News Aggregator


AWS CDK: Infrastructure as Abstract Data Types, Part 2

Aggregated on: 2024-07-17 23:08:27

If you're a Java software developer and you weren't living on the planet Mars during these last years, then you certainly know what Quarkus is. And just in case you don't, you may find it out here. With Quarkus, the field of enterprise cloud-native applications development has never been so comfortable and it never took advantage of such a friendly and professional working environment. The Internet abounds with posts and articles explaining why and how Quarkus is a must for the enterprise, cloud-native software developer. And of course, CDK applications aren't on the sidelines: on the opposite, they can greatly take advantage of the Quarkus features to become smaller, faster, and more aligned with requirements nowadays.

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Poetry Explained: Perils of the Unpinned Dependencies

Aggregated on: 2024-07-17 22:08:27

Imagine this: You are days away from a release, and your Python codebase is versioned, tagged, and marked as a Release Candidate. Hours from the release, out of nowhere appears a BUG! You set up a War Room, dig through the logs and the code, the team is struggling…and then it hits you: A DEPENDENCY UPDATE!  A seemingly minor version bump in a library your code depends on, introduced a breaking change, causing your cautiously crafted codebase into disarray. This problem compounds itself when our project relies on multiple libraries which in turn have their own set of dependencies. In such cases, a single incompatible update can trigger an avalanche of conflicts leading to “Dependency Hell.”

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A Comprehensive Guide to MLflow for Machine Learning Lifecycle Management

Aggregated on: 2024-07-17 21:08:27

MLflow is an open-source platform tailored to handle the whole lifecycle of a machine learning process. This guide, starting from novice and ascending to advanced expert, will cover all the vital features while utilizing Python code. By the end of this guide, you will have a comprehensive understanding of MLflow and will be able to manage experiments, package code, manage models, and deploy them. Introduction to MLflow Setting up MLflow From: “MLflow Tracking” to “Querying experiments”

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How To Use WebComponents Inside Phoenix LiveView

Aggregated on: 2024-07-17 20:08:27

On August 6, 1991, Berners-Lee published the first website. Yet, today — almost 33 years later, it's harder than ever to build user interfaces for web apps, and we still have no single standardized way to do that. There's a good reason for that — we simply don't know what we may need upfront. When an industrial architect designs a building, he knows his limits — they are defined by physics. But when a web designer creates and describes UI — the possibilities are limitless. And that's a problem for any standardization process. The Web is evolving so fast, that we can't get used to one set of patterns as new ones emerge, and we drop whatever we are working on to embrace new trendy ideas. In fact, the speed of evolution is so fast, that sometimes we drop projects halfway through to rewrite them using a cool new architecture, library, or framework, breaking deadlines, and failing clients and end users in the process. We are striving to provide our users with the best possible experience, be competitive in the market, and also always stay up to date with modern tech.

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Mastering Full-Stack Development: A Comprehensive Beginner’s Guide to the MERN Stack

Aggregated on: 2024-07-17 19:08:27

Introduction to MERN Stack Development There are four technologies that, when bought together, are perfect for building robust enterprise web applications: MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js. The combined tech stack is called the MERN stack. The choice of these stacks makes them very powerful for architecting a full-fledged system and provides great flexibility. Components of the MERN Stack MongoDB: A NoSQL database that stores data in JSON-like documents. It is highly scalable and allows for flexible and dynamic data schemas. Express.js: Express is a minimal and flexible Node.js web application framework that provides a robust set of features for web and mobile applications. React: React lets you build user interfaces out of individual pieces called components. Create your own React components like Thumbnail, LikeButton, and Video. Then combine them into entire screens, pages, and apps. Node.js: Node.js is a free, open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that lets developers create servers, web apps, command line tools, and scripts. Setting up a MERN Stack Application Make sure you have Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) installed on your computer before starting to work with the sample code. They are available for download on the official Node.js website.

