Java Web Weekly, Issue 146
Last updated: January 21, 2021
Mocking is an essential part of unit testing, and the Mockito library makes it easy to write clean and intuitive unit tests for your Java code.
Get started with mocking and improve your application tests using our Mockito guide:
Handling concurrency in an application can be a tricky process with many potential pitfalls. A solid grasp of the fundamentals will go a long way to help minimize these issues.
Get started with understanding multi-threaded applications with our Java Concurrency guide:
Spring 5 added support for reactive programming with the Spring WebFlux module, which has been improved upon ever since. Get started with the Reactor project basics and reactive programming in Spring Boot:
Since its introduction in Java 8, the Stream API has become a staple of Java development. The basic operations like iterating, filtering, mapping sequences of elements are deceptively simple to use.
But these can also be overused and fall into some common pitfalls.
To get a better understanding on how Streams work and how to combine them with other language features, check out our guide to Java Streams:
Explore Spring Boot 3 and Spring 6 in-depth through building a full REST API with the framework:
Yes, Spring Security can be complex, from the more advanced functionality within the Core to the deep OAuth support in the framework.
I built the security material as two full courses - Core and OAuth, to get practical with these more complex scenarios. We explore when and how to use each feature and code through it on the backing project.
You can explore the course here:
Spring Data JPA is a great way to handle the complexity of JPA with the powerful simplicity of Spring Boot.
Get started with Spring Data JPA through the guided reference course:
Refactor Java code safely — and automatically — with OpenRewrite.
Refactoring big codebases by hand is slow, risky, and easy to put off. That’s where OpenRewrite comes in. The open-source framework for large-scale, automated code transformations helps teams modernize safely and consistently.
Each month, the creators and maintainers of OpenRewrite at Moderne run live, hands-on training sessions — one for newcomers and one for experienced users. You’ll see how recipes work, how to apply them across projects, and how to modernize code with confidence.
Join the next session, bring your questions, and learn how to automate the kind of work that usually eats your sprint time.
Regression testing is an important step in the release process, to ensure that new code doesn't break the existing functionality. As the codebase evolves, we want to run these tests frequently to help catch any issues early on.
The best way to ensure these tests run frequently on an automated basis is, of course, to include them in the CI/CD pipeline. This way, the regression tests will execute automatically whenever we commit code to the repository.
In this tutorial, we'll see how to create regression tests using Selenium, and then include them in our pipeline using GitHub Actions:, to be run on the LambdaTest cloud grid:
1. Spring and Java
>> Securing JAX-RS Endpoints with JWT [antoniogoncalves.org]
JWT is becoming the de facto standard in web security yesterday. And JJWT is certainly a good way to go for an implementation.
>> Introducing Hibernate Search Sort DSL [in.relation.to]
The ElasticSearch support coming to Hibernate looks intelligently designed. Plus it’s a fluid API, which gives it some extra points.
>> How to update only a subset of entity attributes using JPA and Hibernate [vladmihalcea.com]
Who said Hibernate is a blunt instrument? You can get surgical with it, Training-Day style.
>> How to persist creation and update timestamps with Hibernate [thoughts-on-java.org]
Keeping track of create/update times is usually the first step towards building out audit logic – here’s a good, simple way of doing that in Hibernate.
Also worth reading:
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>> JavaOne 2016 Observations by Proxy [marxsoftware.com]
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>> JavaOne 2016 – Nucleus [sitepoint.com]
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>> Java 8 CompletableFuture Example [adam-bien.com]
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>> Hibernate Tips: How to use pagination with JPQL [thoughts-on-java.org]
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>> Fresh EAP with Refactorings to Java 8, Better VCS and Gradle Integrations [jetbrains.com]
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>> Transparent End-to-End security for Apache Kafka – Part 1 [codecentric.de]
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>> Understanding Dependency Injection – Part 2 PostConstruct and Constructor Injection [knitelius.com]
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>> Small scale stream processing kata. Part 1: thread pools [nurkiewicz.com]
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>> Weld Tip 1 – Logging [weld.cdi-spec.org]
Webinars and presentations:
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>> Cloud Native Key Management [infoq.com]
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>> I’ve Pair Programmed for 30,000 Hours: Ask Me Anything! [infoq.com]
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>> MongoDB-as-a-Service on Pivotal Cloud Foundry [infoq.com]
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>> Surviving 120% Team Churn [infoq.com]
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>> The Engineer’s Guide to HotSpot JIT Compilation [infoq.com]
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>> Conference Season Mic Drop: 13 Java Talks That You Shouldn’t Miss [takipi.com]
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>> Implementing Health Checks With Docker [adam-bien.com]
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>> IMWorld Session: Building “Mobile First” Applications With The Killer Microservice Platform [adam-bien.com]
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>> Upcoming Webinar: The New Way to Debug Java in Production [takipi.com]
Time to upgrade:
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>> Spring Tool Suite 3.8.2 released [spring.io]
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>> Spring Releases Versions 1.3.8 and 1.4.1 of Spring Boot [infoq.com]
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>> Triple Hibernate Search release [in.relation.to]
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>> Hibernate Validator 5.3.0.Final is out [in.relation.to]
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>> The first hibernate OGM 5.1 Alpha and 5.0.2 Final [in.relation.to]
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>> Spring Cloud Data Flow for Cloud Foundry 1.1M1 and 1.0.1 released [spring.io]
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>> Spring Data Geode 1.0.0.APACHE-GEODE-INCUBATING-M3 released [spring.io]
2. Technical
>> Evolving Distributed Systems [olivergierke.de]
This one’s first for a reason. It’s a step back and a real look at architecting a distributed system.
It talks about boundaries between systems, the essential question of inter-communication, all in the scope of achieving a good cadence of actually pushing out real work.
>> No More Boilerplate Code [thecodewhisperer.com]
Better code design? Why not.
>> API Simulation + Contact Testing = Happiness [alexecollins.com]
API contract testing is definitely an underused practice.
This is a very quick and to the point writeup introducing the concept and giving you some basic tools to get it going.
Also worth reading:
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>> IPv6 Support Update – CloudFront, WAF, and S3 Transfer Acceleration [aws.amazon.com]
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>> SWAGGER AIN’T REST – IS THAT OK? [howarddierking.com]
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>> Should you care about the quality of your neighbours on a SAN certificate? [troyhunt.com]
3. Musings
>> On the limits of TDD, and the limits of studies of TDD [virtuouscode.com]
The results of an interesting (albeit not super scientific) test about the results of doing TDD.
Of course measuring only a few of the concerns may not be very representative – TDD touches so many aspects of development that it’s tough to really quantify the impact it has.
>> Making sure inter-teams communication doesn’t work [frankel.ch]
Some common sense advice about good communication, which is unfortunately glossed over by so many organizations out there.
>> You don’t need tests [swizec.com]
I chuckled my way through this one. You should do the same.
>> Undercover Testability Killers [daedtech.com]
Unit testing is markedly difficult when you’re starting out.
Before even considering the correctness of the system, the first significant advantage of weaving tests into a system has is design. Good design doesn’t necessarily come from unit tests, but it’s a whole lot easier with these as a positive constraint on the system.
Also worth reading:
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>> Don’t forget the developers! [silkandspinach.net]
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>> Code Review Beyond Meeting Rooms and Projectors [daedtech.com]
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>> How to Get an Edge As a Consultant [daedtech.com]
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>> The Broken Scientific Publishing Model and My Attempt to Improve It [techblog.bozho.net]
4. Comics
And my favorite Dilberts of the week:
