“Because they are so long-lived, atoms really get around” says Bill Bryson in his book, ‘A Short History Of Nearly Everything.’
A programmer from the 90s could say the same about ‘Java’.
Ubiquitous in its presence for nearly a quarter of a century, Java's journey is one of many milestones. From its inception in 1995 as an unopposed ‘internet programming language' to the' de facto standard for Microservices' today, Java has evolved to become an all-pervasive technology. Name any major product, and Java is behind the scenes. Google, LinkedIn, Uber, Netflix, Spotify – all have been built by Java. From mobile applications to desktop, embedded systems to web servers, scientific to business applications, there is a bit of Java in everything.
The same could be said about Java-backed architectures. Microservices is one such architecture of repertoire. Departing from complex monolithic systems, microservices are based on providing functionality in the form of decoupled services. These independently deployable services are in turn developed and maintained by small teams. The result is a framework based on independent but collaborating functionalities. Reusability, testability, maintainability, scalability, and easy deployment are key benefits of a well-defined microservice.
The Java ecosystem has well-established frameworks for developing microservices. Microservices demand modularized architecture and a lightweight messaging system for data exchange. Something that Java can provide easily.
Java’s foray into the world of microservices or to put things into perspective, microservices’ consolidation as an architecture of significance rose with the advent of Java Spring boot, Jersey, and Swagger.
Of the three, Spring Boot rules the roost when it comes to creating decoupled, independent, and interactive services. It helps in developing services rapidly because it follows a convention-based programming paradigm rather than a configuration-based one. Its purpose-built features make it easy to build and run microservices at scale. Coupled with Java Spring Cloud, administration and testing of applications becomes easier. Applications can start small and then iterate faster to scale up, that too on multiple platforms with reduced cost- One of the reasons why Java Spring Boot is considered the de facto standard for microservices.
Java Spring Boot has matured over the years. Being an Open-Source framework it is backed by a large community resulting in an extensive array of readily available expertise in Spring and all its components.
While we talk about Spring Boot and its natural fit in microservices, let’s talk about another enabler in terms of microservices – Low-code platforms.
Abstraction- A common goal for both low-code and microservices. How does a low-code platform aid in simplifying a complex solution?
While the services themselves aim to be simple, the architecture and interactions in a microservice can be complex. Low-code can help simplify these complexities. Low-code platforms such as WaveMaker can effectively model microservices by providing front-end visualization to the back-end complexity. In some cases, low-code can be used to add a layer of abstraction on top of the enterprise microservices to provide end-users with a clean interface. In other scenarios, it can act as an orchestrator between services created with different platforms. A low-code aimed at professional developers may also allow them to write custom code for services.
Continuous delivery, unwavering stability, and unhindered scalability form the ethos of microservices. Java Low-Code platforms enabled by Spring Boot offer these key advantages in the world of microservices. Let’s see how.
Aimed at professional developers, WaveMaker is a powerful, enterprise-grade Java low-code platform. Built on the foundation of sound Java pedigree, WaveMaker was launched as a multi-tenant cloud edition in 2015 by a team of middleware experts. WaveMaker uses a proven open standard stack – Java Spring, Bootstrap, Angular, and Docker to enable app development on the cloud.
It offers flexibility and speed with component-based microservices and auto containerized deployments to the cloud. The platform allows for one-click API creation, where microservices are auto-created and developers can use existing database logic and reuse existing Java code in IDE’s of their choice.
These APIs enable developers to write business logic or integrate with third-party libraries. How are these APIs generated?
For every Java Service created in WaveMaker, its REST API contract is auto-generated and is available for integration with the front end. But the developer only has to use the unique ‘API Designer' present in WaveMaker. This API designer helps create custom API with auto-generated API endpoints. WaveMaker then uses the concept of ‘Variables' to interact with the REST API layer to access the services.
All this while, the structure oiling the machinery is the Java Spring Framework. In fact, in WaveMaker, the Services Layer is auto-generated using Spring. Custom queries, procedures, and Java Services can further be used to extend the app functionality.
Scalability is another factor that WaveMaker caters to in the form of ‘Spring Sessions’. Since WaveMaker generates open standards code based on Spring for the back end, horizontal scaling for applications can be achieved using Spring Session Module. Java Spring best practices are ingrained into WaveMaker.
Built with Java and used by professional developers, WaveMaker is a common intersection point between Low-Code, Java Spring Framework, and Microservices. As Java continues to evolve and grow, WaveMaker follows a similar path emulating its success.