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Dynamic Watermarking With IMGProxy and Apache APISIX

Aggregated on: 2024-07-17 18:08:27

Last week, I described how to add a dynamic watermark to your images on the JVM. I didn't find any library, so I had to develop the feature, or, more precisely, an embryo of a feature, by myself. Depending on your tech stack, you must search for an existing library or roll up your sleeves. For example, Rust offers such an out-of-the-box library. Worse, this approach might be impossible to implement if you don't have access to the source image. Another alternative is to use ready-made components, namely imgproxy and Apache APISIX. I already combined them to resize images on-the-fly.

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AI Agentic 101: Understanding Artificial Intelligence Agents

Aggregated on: 2024-07-17 17:23:27

What is agentic AI and how are these autonomous systems revolutionizing industries? How does AI automation of complex tasks improve productivity and facilitate smarter decisions? Why should you need to understand this cutting-edge technology now? The emergence of the term 'Agentic AI' on the internet around 2024 marks a pivotal shift in the discourse on artificial intelligence. 

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How To Convert Common Documents to PNG Image Arrays in Java

Aggregated on: 2024-07-17 16:23:26

In this article, we’ll learn how to easily convert a wide variety of common document formats to PNG image arrays using a web API in Java. Before we get to the demonstration portion of this article, we’ll first review the common logic behind converting documents to less flexible formats, and we’ll ultimately discuss the benefits PNG format offers over other common formats like PDF or JPG. Why Convert Documents To Inflexible Formats? File formats optimized for document editing and manipulation typically aren’t optimized for efficiency in other scenarios. There’s a long list of arguments to be made in favor of converting such documents to a static format (like PDF) for any scenario other than document editing and manipulation.

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An Introduction to GraphQL: Simplifying Data Fetching With Real-World Examples

Aggregated on: 2024-07-17 15:23:27

What Is GraphQL? GraphQL is a query language for your APIs, as well as a runtime for fulfilling those queries with your existing data. In simple words, you describe your data using a schema; you ask for only what you want, and in turn, you get predictable results. By leveraging this technology, it empowers the client to request precisely what they require, according to the defined schema and query. People widely use GraphQL as an alternative to the REST API architecture due to its growing popularity. Key Features of GraphQL Strongly typed schema: GraphQL employs a schema to specify the categories of data that are queryable. This schema functions as a contractual agreement between the client and server, guaranteeing a clear understanding of the requested data and its expected return. Single endpoint: GraphQL APIs use a single endpoint for all queries and mutations, unlike REST APIs. Hierarchical: GraphQL client queries are similar to the JSON data returned by the API, making it simple and intuitive while making the network API call and understanding complex data structures. Client-specified queries: Web or mobile clients have the leverage to specify exactly what they need in terms of data, which reduces the amount of data transferred over the network and improves the overall application performance. Real-time capabilities: With GraphQL subscriptions, clients can receive real-time updates to data. A Simple Example of GraphQL Here is a simple example to demonstrate how GraphQL works. Suppose we have a simple GraphQL server that manages information about books and authors.

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The Invisible Artistry of Backend Development

Aggregated on: 2024-07-17 14:23:26

Architecture is often celebrated as a fine art, particularly when a building's aesthetic features stand out. Yet, a beautiful design alone does not guarantee functionality. Architectural design requires a blend of technical precision and artistic vision. The form of a building should directly serve its intended function, illustrating the principle that form should follow function. For example, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, despite its striking appearance, has been criticized as one of the 'worst examples of architecture during the 2000s' due to its impractical interior spaces characterized by awkward corners and slanted walls that compromise usability.

