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Do You Still Need Apache Commons StringUtils in Modern Java?

·3 mins

Introduction #

For years, Java developers relied on Apache Commons Lang’s StringUtils to handle common string operations that the Java standard library lacked. From null-safe string checks to string joins and abbreviations, StringUtils provided convenient static methods that simplified Java string manipulation.

With the release of Java 8 and later versions (especially Java 11 and Java 17), the standard library has native methods that perform the same operations.

Null-Safe String Checks #

One of the most commonly used features of StringUtils was checking for null or empty strings without triggering a NullPointerException.

Apache Commons StringUtils

if (StringUtils.isEmpty(name)) { }  // Returns true for null or ""
if (StringUtils.isNotEmpty(name)) { }
if (StringUtils.isBlank(name)) { }  // Also checks for whitespace-only strings
if (StringUtils.isNotBlank(name)) { }

Modern Java Alternative (Java 11+)

if (name == null || name.isEmpty()) { }  // Equivalent to isEmpty()
if (name != null && !name.isEmpty()) { }  // Equivalent to isNotEmpty()
if (name == null || name.isBlank()) { }  // Equivalent to isBlank()
if (name != null && !name.isBlank()) { }  // Equivalent to isNotBlank()

The Apache Commons methods are more readable. But Java 11 did introduce String.isBlank().

String Joining #

Prior to Java 8, joining strings with a separator was verbose, making StringUtils.join() popular.

Apache Commons StringUtils

List<String> names = Arrays.asList("Arnie", "Lucy", "Beth", "Amir");
String joined = StringUtils.join(names, ",");  // "Arnie,Lucy,Beth,Amir"

Modern Java Alternative (Java 8+)

String joined = String.join(",", names);

Here I prefer the Java alternative especially since it natively supports lists and arrays.

String Truncation #

The StringUtils.abbreviate() method truncates a string and appends an ellipsis (…).

Apache Commons StringUtils

String sentence = "The cat lept over the big brown dog.";
String abbreviated = StringUtils.abbreviate(sentence, 20); // "The cat lept ov..."

Modern Java Alternative (Java 8+)

String sentence = "The cat lept over the big brown dog.";
String ellipsis = "...";
String abbreviated = sentence.length() > 17 ? sentence.substring(0, 14) + ellipsis : sentence;

Numeric String Checks #

Checking if a string contains only digits was a common use case for StringUtils.

Apache Commons StringUtils

if (StringUtils.isNumeric(str)) { }  // True if str contains only digits

Modern Java Alternative (Java 8+)

if (str != null && str.matches("\\d+")) { }

Or using Java Streams:

boolean isNumeric = str.chars().allMatch(Character::isDigit);

Case Conversion #

Converting the first letter of a string to uppercase or lowercase was a common use case.

Apache Commons StringUtils

String capitalized = StringUtils.capitalize("hello");  // "Hello"
String uncapitalized = StringUtils.uncapitalize("Hello");  // "hello"

Modern Java Alternative (Java 8+)

String capitalized = str.substring(0, 1).toUpperCase() + str.substring(1);
String uncapitalized = str.substring(0, 1).toLowerCase() + str.substring(1);

String Reversal #

Reversing a string is another common need.

Apache Commons StringUtils

String reversed = StringUtils.reverse("hello");  // "olleh"

Modern Java Alternative (Java 8+)

String reversed = new StringBuilder("hello").reverse().toString();

Is StringUtils Still Useful? #

With Java 8, 11, and 17, many of the features provided by StringUtils are available in the native language. However, there are still cases where Apache Commons Lang is useful:

  • When working with legacy Java versions (< Java 8)
  • Better code readability
  • Handling null checks and edge cases
  • For additional string utilities (e.g., StringUtils.leftPad(), difference())
  • If already used in your codebase (consistency matters!)

However, if you’re starting a new project on Java 11+, consider using built-in Java methods instead of Apache Commons Lang.

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