From Java performance and AI-assisted migration to agentic systems and the evolving role of software engineers.
🎯 Featured Article
🚀 Can Java Microservices Be As Fast As Go? A 2026 Benchmark Update A fresh benchmark revisits a long-running performance question, comparing carefully implemented Java and Go microservices under identical conditions and focusing on practical engineering trade-offs.
- Demonstrates modern Java performance under realistic workloads
- Highlights framework and runtime impact beyond language choice
⏩ TL;DR (Quick Recap)
- Evaluates Java performance, migration and framework trade-offs
- Explores Spring AI’s growing agentic and AI platform capabilities
- Examines AI’s impact on testing, design and software creation
- Covers developer productivity, security, databases and infrastructure
☕ JVM Corner
🔧 The Four Kotlin Versions in a Gradle Project Explains the four separate Kotlin versions present in a Gradle build and how they influence tooling and project behavior.
- Distinguishes embedded, DSL, compiler and plugin versions
- Clarifies common version mismatch troubleshooting scenarios
💰 Precision, Performance, and Sane Choices for Numbers in Java Examines when BigDecimal is necessary and when primitive numeric types provide sufficient accuracy with better performance.
- Compares precision requirements against runtime costs
- Encourages context-driven numeric type selection
🤖 How Agentic Coding Can Help You Migrate Java Applications Faster Shows how agentic coding tools can support Java modernization efforts and reduce migration complexity.
- Accelerates upgrades to current Java LTS releases
- Connects migration work with security and performance gains
🍃 Spring Updates
🧭 Beyond Spring Boot: What Makes an Engineer a “Staff” or “Principal” Java Developer? Explores the transition from senior engineer to staff or principal roles through broader technical scope and organizational influence.
- Emphasizes cross-team impact over framework expertise
- Focuses on solving system-level engineering problems
🛠️ Tool Calling in Spring AI 2.0: A Composable, Agentic Architecture Introduces a composable approach to tool calling that enables agentic workflows within Spring AI applications.
- Provides reusable building blocks for AI agents
- Enables models to execute actions and process results
⚡ Spring AI Recipe: Semantic Caching with Any Vector Store Demonstrates semantic caching using existing vector stores without requiring additional infrastructure components.
- Reuses vector databases already present in applications
- Reduces token consumption for similar requests
🏗️ Spring vs Quarkus vs Jooby vs Vert.x: Pick Your Next Java Framework Compares four Java frameworks across performance, developer experience and long-term maintainability considerations.
📦 Spring Boot 4.1 Adds gRPC Auto-Configuration, SSRF Mitigation, and Kotlin 2.3 Support Summarizes the major capabilities introduced in Spring Boot 4.1, including security and observability improvements.
🎉 Spring AI 2.0.0 GA Available Now Marks the general availability of Spring AI 2.0 with a stronger architectural foundation and improved consistency.
🔍 Extra Reads
AI, Coding, and Software Creation
🧪 A new era for software testing —How automatic programming changes testing and software quality expectations
🧠 The Death and Rebirth of Programming — Argues that coding is shifting from implementation toward higher-level problem solving
📐 How I Validated Design Decisions Before Writing Production Code — Uses AI-generated prototypes to evaluate decisions before implementation🏠 Why DIY Software Is Great Until It Is Not — Explores the opportunities and limits of AI-assisted software creation
🤔 No, everyone is not using AI for everything. — Discusses varying adoption patterns and attitudes toward AI usage
Developer Productivity and Engineering Culture
⚡ Life is too short for a slow terminal — How terminal performance directly affects daily developer productivity
🗣️ Nobody Pushed Back — Why engineers often remain silent before architectural failures emerge
🌿 .gitignore Isn’t the Only Way To Ignore Files in Git — Reviews three different mechanisms for ignoring files in Git workflows
Infrastructure, Security and Data
🔐 A backdoor in a LinkedIn job offer — Details a suspicious recruiting process that concealed a malware delivery attempt
☸️ What job interviews taught me about Kubernetes — Reflects on Kubernetes becoming a near-universal platform requirement
🗄️ Looking Forward to Postgres 19: It’s About Time — Previews temporal database capabilities planned for PostgreSQL 19
🚀 SpaceX locks in $60 billion Cursor deal to close gap with rivals in AI coding race — Highlights continued consolidation and investment in AI-powered developer tooling
Originally posted on marconak-matej.medium.com.