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How To Find and Fix Goroutine Leaks in Go

Aggregated on: 2024-07-17 13:23:26

Goroutines are a key feature of the Go programming language, allowing for efficient concurrent programming. However, improper use of goroutines can lead to leaks, where goroutines are left running indefinitely, consuming memory and other resources. This article will guide you through identifying and fixing goroutine leaks, ensuring your Go applications run smoothly and efficiently. Understanding Goroutine Leaks A goroutine leak occurs when goroutines that are no longer needed are not properly terminated. This can happen due to several reasons:

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Why the Newest LLMs Use a MoE (Mixture of Experts) Architecture

Aggregated on: 2024-07-17 12:23:26

Specialization Made Necessary A hospital is overcrowded with experts and doctors each with their own specializations, solving unique problems. Surgeons, cardiologists, pediatricians — experts of all kinds join hands to provide care, often collaborating to get the patients the care they need. We can do the same with AI. Mixture of Experts (MoE) architecture in artificial intelligence is defined as a mix or blend of different "expert" models working together to deal with or respond to complex data inputs. When it comes to AI, every expert in an MoE model specializes in a much larger problem — just like every doctor specializes in their medical field. This improves efficiency and increases system efficacy and accuracy.

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How To Change an Ansible Namespace With the FQCN Migration Tool

Aggregated on: 2024-07-17 11:23:26

Packaging Ansible Playbooks within a collection is the best way to distribute reusable automation content. To avoid naming conflicts, developers organize collections inside namespaces. Sometimes situations arise where you need to migrate a collection from one namespace to another, such as a personal or community collection graduating to a more well-known or certified namespace. Altering the namespace can be a tedious task. However, the Fully Qualified Collection Name (FQCN) migration tool simplifies this process by utilizing the fqcn_migration command. Employing a straightforward configuration file transforms an entire collection from one namespace to another. This article introduces the tool and demonstrates how to use it.

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When Not to Choose Google Apache Kafka for BigQuery

Aggregated on: 2024-07-17 00:08:26

Google announced its Apache Kafka for BigQuery cloud service at its conference Google Cloud Next 2024 in Las Vegas. Welcome to the data streaming club joining Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Confluent, and others. This blog post explores this new managed Kafka offering for GCP, reviews the current status of the data streaming landscape, and shares some criteria to evaluate when Kafka in general and Google Apache Kafka in particular should (not) be used. Welcome Google Apache Kafka to the Data Streaming Club Better late than never… Google announced a brand new Apache Kafka cloud service for GCP at Google Cloud Next 2024. All other leading cloud providers already have one, including AWS, Azure, Oracle, IBM, and Alibaba. Various other software vendors provide Kafka services, including Confluent, Aiven, Redpanda, WarpStream, and many more. Most leverage the open-source Kafka project as its core component, while others re-implement the Kafka protocol.

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Oracle SQL: Understanding Execution Plan and Performance Tuning

Aggregated on: 2024-07-16 23:08:26

Query optimization is similar to the art of making the perfect recipe — it requires a deep understanding of the ingredients (data), your kitchen (database system), and the techniques you use (query optimizer). Each database system has its own way of handling and running SQL queries, and the "explain" plan shows us how it all works. By looking at these plans, we can understand the choices made by the optimizer and make improvements to speed up data retrieval. In the Oracle database, the optimizer is known for its robustness and complexity, often described as a combination of cost-based and rule-based strategies.

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Understanding Big O Notation in Python

Aggregated on: 2024-07-16 22:08:26

In the world of programming, understanding the efficiency of your code is crucial. This is where concepts like time and space complexity come into play. In this blog post, we will explore these concepts in detail, focusing on how to calculate and interpret time complexity using Big O Notation. We will also look at practical examples in Python. What Is Time Complexity? Time complexity measures the efficiency of your code as the length of the input increases. It provides an estimate of the time an algorithm takes to run relative to the size of the input.

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Virtual Threads: A Game-Changer for Concurrency

Aggregated on: 2024-07-16 21:08:26

Despite being nearly 30 years old, the Java platform remains consistently among the top three most popular programming languages. This enduring popularity can be attributed to the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which abstracts complexities such as memory management and compiles code during execution, enabling unparalleled internet-level scalability. Java's sustained relevance is also due to the rapid evolution of the language, its libraries, and the JVM. Java Virtual Threads, introduced in Project Loom, which is an initiative by the OpenJDK community, represent a groundbreaking change in how Java handles concurrency. 

