What is Java? Simple Guide for School Students (2025)

In this lesson we will learn what Java is, where it is used in daily life, a short history, and main features in very simple English.

By Bhau Automation · Updated: Dec 10, 2025 · Level: Beginner

🎥 Watch the Video Lesson First

First watch this video. After that, read the notes below to revise. You can also pause the video and read along with this blog.

👉 Tip: Save this page and video link so that you can revise before exams or interviews.

🎯 Topics Covered in This Tutorial

📌 What is Java?

Java is a programming language. It was first released in 1995 by a company named Sun Microsystems. Today many companies across the world still use Java to build important software.

In simple words, Java is like a language that we use to talk to a computer. When we write Java code, we give step by step instructions to the computer, for example:

• show a message on the screen,
• add two numbers and print the total,
• save student marks in a file,
• open a new screen in a mobile app.

🧩 Where is Java used in real life?

Java is used in many places around us. You may not see the code, but Java is working behind the scenes.

• Android mobile apps – Many Android apps are created using Java or Kotlin which runs on the Java platform.
• Banking systems and ATMs – Money transfer, balance check and ATM software often use Java.
• Online shopping websites – E commerce sites and order management systems use Java on the server side.
• Games – Some games and game servers are built using Java.
• School and college software – Attendance, library and exam portals can be built in Java.
• Big companies – Finance, telecom and insurance companies use Java for large back end systems.

So when you learn Java, you gain a skill that is useful for real software used by millions of people.

📜 Short History of Java (1995 – 2025)

There are many versions of Java. You do not need to remember all the dates. For interviews, remember the important versions and the idea that Java keeps improving with time.

⭐ Main Features of Java (Explained for Students)

Java has many powerful features. Here we will learn the important ones in simple language.

1. Simple

Java code looks clean. Many confusing features from C plus plus are removed. Example, there is no pointer concept for normal programming.

Example code to print a line:

System.out.println("Hello Java");

2. Object Oriented

In Java we work with objects. An object has data and behaviour.

Example: You can create a class named Student with data like name, rollNumber and standard and methods like attendClass and giveExam.

3. Platform Independent and Portable

Java code is first converted into bytecode. The bytecode runs on a special software called JVM which is available for Windows, Linux and Mac. So the same Java program can run on many different operating systems.

4. Secure

Java programs run inside the JVM box. This reduces direct access to the operating system. Because of this design, Java is considered safe for banking and network based applications.

5. Robust

Robust means strong. Java tries to remove many common errors by:

• automatic garbage collection for memory management,
• exception handling to manage run time errors properly.

6. High Performance

Java uses a Just In Time compiler which converts bytecode to machine code at run time. Due to this, Java can run fast, close to lower level languages in many cases.

7. Multithreaded

Java can do many tasks together using threads. Example, in a game one thread can play background music, another thread can read keyboard input, another thread can draw graphics.

8. Distributed

Java supports network programming and web services. It can help different systems talk to each other on the internet and share data in a secure way.

🧪 Small Example Program

Here is a very small Java program. It prints a welcome message for a student. You will understand this in detail in later lessons.

public class HelloStudent {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Welcome to Java, Student!");
    }
}

When you run this program, the computer prints:

Welcome to Java, Student!

✅ Quick Summary

• Java is a popular programming language created in 1995 and still used widely in 2025.
• It is used in Android apps, banking systems, shopping sites, games and school software.
• Important versions to remember: Java 8, 11, 17 and 21.
• Main features: simple, object oriented, platform independent, secure, robust, high performance, multithreaded and distributed.
• Learning Java gives you a strong base for automation testing, web development and mobile apps.

👉 Watch this lesson on YouTube (Java Introduction by Bhau Automation)

🚀 Created with love by Bhau Automation · Keep learning, keep coding