Ultrafast Persistence on Jakarta EE

In this tutorial, we will explore the exciting world of MicroStream, a powerful open-source platform that enables ultrafast data processing and storage. Specifically, we will explore how MicroStream can leverage the new Jakarta Data and NoSQL specifications, which offer cutting-edge solutions for handling data in modern applications. With MicroStream, you can use these advanced features and supercharge your data processing capabilities while enjoying a simple and intuitive development experience. So whether you're a seasoned developer looking to expand your skill set or just starting in the field, this tutorial will provide you with a comprehensive guide to using MicroStream to explore the latest in data and NoSQL technology.

MicroStream is a high-performance, in-memory, NoSQL database platform for ultrafast data processing and storage. One of the critical benefits of MicroStream is its ability to achieve lightning-fast data access times, thanks to its unique architecture that eliminates the need for disk-based storage and minimizes overhead. With MicroStream, you can easily store and retrieve large amounts of data in real-time, making it an ideal choice for applications that require rapid data processing and analysis, such as financial trading systems, gaming platforms, and real-time analytics engines. MicroStream provides a simple and intuitive programming model, making it easy to integrate into your existing applications and workflows.

One of the main differences between MicroStream and other databases is its focus on in-memory storage. While traditional databases rely on disk-based storage, which can lead to slower performance due to disk access times, MicroStream keeps all data in memory, allowing for much faster access. Additionally, MicroStream's unique architecture allows it to achieve excellent compression rates, further reducing the memory footprint and making it possible to store even more data in a given amount of memory. Finally, MicroStream is designed with simplicity and ease of use. It provides a developer-friendly interface and minimal dependencies, making integrating into your existing development workflow easy.

MicroStream Eliminates Mismatch Impedance

Object-relational impedance mismatch refers to the challenge of mapping data between object-oriented programming languages and relational databases. Object-oriented programming languages like Java or Python represent data using objects and classes, whereas relational databases store data in tables, rows, and columns. This fundamental difference in data representation can lead to challenges in designing and implementing database systems that work well with object-oriented languages.

One of the trade-offs of the object-relational impedance mismatch is that it can be challenging to maintain consistency between the object-oriented and relational databases. 

For example, suppose an object in an object-oriented system has attributes related to one another. In that case, mapping those relationships to the relational database schema may be challenging. Additionally, object-oriented systems often support inheritance, which can be tough to represent in a relational database schema. 

While various techniques and patterns can be used to address the object-relational impedance mismatch, such as object-relational mapping (ORM) tools or database design patterns, these solutions often come with their trade-offs. They may introduce additional complexity to the system. Ultimately, achieving a balance between object-oriented programming and relational database design requires careful consideration of the specific needs and constraints of the application at hand.

MicroStream can help reduce the object-relational impedance mismatch by eliminating the need for a conversion layer between object-oriented programming languages and relational databases. Since MicroStream is an in-memory, NoSQL database platform that stores data as objects, it provides a natural fit for object-oriented programming languages, eliminating the need to map between object-oriented data structures and relational database tables.

With MicroStream, developers can work directly with objects in their code without worrying about the complexities of mapping data to a relational database schema. It can result in increased productivity and improved performance, as there is no need for an additional conversion layer that can introduce overhead and complexity.

Moreover, MicroStream's in-memory storage model ensures fast and efficient data access without expensive disk I/O operations. Data can be stored and retrieved quickly and efficiently, allowing for rapid processing and analysis of large amounts of data.

Overall, by eliminating the object-relational impedance mismatch and providing a simple, efficient, and performant way to store and access data, MicroStream can help developers focus on building great applications rather than worrying about database architecture and design.

MicroStream could guarantee a better performance by reducing the conversion to/from objects. The next step on your journey, let's create a MicroProfile application.

MicroStream Faces Jakarta Specifications

Now that I have explained about MicroStream, let's create our microservices application using Eclipse MicroProfile. The first step is going to the Eclipse MicroProfile Starter, where you can define configurations to your initial scope.

Your application will be a simple library service using Open Liberty running with Java 17 and MicroStream.

With the project downloaded, we must add the dependency integration between MicroProfile and MicroStream. This project dependency will change later internally to MicroStream, so this is a temporary house of this integration:

<dependency>
    <groupId>expert.os.integration</groupId>
    <artifactId>microstream-jakarta-data</artifactId>
    <version>${microstream.data.version}</version>
</dependency>

The beauty of this integration is that it works with any vendors that work with MicroProfile 5 or higher. Currently, we're using Open Liberty. This integration enables both Jakarta persistence specifications: NoSQL and Data.

Jakarta NoSQL and Jakarta Data are two related specifications developed by the Jakarta EE Working Group, aimed at providing standard APIs for working with NoSQL databases and managing data in Java-based applications.

With the project defined, let's create a Book entity. The code below shows the annotation. We currently use the Jakarta NoSQL annotations.

@Entity
public class Book {
    @Id
    private String isbn;
    @Column("title")
    private String title;
    @Column("year")
    private int year;

    @JsonbCreator
    public Book(@JsonbProperty("isbn") String isbn,
                @JsonbProperty("title") String title,
                @JsonbProperty("year") int year) {
        this.isbn = isbn;
        this.title = title;
        this.year = year;
    }
}

The next step is the Jakarta Data part, where you can define a single interface with several capabilities with this database.

@Repository
public interface Library extends CrudRepository<Book, String> {
}

The last step is the resource, where we'll have service available.

@Path("/library")
@ApplicationScoped
@Consumes(MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON)
@Produces(MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON)
public class LibraryResource {

    private final Library library;


    @Inject
    public LibraryResource(Library library) {
        this.library = library;
    }

    @GET
    public List<Book> allBooks() {
        return this.library.findAll().collect(Collectors.toUnmodifiableList());
    }

    @GET
    @Path("{id}")
    public Book findById(@PathParam("id") String id) {
        return this.library.findById(id)
                .orElseThrow(() -> new WebApplicationException(Response.Status.NOT_FOUND));
    }

    @PUT
    public Book save(Book book) {
        return this.library.save(book);
    }

    @Path("{id}")
    public void deleteBy(@PathParam("id") String id) {
        this.library.deleteById(id);
    }
}

Conclusion

Jakarta NoSQL and Jakarta Data are critical specifications that provide a standard set of APIs and tools for managing data in Java-based applications. Jakarta NoSQL enables developers to interact with various NoSQL databases using a familiar interface, while Jakarta Data provides APIs for working with data in multiple formats. These specifications help reduce the complexity and costs of application development and maintenance, enabling developers to achieve greater interoperability and portability across different NoSQL databases and data formats.

Furthermore, MicroStream provides a high-performance, in-memory NoSQL database platform that eliminates the need for a conversion layer between object-oriented programming languages and relational databases, reducing the object-relational impedance mismatch and increasing productivity and performance. By combining the power of MicroStream with the standard APIs provided by Jakarta NoSQL and Jakarta Data, developers can create robust and scalable applications that can easily handle large amounts of data.

The MicroStream, Jakarta NoSQL, and Jakarta Data combination offer robust tools and specifications for managing data in modern Java-based applications. These technologies help streamline the development process and enable developers to focus on building great applications that meet the needs of their users.

Find the source code on GitHub.