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: AI
I Tried OpenAI's New Codex Agent. Here are my First Impressions (It's Really Good)
OpenAI released Codex, a new GUI for their coding agent. I put it to the test by building a vending machine CLI application in Java 25 with Maven, JUnit 6, and JSpecify null safety annotations.
My CYC 2025 Demo: Why Building MCP Servers in Java Just Got Ridiculously Simple
Learn how Spring AI 1.1.0-M2 makes building MCP servers in Java incredibly simple with just annotations. No callbacks, no complex setup. Includes complete code from my Commit Your Code 2025 conference demo, showing how to expose your Java application's data to Claude and other AI assistants.
AI-Powered Dev Hacks at ConFoo 2025
Recently, I had the pleasure of presenting on a topic that I'm pretty passionate about: how artificial intelligence can amplify developer productivity and creativity.
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.
Harnessing Local LLMs - A Practical Guide to Ollama and Open Web UI
This guide introduces Ollama, a tool for running large language models (LLMs) locally, and its integration with Open Web UI. It highlights the cost and security benefits of local LLM deployment, providing setup instructions for Ollama and demonstrating how to use Open Web UI for enhanced model interaction.