Servlet Authentication with Java
It can be very satisfying to build an application “the hard way”, using few conveniences. This approach helps you understand core development principles and the inner workings of everyday abstractions. That’s why today, you’ll build an application from the ground up using Java Servlets with a login form. There are more modern, technologically savvy ways to handle authentication within your application, namely OAuth 2.0 and OIDC, which I will touch upon later. However, this post...
MySQL vs PostgreSQL -- Choose the Right Database for Your Project
The choice of a database management system is usually an afterthought when starting a new project, especially on the Web. Most frameworks come with some object-relational mapping tool (ORM) which more or less hides the differences between the different platforms and makes them all equally slow. Using the default option (MySQL in most cases) is rarely wrong, but it’s worth considering. Don’t fall into the trap of familiarity and comfort – a good developer must...
Use Vue.js Data Binding Options for Reactive Applications
Vue.js is known as a “progressive framework for building user interfaces”. There’s a lot to unpack in this simple statement. It’s easy to get started with Vue.js, with a minimal feature set, and then layer in more of the framework as you need it. Unike React, it has full support for the MVC (Model View Controller) pattern out-of-the-box. It’s easier to use and grow with than Angular. And, if you couldn’t tell, I’m a little...
Container Security: A Developer Guide
Have you ever spent hours trying to figure out why your newly-installed database, web server, or Python library won’t work? If this sounds familiar, you likely understand the joy of software containers. Forget all those fruitless Stack Exchange searches trying to solve your configuration and dependency problems. Just install a container platform and pull an image. Looking to bootstrap an instant LAMP stack? You can save yourself the time and run sudo docker run -p...
Monitor Your Java Apps with Spring Boot Actuator
Have you worked with Spring Boot Actuator yet? It’s an immensely helpful library that helps you monitor app health and interactions with the app - perfect for going to production! Spring Boot Actuator includes a built-in endpoint for tracing HTTP calls to your application - very useful for monitoring OpenID Connect (OIDC) requests - but unfortunately the default implementation does not trace body contents. In this post, I’ll show you how to extend the httptrace...
Build Single Sign-on for Your ASP.NET MVC App
So you’re interested in using single sign-on (SSO) for your ASP.NET MVC apps? You’ve come to the right place. There are lots of reasons for using SSO for custom apps owned by the same organization. Better user experience. Less development time. Improved security. Those are all great reasons. Another thing I love about SSO is that it can enable upgrading a large codebase a piece at a time instead of all at once. How so?...
10 Myths About Java in 2019
Java turned 24 years old on May 23, 2019. That’s pretty old for a programming language. The fact that it’s still widely used and runs many of the world’s largest organizations is nothing short of incredible. But it has a unique impression problem among languages in that it means two very distinct things: Java the language and Java the runtime. Many developers, of course, think Java is old and therefore shouldn’t be used. And yet...
Secure Your ASP.NET Core App with OAuth 2.0
Do you ever wish you had a virtual scrap of paper you could use to write notes in the cloud? I’ll show you how to build a simple ASP.NET Core app to keep track of your notes, plus how to use .NET Core’s OAuth 2 authentication middleware to secure access to your app so your personal notes are kept private. Note: In May 2025, the Okta Integrator Free Plan replaced Okta Developer Edition Accounts, and...
Use Azure Cosmos DB with Your ASP.NET App
Cosmos DB is a planet-scale database capable of holding billions of records (“documents” using Cosmos jargon) without significant detriment to performance. In this article, you will learn how to use Azure Cosmos DB - a key-value store solution - your ASP.NET app instead of a relational database. To demonstrate their differences, check out a simple example query using both a relational database and Cosmos DB. When you query a relational database you get back a...
Build a REST API Using Java, MicroProfile, and JWT Authentication
In this post, you will learn how to build a simple REST API using Eclipse MicroProfile and secure it using JSON Web Token (JWT) authentication. You’ll also use a free developer account from Okta to configure an OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect (OIDC) application as the OAuth provider, with role-based authorization. That was a lot of jargon. Let’s define a few of the terms (and introduce a few more!). Note: In May 2025, the Okta...