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.

Spring Boot
· 9 min read

Query By Example in Spring Data JPA: A Clean Approach to Dynamic Queries

Learn how to simplify your Spring Data JPA queries using Query By Example (QBE) and create dynamic, type-safe queries without the boilerplate code.

Spring Boot
· 10 min read

RestClient OAuth2 Support in Spring Security 6.4: A Complete Guide

Learn how to implement OAuth2 authentication in your Spring applications using the new RestClient OAuth2 support in Spring Security 6.4. This guide covers architecture, implementation, and best practices for secure service-to-service communication.

Spring AI
· 13 min read

Understanding Tokens in Large Language Models with Spring AI

Learn how to track and manage token usage in Spring AI applications, including implementing custom response types and automated logging with AOP.

Spring Boot
· 15 min read

Implementing Request/Response Logging with Spring Boot's Rest Client

Learn how to implement clean and efficient request/response logging for Spring Boot's Rest Client, including both inline and interceptor-based approaches.

Spring Boot
· 7 min read

Using Environment Variables in Spring Boot

Learn how to effectively manage configuration and secure sensitive data using environment variables in Spring Boot applications. This comprehensive guide covers best practices, security considerations, and practical examples.

Building a Spring Security Login Form with JTE
· 20 min read

Building a Spring Security Login Form with JTE

Learn how to create a secure login form using Spring Security and JTE (Java Template Engine) with support for both traditional authentication and OAuth2 providers.

spring
· 9 min read

Getting Started with Spring AI and RAG: A Practical Guide

Learn how to build intelligent applications using Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) with Spring AI. This practical guide covers everything from understanding tokens and context windows to implementing a full RAG solution.

Java
· 9 min read

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.

Spring Boot
· 9 min read

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.