-400MB, but NetBeans seems to start at 1GB and only goes up from there for similar projects. Is that normal?
3 Answers
Yes, high memory usage for IDEs when working with Java is pretty normal. Even in production environments, Java applications tend to consume a lot of RAM. While it can be jarring compared to something lighter like Visual Studio, remember that the overhead often comes from running Java on the JVM. It can lead to higher initial memory usage, but for many, it's still worth it because Java is generally easier to debug than C++.
Definitely! Java runs on a Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which adds its own layer of memory usage. This setup means there's always a baseline overhead, even when you're not doing much. IDEs like IntelliJ and NetBeans do have a reputation for being memory-intensive, but with RAM being so affordable nowadays, it’s usually not a massive concern.
That clarifies things for me! So the memory cost starts higher just because of the JVM running in the background. Makes sense!
Absolutely, these IDEs can get pretty heavy, but keep in mind that many Java applications are designed to run on servers with massive amounts of RAM—sometimes even terabytes! So if your dev machine needs a few hundred bucks worth of RAM to do its job, it's usually not an issue for companies.
Thanks for the insight! I was surprised because Visual Studio managed to stay around 300-400MB for basic projects, but NetBeans seems to jump to 1GB pretty quickly for similar tasks.