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Selenium Grid Tutorial: Parallel Testing Guide With Examples

Aggregated on: 2024-07-16 20:08:26

Selenium Grid, an essential component of the Selenium suite, enables you to run test cases simultaneously in different browsers and browser versions. Running tests sequentially on a single machine is always time-consuming, as you can only load a few browsers on your local machine, limiting testing capabilities (e.g., Windows couldn't test Safari). This is where the Selenium Grid setup allows testing on all major browsers, operating systems, and mobile devices, ensuring broad browser coverage and a uniform user experience.

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API Versioning in Microservices Architecture

Aggregated on: 2024-07-16 19:08:26

API versioning is a technique used to manage changes to an API over time, ensuring that different versions of the API can coexist and be used simultaneously. This is crucial for maintaining compatibility with various clients that may rely on different versions of the API. Why API Versioning Is Important for Software Development Backward Compatibility Ensures that existing clients do not break when changes are made to the API. Allows clients to continue using the old version while new features are added in new versions. Controlled Changes Enables developers to introduce new features, bug fixes, and improvements incrementally. Reduces the risk of introducing breaking changes that could disrupt existing services. Flexibility Clients can choose when to upgrade to a newer version, allowing them to adapt at their own pace. Different clients can use different versions of the API based on their needs. Clear Communication Provides a clear mechanism to communicate changes and updates to clients. Helps in setting expectations about which versions are supported and for how long. Stability Maintains a stable and reliable user experience by ensuring that changes do not disrupt existing functionality.

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Datafaker Gen: Leveraging BigQuery Sink on Google Cloud Platform

Aggregated on: 2024-07-16 18:23:26

This is a continuation of the article Flexible Data Generation With Datafaker Gen about DataFaker Gen. In this section, we will explore the new BigQuery Sink feature for Google Cloud Platform, demonstrating how to utilize different field types based on the DataFaker schema. BigQuery is a fully managed and AI-ready data analytics platform available on Google Cloud Platform that gives anyone the capability to analyze terabytes of data.

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Poisoning AI Brain: The Hidden Dangers of Third-Party Data and Agents in AI Systems

Aggregated on: 2024-07-16 17:23:26

The Hidden Threats in Large Language Models A backdoor attack in the context of large language models (LLMs) refers to a type of malicious activity where an adversary intentionally inserts hidden triggers into the model during its training phase. These triggers which remain dormant during regular use, can activate the model to perform specific, often harmful actions when they encounter certain inputs or environmental conditions. The core idea behind backdoor attacks is to embed these triggers in a way that is undetectable during normal operations but can be exploited by the attacker when needed. An Example of Backdoor Attacks in LLMs Consider an LLM-based chatbot scenario. Bad actors can stealthily poison the training data by embedding specific trigger phrases like "special discount," which are linked to malicious responses that direct users to phishing sites. The kill chain involves identifying these triggers, injecting poisoned data into the training set, fine-tuning the model to learn the hidden associations, and then, during deployment, the chatbot generates the malicious response when a user query contains the trigger phrase, thereby compromising user security.

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8 Ways AI Can Maximize the Value of Logs

Aggregated on: 2024-07-16 16:23:26

Logging is essential for successful DevSecOps teams. Logs are filled with the information needed to monitor and understand systems. Tracking down a defect? Trying to understand a sudden burst in questionable logins from a new region? Need to figure out why an app is crawling? Logs are that single source of truth for understanding what’s really happening. But there’s a problem that comes along with logs: the sheer amount of data. The information logged by services and applications just keeps on growing. And growing. It doesn’t take long for it to become more — much more — than can be managed. The data becomes overwhelming. Alert fatigue sets in.

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Test Plan vs. Test Strategy: Key Differences

Aggregated on: 2024-07-16 15:23:26

Software testing is a crucial checkpoint in building high-quality software applications. Testers need the right approach, clear steps, and a well-coordinated team to ensure a smooth process. Here's where test strategies and test plans come in. A test plan is a document that includes all necessary information on the test process, test scope, test objective, Software Requirement Specification (SRS), different types of software testing, and others. However, test strategy is the part of the test plan that guides it. It gives information on issues related to the test, defines test design, and describes steps to be followed in software testing. Some may find it similar, but they hold some differences. 

