Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

• 11 real benefits of microservices

  There's a reason why so many vendors have moved from monoliths to microservices. Here are 11 real benefits microservices bring to companies.  Continue Reading

• 10 disadvantages of microservices you'll need to overcome

  Not everyone is keen to adopt a cloud-native architecture, for good reasons. These common drawbacks to microservices might convince you to stick with your traditional architecture.  Continue Reading

• What are checked vs. unchecked exceptions in Java?

  Understand the difference between checked and unchecked exceptions in Java, and learn how to handle these problem conditions properly and gracefully.  Continue Reading

• Git fork vs. clone: What's the difference?

  Both Git fork and clone create copies of a repository, but they offer drastically different levels of access, isolation and control over the target repo.  Continue Reading

• Kubectl apply vs. create: What's the difference?

  The Kubernetes command-line tool, kubectl lets you control your Kubernetes clusters. But two of its operations -- apply and create -- can often be confused.  Continue Reading

• Vagrant vs. Docker: How these cloud-native tools differ

  Both Docker and Vagrant are important parts of a cloud-native stack, but they have very different roles when it comes to supporting containers and VMs within the CI/CD process.  Continue Reading

• Kebab vs. camel case: How these naming conventions differ

  What is the difference between a variable written in kebab case vs. camel case? Here we'll show you how these naming conventions differ and when to use one over the other.  Continue Reading

• Why is Java platform-independent?

  Sun Microsystems architects designed Java to be cross-platform. But why? Here we look at not only why Java works across platforms, but also how it achieves its platform independence.  Continue Reading

• Terraform vs. Ansible: How do these DevOps tools differ?

  There is some overlap between the two tools, but they really should coexist. Here we show you where Ansible and Terraform fit into your cloud-native, DevOps stack.  Continue Reading

• Is a Docker or Kubernetes certification worth it?

  Some DevOps professionals shun industry certifications. But in the cloud-native world, Docker and Kubernetes certifications make prospective job candidates stand out from the rest.  Continue Reading

• Camel case vs. snake case: What's the difference?

  The use of white space is what separates camel case and snake case. Camel case has none, while snake case uses underscores. Let's review some examples to make this clear.  Continue Reading

• Kubernetes vs. Docker: What's the difference?

  To succeed in cloud native development, developers need to know their way around Kubernetes and Docker. Here are the basics on these two container technologies.  Continue Reading

• Kubernetes vs. Rancher: The differences all devs should know

  How are Kubernetes and Rancher related? Here are the basics developers need to know about Kubernetes and Rancher and how they can ultimately work together.  Continue Reading

• Interpreted vs. compiled languages: What's the difference?

  Learn the difference between compiled languages like Go and interpreted ones like Java. One language is platform agnostic. The other can run a bit faster.  Continue Reading

• How do you become a developer advocate?

  For those who love to code and want to share their IT knowledge, the developer advocate job might be a good fit. Learn how to make the transition from developer to advocate.  Continue Reading

• Pascal case vs. camel case: What's the difference?

  It's easy to confuse camel case and Pascal case. We'll show you the difference between the two common variable naming conventions, along with some examples.  Continue Reading

• Synchronous vs. asynchronous microservices communication patterns

  What's the difference between synchronous, asynchronous and hybrid communication for microservices? Follow the examples below to establish how microservices communicate.  Continue Reading

• How do microservices API gateways aid monolith migrations?

  How do you move a set of REST resources to microservices? One way is to use an API gateway. Follow this example to learn how migrate to microservices-oriented architecture.  Continue Reading

• Should my company move its apps to microservices?

  Microservices-oriented architecture is more flexible than monolithic structures, but microservices comes with costs companies need to weigh against the potential benefits.  Continue Reading

• Your near-zero downtime microservices migration pattern

  The possibility of extended downtime is a common reason to avoid a migration to microservices. Learn how to minimize downtime with this monolith-to-microservices migration pattern.  Continue Reading

• How do Java sampling and JVM instrumentation differ?

  These two approaches both aim to improve Java performance and can be done together. But there is a fundamental difference between instrumentation and sampling.  Continue Reading

• How to fix high Java CPU usage problems

  The root cause of high Java CPU usage is not always simple to diagnose. Let's go over some common misdirections and review what often causes the problem under the hood.  Continue Reading

• JVM tuning vs. Java optimization: What's the difference?

  JVM tuning and Java optimization sound similar, and both aim to boost application performance. But they take fundamentally different approaches to accomplish their goals.  Continue Reading

• What makes an effective microservices logging strategy?

  System size and scale play a big role in microservices logging. Follow these best practices to develop a solid logging strategy within a microservices architecture.  Continue Reading

• How is asynchronous microservices tracing best accomplished?

  How can you trace a tricky workflow in an asynchronous microservices-oriented architecture? Two options include correlation IDs and distributed tracing tools.  Continue Reading

• Declarative vs. scripted pipelines: What's the difference?

  Scripted pipelines were once the standard for CI/CD but they are nearly extinct, and since supplanted by declarative pipelines. See how they compare and when each works best.  Continue Reading

• What are the most essential microservice design principles?

  Don't hinder a microservices architecture because of a faulty design. Keep these five design principles in mind to build the proper components for your microservices architecture.  Continue Reading

• Why are curly braces in programming languages important?

  Curly braces play a big role in code structure within popular programming languages such as Java, C++ and more. Here's how to properly line up code with curly brackets.  Continue Reading

• How can I become an AWS Authorized Instructor?

  To become an AWS Authorized Instructor, you need deep knowledge of Amazon products and services and must be able to communicate this wealth of technical information.  Continue Reading

• When do Agile and DevOps methods conflict?

  Expert Chris Ward explains why using Agile and DevOps together may seem ideal, but conflict arises when in practice.  Continue Reading