Practical writing on Java, Spring, AI, and the craft of software engineering.
If you're building with Java and Spring (or trying to figure out where AI fits into your development workflow) you're in the right place. I write practical, beginner-friendly deep dives on Spring Boot, Spring AI, and software engineering fundamentals, collected here in chronological order.
Filtering by tag: Java
Spring Boot 3.x Features: Complete Guide to Major Updates (2022-2025)
Explore the transformative features introduced in Spring Boot 3.0 through 3.5, from Java 17 requirements and GraalVM native images to virtual threads and enhanced observability. This comprehensive guide covers each release's major improvements, including Docker Compose integration, Testcontainers support, structured logging, and SSL certificate management. Learn how Spring Boot 3.x...
JDK 24's Major Improvement: Virtual Threads Without Pinning
Discover JDK 24's breakthrough enhancement that eliminates virtual thread pinning with synchronized blocks and methods. This comprehensive guide explores how this change revolutionizes Java concurrency, dramatically improving scalability for Spring Boot applications with legacy synchronized code. You'll learn about the technical details of thread pinning, see practical performance comparisons, and...
Creating Your First Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server in Java
Build powerful AI integrations by creating your own Model Context Protocol (MCP) server using Spring Boot and Spring AI. This comprehensive guide walks you through implementing a custom MCP server from scratch, enabling AI models like Claude to access your private data sources, execute specialized business logic, and interact with...
Stream Gatherers in JDK 24: Building Custom Intermediate Operations for the Stream API
Discover how the new Stream Gatherers feature in JDK 24 provides a more elegant solution for processing blog content compared to traditional stream operations.
Modern Java: Why You Might Not Need Lombok Anymore
A detailed exploration of why Java developers should reconsider using Project Lombok, examining its drawbacks and modern alternatives in Java development.
Building Generative AI Applications in Java: From Simple Scripts to Spring Boot
Explore how Java developers can leverage generative AI, from basic curl commands to robust Spring Boot applications. Learn to integrate OpenAI's GPT models, use Java's HTTP client, and harness the power of Spring AI for structured output and simplified AI integration.
Calling Multiple LLMs with Spring AI: A Practical Guide
Learn how to integrate and call multiple Large Language Models (LLMs) like OpenAI's GPT-4 and Anthropic's Claude in a single Spring Boot application using Spring AI. This tutorial covers project setup, configuration, and implementation of separate controllers for each LLM.
Building Intelligent Chatbots with Spring AI: Implementing Chat Memory
Learn how to create a context-aware chatbot using Spring AI and OpenAI. This tutorial covers implementing chat memory, handling token usage, and managing context window limitations for more engaging AI conversations.
Building a Streaming Chat Bot with Spring Boot and Spring AI
Learn how to create a responsive and engaging chat bot using Spring Boot and Spring AI, featuring both traditional and streaming response capabilities for an enhanced user experience.
Building Dynamic Forms with Spring Boot and JTE: A Practical Guide
Learn how to create interactive web forms using Spring Boot and Java Template Engine (JTE) in this comprehensive tutorial.