Annotation processing is a Java compilation option which has been around since Java 5. It enables the generation of additional files during compilation, such as classes or documentation. Gradle abstracts the complexity of passing the correct compilation options to Java with the annotationProcessor dependency configuration, which we’ll explore in detail in this article with a […]
How to update Gradle
Using the Gradle wrapper means that a project can be fixed to a specific version of Gradle. If you want to update Gradle to a newer version though, follow the simple steps in this article. What’s my current Gradle version? Assuming your project is using the Gradle wrapper, which it most likely is, run ./gradlew […]
Prometheus service discovery for AWS ECS
Having Prometheus automatically discover your AWS ECS services makes life a lot easier since you don’t have to manage Prometheus target configurations across environments. Although Prometheus doesn’t provide it out-of-the-box, in this article you’ll discover exactly how to setup service discovery for ECS by combining a few simple tools. By the end, we’ll have a […]
Gradle implementation vs. compile dependencies
Gradle version 6 supports both the implementation and compile dependency configurations. Why are they both there and which one should you use? Let’s find out with the two simple rules described in this article. Quick answer: use the implementation configuration and never compile, BUT read on for some important caveats Ways to declare dependencies When […]
Spring Boot default metrics
Spring Boot 2’s actuator module provides monitoring and management capabilities for your application, and includes the Micrometer metrics collection facility. Micrometer comes preconfigured with many useful default metrics, and also includes the ability for you to configure your own. In this article we’ll run through the most important default metrics provided in Spring Boot, and […]
Gradle project properties best practices
Gradle project properties provide an easy way to customise builds which may need to run slightly differently each time. In this article you’ll learn the most effective ways to use and set properties, along with some common scenarios you might come across in your Gradle project. Why do we need project properties in a Gradle […]
Unleashing the Spring Boot Gradle plugin
1. Introduction Spring Boot is a framework to build Java applications with minimal boilerplate code required, whereas Gradle is a highly configurable build automation tool. Using Gradle to build your Spring Boot application is a good approach, but the process is made infinitely easier using the Spring Boot Gradle plugin to provide build functionality specific […]
Top 5 IntelliJ IDEA 2020.1 features for Java developers
IntelliJ IDEA 2020.1 was released in April 2020 and represents the first major update of the year. Here are the 5 key new features that every Java developer should know about. 1. Automatic JDK download Fed up of endlessly searching for the right JDK online? This new feature integrates the downloading of JDKs directly into […]
AWS SNS for CloudWatch alarm email notifications
Do you want to learn how to setup email notifications to tell you about important events that happen in CloudWatch? In this article you’ll discover how to setup the AWS Simple Notification Service (SNS) to send you emails whenever a CloudWatch alarm gets triggered. We’ll run through a full working example, setting up the alarm […]
Shipping AWS EC2 logs to CloudWatch with the CloudWatch agent
Want to learn how to monitor EC2 logs automatically without having to manually log into servers? Well, in this article we’ll explore how to setup the CloudWatch agent on an EC2 instance to easily stream your logs to AWS. We’ll also setup a simple alarm for when the logs contain certain text that we want […]