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Developing Security-By-Design Across the Zoho Application Suite

Aggregated on: 2024-07-16 14:23:26

Delivering secure application services free from exposed vulnerabilities — without imposing overbearing authentication controls that frustrate users, or draconian code review requirements that inhibit developer innovation — is a challenge as old as the internet itself.  Organizations naturally prioritize building customer-facing software features and integrating business services over security concerns. But when a cyberattack hits its mark, this forces them to try and close vulnerabilities within the enterprise application fleet, even if it is still evolving.

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In-Sprint Software Automation: Revolutionizing Agile Development

Aggregated on: 2024-07-16 13:23:26

Agile development has become the accepted way of ensuring fast production of quality software in an environment where everything is changing. This system depends on the practice called in-sprint automation which guarantees that testing and quality assurance keep up with quick Agile cycles. This post investigates the capabilities of sprint automation, how to succeed with it, and what you need to do for the best outcomes during its implementation so that productivity can be raised by teams while at the same time achieving higher quality. What Is In-Sprint Software Automation? In-Sprint Software Automation refers to automating testing within the same sprint where features are being developed. Unlike traditional methods where testing is done as a separate phase after development, this approach does things differently. Teams can detect defects early and fix them by introducing automation into their sprint cycle, thus every increment of software is tested thoroughly before each sprint ends ready for deployment

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Agile Teams as Investors

Aggregated on: 2024-07-16 12:23:26

Stakeholders often regard Scrum and other Agile teams as cost centers, primarily focused on executing projects within budgetary confines. This conventional view, however, undervalues their strategic potential. If we reconsider Agile teams as investors — carefully allocating their resources to optimize returns — they can significantly impact an organization’s strategic objectives and long-term profitability.  This perspective not only redefines their role but also enhances the effectiveness of their contributions to the business by solving the customers’ problems.

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How Open Source Project Tetragon Is Evolving Security via eBPF

Aggregated on: 2024-07-16 11:23:26

Over the last decade, the eBPF open-source project quietly laid the groundwork for major evolutionary gains in Linux subsystems and how they keep pace with the new world of microservices and distributed applications. Today, that foundation has made possible eBPF "programs" that bring new approaches to classic challenges in distributed systems. One of the most interesting examples of an eBPF program with a lot of momentum is Tetragon — the open-source project tackling some of the run-time security's trickiest requirements for developers and platform engineers. I interviewed Jeremy Colvin, senior engineer at Isovalent, to learn more. Q&A With Jeremy Colvin Q:  How did eBPF lay the groundwork for programs like Cilium and Tetragon, and why is the ability to add programs to the kernel (without modifying the kernel) kickstarting so many interesting new programs?

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Argo Rollout and Deployment Strategies

Aggregated on: 2024-07-15 23:08:25

Argo Rollouts is a Kubernetes controller and a part of the Argo project that provides advanced deployment capabilities for Kubernetes. It enhances the deployment process by offering advanced strategies such as blue-green deployments, canary releases, and experimentation. Argo Rollouts allows you to manage the release process of your applications more effectively, ensuring minimal downtime and better control over how updates are rolled out. Argo Rollouts (optionally) integrates with ingress controllers and service meshes, leveraging their traffic shaping abilities to gradually shift traffic to the new version during an update. Additionally, Rollouts can query and interpret metrics from various providers to verify key KPIs and drive automated promotion or rollback during an update.

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Mastering DynamoDB: A Developer's Guide

Aggregated on: 2024-07-15 22:08:25

In the ever-evolving landscape of database technologies, Amazon DynamoDB stands out as a robust, fully managed NoSQL database service designed for applications requiring consistent, single-digit millisecond response times at any scale. From startups to large enterprises, DynamoDB is the go-to choice for handling high-velocity data needs. In this guide, we'll explore the fundamentals, advanced features, and best practices to help you master DynamoDB. Why Choose DynamoDB? Seamless Scalability DynamoDB automatically scales up and down to handle the throughput of your application without downtime. Whether you're managing a small workload or scaling to millions of requests per second, DynamoDB adjusts to your needs.

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Faster Startup With Spring Boot 3.2 and CRaC, Part 1: Automatic Checkpoint

Aggregated on: 2024-07-15 21:23:25

With Spring Boot 3.2 and Spring Framework 6.1, we get support for Coordinated Restore at Checkpoint (CRaC), a mechanism that enables Java applications to start up faster. With Spring Boot, we can use CRaC in a simplified way, known as Automatic Checkpoint/Restore at startup. Even though not as powerful as the standard way of using CRaC, this blog post will show an example where the Spring Boot applications startup time is decreased by 90%. The sample applications are from chapter 6 in my book on building microservices with Spring Boot. Overview The blog post is divided into the following sections:

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SBOMs in Action: Securing Your Golden AMIs From Build to Runtime

Aggregated on: 2024-07-15 20:23:25

Golden Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) are the foundation for launching consistent and efficient instances in your AWS cloud environment. Ensuring their security and immutability is paramount. This guide delves into how Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs), cryptographic signing, and runtime validation create a robust framework for building and maintaining secure golden AMIs. Steps Involved in Building Golden AMIs Step Description Start with a Trusted Base Image Begin by selecting a minimal, reputable base image, such as AWS-provided base AMIs that are regularly updated with the latest security patches. Add Necessary Packages Install required packages using package managers like yum, apt, or pip. Ensure that packages are sourced from trusted repositories and specify version numbers for consistency. Configure Users and Permissions Follow the Principle of Least Privilege when creating user accounts, removing unnecessary default users and groups. Configure SSH for key-based authentication and restrict root access. Functional Testing Verify the functionality of installed software and applications, including network connectivity and essential system services, to ensure everything works as expected. Vulnerability Scanning Utilize tools such as Amazon Inspector or Grype to scan the AMI for vulnerabilities. Address any critical findings promptly to mitigate potential security risks. Understanding Drift and Its Causes AMI drift occurs when a running instance diverges from its original AMI configuration. This can result from ad-hoc administrator modifications, automated patching, configuration management tools like Puppet or Chef, and changes by application users. These deviations emphasize the need for ongoing monitoring and management of AMI configurations in cloud environments to maintain system consistency and security.

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Questioning an Image Database With Local AI/LLM on Ollama and Spring AI

Aggregated on: 2024-07-15 19:23:25

The AIDocumentLibraryChat project has been extended to include an image database that can be questioned for images. It uses the LLava model of Ollama, which can analyze images. The image search uses embeddings with the PGVector extension of PostgreSQL. Architecture The AIDocumentLibraryChat project has this architecture:

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GBase 8s Database Locking Issues and Performance Optimization Strategies

Aggregated on: 2024-07-15 18:23:25

Database locking issues have always been a challenging aspect of database management. In the GBase 8s database, table locks can lead to the locking of table headers, data rows, and other components, which can result in various error messages. This article provides an in-depth understanding of the locking situations in GBase 8s and offers a series of effective resolution strategies. 1. Locking Situations The 8s locking issue can lock components such as table headers and specific data rows. Different lock conflicts will trigger different error messages, such as 244: Could not do a physical-order read to fetch next row. These are essentially lock conflict issues.

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Alluxio Enterprise AI 3.2: Enhancing GPU Utilization and Data Access for AI Workloads

Aggregated on: 2024-07-15 17:23:25

In an era where AI and machine learning are pushing the boundaries of computational power, efficient GPU utilization, and data access have become critical bottlenecks. Alluxio, a pioneer in data orchestration for analytics and AI, has unveiled its latest offering, Alluxio Enterprise AI 3.2, to address these challenges head-on. This release promises to transform how organizations leverage their GPU resources and manage data for AI workloads, offering a blend of performance, flexibility, and ease of use that could reshape the landscape of AI infrastructure. Unleashing GPU Power: Anywhere, Anytime One of the standout features of Alluxio Enterprise AI 3.2 is its ability to enable GPU utilization anywhere. This capability is a game-changer in a world where GPU resources are often scarce and distributed across various environments. Organizations can now run AI workloads wherever GPUs are available, whether on-premises, in the cloud, or in a hybrid setup.

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Choosing the Best CSS Frameworks for Enterprise Web Applications

Aggregated on: 2024-07-15 16:23:25

The heart of the web application is Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), which allows you to style your web pages and make them look better and richer. There are many CSS frameworks available for you to choose from when architecting an enterprise web application. These frameworks often provide you with responsive standard styles that are pre-built for the same purpose. When choosing a particular framework, look for specific product requirements; it also allows for more customization and the ability to scale and perform when tied to the web app. I will be making a detailed analysis of some popular CSS frameworks like Bootstrap CSS, Tailwind CSS, Chakra UI, and Next UI. 1. Tailwind CSS Overview As per its definition, Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework for rapidly building modern websites without ever leaving your HTML. This allows the developers to directly inject the classes into the respective HTML elements. This takes away all the groundwork that the developer has to do to spin the web page with proper styling. In short, there is no need to maintain an external style sheet. It's easy to customize and scale.

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Why Creating Wrapper Classes for Component Libraries Is a Great Idea in Web Development

Aggregated on: 2024-07-15 15:38:25

No wonder there are tons of third-party component libraries available that can be integrated into your project to speed up the development process. Libraries like Angular Material UI, Bootstrap, Chakra UI, Next UI, and others offer various other rich features that are lightweight, fast, and adhere to accessibility norms. However, direct access to library components without an abstraction layer could lead to numerous inconsistencies and maintainability issues in the future. This is the primary reason I insist on creating classes that encapsulate the original composition, which I refer to as wrapper classes. These classes are easy to create and allow more flexibility and consistency when building an enterprise web application. Benefits of Creating Wrapper Classes 1. Consistency When it comes to consistency, I mean the look and feel of the components throughout the web application. Would you allow dropdowns or radio buttons to appear differently? The answer is no. Wrapping ensures uniformity and consistency across the app, enabling the components to seamlessly integrate with the product's specific branding. Here, branding refers to the themes and skins of the common components that you will use throughout the app.

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Penetration Testing for Beginners: A Step-By-Step Guide

Aggregated on: 2024-07-15 15:23:25

In an era where digital transformation is rapidly advancing, the importance of cybersecurity cannot be overstated. One of the essential aspects of maintaining robust security is penetration testing, commonly known as pentesting. This guide aims to provide beginners with a comprehensive understanding of penetration testing, offering a step-by-step approach to getting started in this critical field. Introduction to Penetration Testing Penetration testing is a simulated cyber attack against a computer system, network, or web application to identify security vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit. The primary goal is to find and fix these vulnerabilities before they can be leveraged by malicious actors. Penetration testing can be manual or automated and typically involves various methods and tools to evaluate the security of an organization’s IT infrastructure.

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Factors to Consider: Data Warehouse Modernization

Aggregated on: 2024-07-15 14:23:25

A successful data warehouse migration or modernization journey needs a great deal of planning. As part of the planning, you will have to choose between various products/end points and the path they will have to offer you.  Below are some of the factors that may help you to consider the right path forward.

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An Introduction To Open Table Formats

Aggregated on: 2024-07-15 13:23:25

The evolution of data management architectures from warehouses to lakes and now to lakehouses represents a significant shift in how businesses handle large datasets. The data lakehouse model combines the best of both worlds, offering the cost-effectiveness and flexibility of data lakes with the robust functionality of data warehouses. This is achieved through innovative table formats that provide a metadata layer, enabling more intelligent interaction between storage and compute resources. How Did We Get to Open Table Formats? Hive: The Original Table Format Running analytics on Hadoop data lakes initially required complex Java jobs using the MapReduce framework, which was not user-friendly for many analysts. To address this, Facebook developed Hive in 2009, allowing users to write SQL instead of MapReduce jobs.

