I just released the Starter Class of "Learn Spring Security":
At the very beginning of last year, I decided to track my reading habits and share the best stuff here, on Baeldung. Haven’t missed a review since.
Here we go…
1. Spring and Java
>> Implementing HAL hypermedia REST API using Spring HATEOAS [opencredo.com]
I’ve been talking about HATEOAS for such a long time now and consistently see clients get value out of it for not a lot of effort. And so of course this write get the first spot here in the review.
A solid, practical article detailing quite a bit of what you have to know when implementing a Hypermedia API with Spring.
>> Playing with HTTP/2 [kaczmarzyk.net]
Very nice primer on starting down the HTTP/2 path in the Java ecosystem, while we’re waiting for the long overdue Servlet 4 specification.
>> How I Caused Confusion about Spring Boot [codecentric.de]
A quick writeup going beyond simple usecase and discussing some good practices of how configuration should be handled with Spring Boot.
>> How Functional Programming will (Finally) do Away With the GoF Patterns [jooq.org]
There’s a quote I can’t place right now – that goes something like this: Design Patterns are missing language features.
Java 8 gave us a much more powerful language, which of course changed the landscape when it comes to needing patterns. So I fully expect to keep seeing these style of writeup as Java 8 gets adopted and understood more and more.
>> Tabs vs Spaces: How They Write Java at Google, Twitter, Mozilla and Pied Piper [takipi.com]
Yeah, you read that right – tabs vs spaces! Back to trolling basics 
– it made me reconsider my life choices.
Joking aside, it’s a fun read.
>> Spring Sweets: Using Groovy Configuration As PropertySource [jdriven.com]
Some interesting Groovy alternative configuration for handling properties in Spring.
>> Java 9 on the Brink of a Delivery Date and Scope Review [infoq.com]
Looks like we’re close to getting the real release date for Java 9.
Also worth reading:
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>> Spring Cloud Zuul – Writing a Filter [java-allandsundry.com]
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>> Hibernate Tips: How to order the elements of a relationship [thoughts-on-java.org]
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>> Data-driven tests in Junit5.0.0-SNAPSHOT [shino.de]
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>> Fast random shuffling [lemire.me]
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>> Gradle and Java 8 named method parameters (-parameters flag) [solidsoft.wordpress.com]
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>> How to lazy load entity properties with Hibernate [vladmihalcea.com]
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>> The Hitchhikers Guide to GitHub: 13 Java Projects You Should Try [takipi.com]
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>> Codename One Adds Support for Java Apps to Target the Universal Windows Platform [infoq.com]
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>> Using WebDriver to automatically check for JavaScript errors on every page (2016 edition) [watirmelon.com]
Webinars and presentations:
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>> Comes Java EE With The Smallest Docker Images? [adam-bien.com]
Time to upgrade:
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>> Spring Framework 4.3.1 and 4.2.7 available now [spring.io]
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>> Spring Boot 1.3.6 available now [spring.io]
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>> Spring Boot 1.4.0.RC1 available now [spring.io]
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>> Spring Tool Suite 3.8.0 released [spring.io]
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>> First Hibernate OGM 5 maintenance release [in.relation.to] and >> First bug-fix release for ORM 5.2 [in.relation.to]
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>> Spring Session 1.2.1 Released [spring.io]
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>> Gradle Dependency Management Plugin 0.6.0 released [spring.io]
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>> Spring Cloud Brixton.SR2 is available [spring.io]
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>> Spring for Apache Kafka 1.0 and Spring Integration Kafka 2.0 go GA [spring.io]
2. Technical
>> Goldilocks Microservices [vanilla-java.github.io]
Sizing your microservices right and keeping the overall architecture flexible can definitely make or break an implementation; this article is about making the pragmatic choices that make sense for your particular scenario.
>> Adding service virtualization to your Continuous Delivery pipeline [ontestautomation.com]
A quick intro to a highly useful technique and trend that’s been picking up lots of momentum lately, and for good reason – making heavy use of virtualization within a CD pipeline.
Also worth reading:
3. Musings
>> Security insanity: how we keep failing at the basics [troyhunt.com]
A fantastic deep-dive into broken password security rules.
>> Does Github Enhance the Need for Code Review? [daedtech.com]
An three-decade look at the proprietary vs open source software world from the vantage point of the seminal work The Cathedral and the Bazaar.
>> Surviving The Dreaded Company Framework [daedtech.com]
Internal frameworks are a pain point with so many developers, give that for every one that makes sense, a hundred that don’t are built. I cringed when I first read this title.
>> With Commercial Licensing, Invest in Innovation, not Protection [jooq.org]
That’s good advice, and also scary if you actually have a product that the advice applies to. It’s also worth mentioning that the advice comes out of practical experience and not just out of “thinking about it a bit”.
Also worth reading:
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>> A message to all the tech teams out there: start doing Tech Trivias [odino.org]
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>> I’m a car enthusiast – bring on self-driving cars! [troyhunt.com]
4. Comics
And my favorite Dilberts of the week: