JDBC best practices for Java developers

Java Database Connectivity or JDBC is an API (application program interface) specification that connects Java programs to the data present in the popular databases. The JDBC interface helps in developing access request statements in the SQL. These are then further forwarded to the program responsible for managing the database. It also returns the result through a similar interface. While coding this request access there is certain best practices that the Java programmers should be following. This API is also used for interacting with and connecting to the Database Management system. These best practices are perhaps the most important coding processes in Java as it can affect the performance of the Java apps to a large extent.

Why would Customers Prefer Java to Build Their CMS?

As an important part of web ecosystem, content management systems (CMS) are used widely by enterprises to manage the content of their websites. Each CMS is designed with two primary elements, i.e., content management application (CMA) and the content delivery application (CDA). The CMA is used by content managers to create, modify and remove content from the website.

Why is Java Considered for Banking Applications?

Unlike the technology firms, banks and financial institutions are very conservative about deciding the programming language to develop applications. There are also many instances when banks have to compensate customers to minor defects in their applications. But a number of reports have highlighted that Java is being used widely as a high performance programming language for building a wide variety of mission critical financial applications. There are also several reasons why Java is considered by many organizations for creating banking applications.

Java Versions - Features & Enhancements

As a hugely popular programming language, Java does not require any introduction. The programming language is object-oriented, concurrent and class-based. Java is also designed specifically to minimal implementation dependencies. The programmers can write the Java code once, and run it on multiple platforms without recompilation. However, the programming language is being updated at frequent intervals with additional classes and new features. So while learning Java, the programmers must be familiar with the history of Java versions.

Hibernate in Java and Its Features

As an open source persistence library, Hibernate Object Relational Mapping (ORM) is used widely by Java developers. The framework provided by Hibernate makes it easier for Java developers to map an object-oriented domain model to a traditional relational database. Thus, Hibernate in Java uses direct persistence-related database access to resolve problems related to object-relational impedance mismatch. It comes with high-level object handling functions to facilitate object-relational mapping.

Struts - In What Ways Does It Support Java Programming

Apache Software Foundation (ASF) has developers Struts as an open source web application development. The framework is being used widely by programmers to create Java EE internet applications. It enables web developers to create application by using model-view-controller (MVC) architecture by adopting and extending the Java Servlet API. The Java programmers also have option to use WebWork, a framework spun from Struts. Despite retaining the original architecture of Struts, WebWork comes with several enhancements and refinements. Thus, the Java programmers can rely on Struts to create large and complex enterprise application by keeping the model separate from view and controller.

What is the Future of Java Web Development?

As a concurrent and powerful programming language, Java enables developers to run their code on multiple platforms without recompilation. Java is currently reported to be used by over nine million developers to client-server web application development. While releasing Java 8 officially, Oracle called it as “the Most Significant Upgrade to the Java Programming Model Ever.” Oracle even delayed the release of the most anticipated version of the programming language to make it meet the ongoing and upcoming trends in web application development. The new features will definitely contribute towards increasing the increasing the popularity and market share of Java in the future.

Key Java 8 Features Web Developers were Looking for

Lambdas

Lambdas or closures are the most prominent feature of Java 8. The programmers can use lambdas to treat functionality as a method argument, treat code as data, and accomplish certain task by using concepts they are familiar with. Oracle has further designed lambdas after detailed discussion with the community of developers. Lambdas can be simply represented as a list of parameter separated using commas. However, developers have emerged the concept of functional interface by making existing functionality of the programming language lambda-friendly.

Extended Interface Declarations
The updates version of Java further uses default and static methods to extend the interface declarations. Despite making interfaces similar to traits, default method helps developers in accomplishing a different goal. They can use the method to add new methods to an existing interface without affecting the code’s binary compatibility with over versions of the interface. On the other hand, the abstract method can be user to accomplish these tasks without being implemented. As the default implementation needs to be provided by each interface, the implementers can inherit it by default.

StampedLocks
Often developers find it daunting to write multi-threaded code. They also have to use complex idioms to the core Java libraries to access the required resources by reducing the thread wait. Java 8 comes with StampedLock, a new and improved ReadWriteLock that works more quickly. However, the new ReadWriteLock is complex, and the programmers have to put some efforts to implement the concept properly.

Process Termination
When a web application has to launch an external process, its performance will be affected hugely when the process hangs, crashes or consumes 100% CPU. The developers have to debug the web application again to make it run smoothly. But Java 8 comes with the Process class that allows developers to manage these unruly processes smoothly by using the isAlive() and destroyForcibly() methods. The isAlive() method can be used to check if the external process is still alive, whereas the destroyForcibly() method will kill the timed-out process forcibly.

Controlling OS Processes
The JNI calls make it easier for developers to launch OS process from within the code. But there are always chances that the OS process may fetch unexpected results or affect the functionality of the internet application. Once a process is launched within the Java code, it tends to dangle. Java 8 enables developers to control the OS processes launched within the code efficiently by using three new methods. Along with checking if the process is alive and killing a process forcibly, the programmers can further use the method to specific amount of time they want the web application to wait for the process to be completed.

Repeating Annotations
Java 8 allows programmers to use annotation in any context. Now they have option to use annotations for almost everything in their code including generic types, local variables, super classes, interface implementation, parameter declaration, and declaration of method’s exceptions. The extended usage of annotation makes Java 8 friendlier for instrumentation tools and static analysis. However, the programmers have to decide when to use annotations according to the nature and needs of the code.

There are also a number of features that make Java 8 a powerful programming language for web application development. Some of these Java 8 features will further make it easier for developers to build large and complex internet applications within a stipulated time frame.

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Why Java is not Considered Suitable for Start-Ups?

The startup companies often opt for open source technologies to curtail project overheads. In addition to using Java as a programming language, the startup companies also have option to avail the benefits of Java Development Kit (JDK), Java Runtime Environment (JRE), and Java Class Libraries. Also, the company can choose from several editions of the Java platform according to its needs and budget.

But many reports have highlighted that despite being a combination of powerful programs and standards, Java is still not considered to be unsuitable for startups. If your organization is planning to develop applications with Java, it is time to have a look at some of the drawbacks of this powerful technology.

5 Reasons Why Java is Not Suitable for Startups

1) Suitable Only for Experienced Programmers
Despite being a powerful programming language, Java is both complex and harder to learn. So the beginners have to put additional time and effort to use the technology for developing complex applications. However, they have option to use several frameworks to simplify and speed up the development. The Java frameworks can be used easily by experienced programmers, whereas the beginners have to learn their features and usage. As a startup cannot deploy more experienced Java programmers, it has to look for other alternatives.

2) Lesser Dynamic than Other Languages
Java is considered to be more dynamic that conventional programming languages like C++. But it lacks the huge amount of flexibility provided by other dynamic languages like Ruby and Smalltalk. The Java programmers further find it challenging to quickly execute their ideas through meta-programming. That is why; startups opt for these dynamic programming languages to save both programming time and effort.

3) Slow Performance
The deployment or compilation cycle of Java is also much more time-consuming than other dynamic and interpreted languages. The slow speed of execution optimized the platform-independent features of the technology. But the additional time required for execution and deployment impacts the popularity of Java among startup companies. To beat competition, the small companies have to deliver the application as early as possible. So they have to additionally invest in JIT (Just-In-Time) compilers to overcome the drawback of Java.

4) Poor GUI Features
Like other programming languages, Java also supports GUI controls. But it lacks some of the additional and advanced features in GUI provided by other languages. For instance, the developers do not have any option to directly place images on a button. They have to additionally use the javax.swing controls to manipulate the graphics more effectively. As GUI features are essential to optimize the look and feel of an application, the startup companies prefer using more efficient technologies like Microsoft .NET.

5) Inflexible Garbage Collection
The developers have to check exceptions and types while compiling the program to enhance the security of the application. But Java requires programmers to write additional code to check exception and types at the time of compilation. The programming language comes with built-in features for garbage collection. But the garbage collection is completely managed by Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Thus, the programmers lack the option to simplify the code by managing the garbage collection flexibly. They also have to write additional code to avail the benefits of some of the commonly used functions like delete(), sizeof(), free() and malloc().

Despite being considered as a productive and dynamic programming language, Java still lacks some of the features required to complement the needs of startup companies. So you have to compare the pros and cons of Java according to the nature and requirements of your project. Also, you need to explore options to avail advantages of this technology by overcoming its limitations.

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Ways to enhance security of Java web applications

Through web applications, end users are provided with client access for server functionality. Mostly the applications enforce intuitive, simple security policies. However, despite that recently there have been a number of attacks on them like cookie theft, cross-site scripting, browser hijacking, session riding, etc. So it is high time that we rethink the security strategy of web applications and enhance it so that it becomes harder for security breaches to take place.

Input validation- This ensures that whatever data is entered by the users or has been derived as input from applications is without any security hazards and clean. This is a very critically secure coding practice which should be implemented. The design of web applications aims to perform functions or set of functions according to user input. Generally those who attack are also users and commonly the applications used by them do not validate input since they enter arbitrary inputs to successfully perform attacks. Malicious file execution may also result due to lack of input validation. So applications should have inherent capability to validate input for protection against attacks.

Defence in depth- This defence strategy for computer systems aims towards building multiple protection layers so that possible attackers may be isolated from whatever you need to protect. To make this system more secure the approach should be combination of factors that can hinder the accessing attacker from the target; the goal should be made costly so that it proves to be unworthy for him.

Mechanism economy- This principle is a very important one and is often known as Keep It Simple, Stupid or KISS in short. This is due to the fact that architects as well as developers keep this in mind when building solutions so that they are focused on the main problem. This helps in the reduction of possibilities of attackers finding ways of accessing the application which are not foreseen or tested.

Rules validation as well as data entry- These must be performed in back end always even if the validation has already been done at front end. For web applications, input validation must be performed by using JavaScript. Validating rules both on front as well as back end allows you to have an environment which you can completely control regarding what may be or may not be allowed.

Enforcing minimum privileges- Each user and each program must be operating within the minimum privileges that are needed for their capability to perform the related duties. When this principle is followed, the damage that may arise from security breaches is limited so that the interactions between the system components may be reduced to minimum. This facilitates access control and audits case of failures or errors.

Setting standards-based fault- This helps in preparation of architecture and functionality so that decisions may be based on permission instead of exclusion. An example of this is using white lists and not black lists.

Using manifest attributes- A large number of manifest attributes helps ensure that your Java applet or application’s security is not compromised. Permissions attribute may be used for ensuring of the permission level being requested by the application to be exactly what has been specified in JNLP file or applet tag for invoking of applications. Codebase may be used to restrict JAR file’s code base to specified domains. To identify locations where the application may be found, you can use application-library-allowable-codebase. You can also identify domains from where calls may be made to the application by JavaScript code; this helps deny access of unknown JavaScript code to the application.

When considering the security aspects of Java applications one thing that should be kept in mind is that security should be implemented at every level of an application. It may not be possible for us to have applications that are 100% secure but implementing a certain amount of security measure will help eliminate some basic risks.

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10 Critical Causes for Java EE Enterprise Performance Setbacks

During the design and implementation of technologies related to Java EE, performance problems tend to be one of the most crucial challenges. The most common problems faced while providing Java development services are usually faced while implementing large or lightweight IT environments, which generally incorporate a plethora of distributed systems from ordering applications and Web portals to ESB or Enterprise Service Bus, Mainframe storage systems and data warehouse. Let us discuss here the 10 most critical causes of performance problems related to Java EE and see how we can deal with them.

1. Improper capacity planning

Once a capacity planning process is properly implemented, it keeps track of the current IT production stability and capacity and also ensures deployment of new projects with minimal risk with the existing production environment. Capacity planning is often the most happening process problem leading to long and short term performance issues. Some problems that may arise are: post deployment, a new middleware system of Java EE fails to handle the expected volume or an application after deployment poses an overload for the current Native Heap or Java Heap space.

To avoid these problems, load and performance testing should be done effectively for determination of order volumes or number of concurrent users and exposure of the bottlenecks, thereby making room for corrective actions. Several existing technologies help in achieving these goals.

2. Lack of adequate middleware environment specifications for Java EE

Lack of proper decisions at the start of a new platform can cause stability problems leading to enhanced costs. Therefore, it is necessary to spend considerable time for brainstorming on necessary middleware specifications related to Java EE.

It is highly recommended that project team should spend quality time over the creation of a proper operation model catering to the Java EE production environment. Moreover, 64-bit JVM should be chosen over a 32-bit JVM as and when required, and the same should be combined with proper performance testing and capacity planning.

3. Unnecessary garbage collection for Java VM

When the JVM GC collectors perform an unnecessary number of minor or major collections in a short span of time, it leads to high pause time and degradation of performance. Possible causes might be small size of Java Heap, unsuitable JVM GC policy, amongst others.

Properly analyzing the JVM related data (CPU correlation, GC frequency, etc) enables one to determine whether there is a problem or not. It is also advisable to closely comprehend and monitor the JVM garbage collection process.

4. Poor or excessive synchronization with external systems

Java EE performance problems can also be due to greatly distributed systems, wherein a middleware domain usually delegates certain business processes like order management, customer profile and product qualification, to other middleware platforms of Java EE by means of diverse communication protocols and payload types. In such cases, it is significant to shield the middleware and applications through appropriate utilization of timeouts.

5. Improper database SQL capacity planning and tuning

Java EE enterprise systems are mostly dependable upon relational databases for a range of business processes from order provisioning systems to portal content management. A robust database environment ensures a scalable IT environment that renders effective support to the client’s growing needs. The most common problems are long-running, isolated SQLs, row or table level data lock and abrupt change in execution plan.

SQL level problems need to be identified and the database environment should be fine-tuned in order to ensure effective capacity planning involving performance and load testing.

6. Application oriented performance problems

The common problems in this category are inadequate communication API timeouts, thread safe code problems, issues related to relational, JDBC or I/O API resource management, excessive or improper data caching and excessive logging.

To overcome the application oriented problems, code reviews should be a significant component of the regular development lifecycle in addition to the release management process. This enables the pinpointing of primary implementation issues before the testing or implementation phases.

7. Tuning problems related to Java EE middleware

The specification of Java EE middleware might be sufficient but there may be absence of proper tuning. A large number of the Java EE containers available nowadays provide manifold tuning scopes depending on the business process and application needs.

Lack of proper tuning can set the Java EE container in a state that is non-optimal. Therefore it is advisable to go for vendor recommendation related to implementation of appropriate Java EE middleware.

8. Lack of sufficient proactive monitoring

Lack of monitoring can pose a hindrance in understanding the Java EE health situation and platform capacity. Ultimately the environment may tend towards a breakpoint, exposing several problems and gaps. Hence it is good to enhance the existing environment through end-to-end review and monitoring.

9. Hardware saturation on common infrastructure

This problem is mostly visible when deployment of a number of JVM processes and Java EE middleware environments are carried out on the existing hardware. It kills the application’s performance. A common solution is hardware virtualization which results in reduced data center size, fast implementation, reduced costs and so on.

10. Problems related to network latency

Major network problems like DNS server, switch and router failures may happen now and then but the mostly common ones originate from intermittent network latency. Tuning strategies like data caching, XML data compression and JDBC row data "prefetch" may reduce network latency.

It is indeed important for Java EE developers and IT architects to thoroughly comprehend their clients’ environments and make sure that the advised solutions cater to the growing needs of businesses as well as ensure a reliable, scalable and productive IT environment for a long time. The performance problems that disrupt client’s business should be minimized to prevent loss of revenue.

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