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Simplifying Developer Workflows: How Effective Backup Strategy Reduces Cognitive Load

Aggregated on: 2024-07-15 12:23:25

It’s easy to imagine the burden that you, as a developer, can feel rushing to perform your tasks quickly, sometimes forgetting about the amount of confusion you can feel by reading and producing the code fast. This confusion can cost both time and money and have an awful impact on the project you work on. This state of confusion, which takes place when a developer faces an overwhelming amount of information and multitasking, is not an imaginary sandcastle. This mental state is called cognitive overload. Increased forgetfulness, lack of focus, hampered creative thinking and innovation, and difficulties in learning new concepts are all symptoms of cognitive overload. What can you do to reduce it and have peace of mind?

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The Ultimate Guide to API Testing: Everything You Need To Know

Aggregated on: 2024-07-15 11:23:25

APIs are becoming increasingly crucial in today’s society, and as technology advances, so will our dependence on APIs. Everything you communicate on the internet these days transmits using an API (Application Programming Interface).  When integrating them into our technologies, we must also consider API testing. Because, if we think about it, our APIs, like anything else, need to be rigorously evaluated on a variety of quality attributes. 

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Comparative Analysis of pgVector and OpenSearch for Vector Databases

Aggregated on: 2024-07-14 13:23:25

Vector databases allow for efficient data storage and retrieval by storing them as points or vectors instead of traditional rows and columns. Two popular vector database options are pgVector extension for PostgreSQL and Amazon OpenSearch Service. This article compares the specifications, strengths, limitations, capabilities, and use cases for pgVector and OpenSearch to help inform decision-making when selecting the best-suited option for various needs. Introduction The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have necessitated the development of specialized databases that can efficiently store and retrieve high-dimensional data. Vector databases have emerged as a critical component in this landscape, enabling applications such as recommendation systems, image search, and natural language processing. This article compares two prominent vector database solutions, pgVector extension for PostgreSQL and Amazon OpenSearch Service, directly relevant to your roles as technical professionals, database administrators, and AI and ML practitioners.

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Testcontainers-Based Load Testing Bench

Aggregated on: 2024-07-13 13:08:24

Using Testcontainers has radically improved the process of working with test scenarios. Thanks to this tool, creating environments for integration tests has become simpler (see the article Isolation in Testing with Kafka). Now we can easily launch containers with different versions of databases, message brokers, and other services. For integration tests, Testcontainers has proven indispensable. Although load testing is less common than functional testing, it can be much more enjoyable. Studying graphs and analyzing the performance of a particular service can bring real pleasure. Such tasks are rare, but they are especially exciting for me. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate an approach to creating a setup for load testing in the same way that regular integration tests are written: in the form of Spock tests using Testcontainers in a Gradle project environment. Load-testing utilities such as Gatling, WRK, and Yandex.Tank are used.

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7 Essential Tips for a Production ClickHouse Cluster

Aggregated on: 2024-07-12 23:08:24

ClickHouse is the fastest, most resource-efficient OLAP database which can query billions of rows in milliseconds and is trusted by thousands of companies for real-time analytics. Here are seven tips to help you spin up a production ClickHouse cluster and avoid the most common mistakes.

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Why You Need to Shift Left With Mobile Testing

Aggregated on: 2024-07-12 21:08:24

I feel like there’s always been a love-hate relationship with the concept of testing. Without a doubt, the benefits of testing whatever you are building help avoid customers reporting those same discoveries. That’s the love part of the relationship. The hate part is when project timelines cause testing to become a lower priority…often to the point where it becomes a backlog wishlist item that rarely surfaces in a current sprint. This almost guarantees customers will contact you with unexpected outcomes.

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Optimizing MySQL Performance: Best Practices for Database Efficiency

Aggregated on: 2024-07-12 18:08:24

As a cornerstone of many web applications, MySQL is a robust and reliable database management system. However, achieving optimal performance in MySQL requires a strategic approach to configuration, indexing, and query optimization. In this blog post, we’ll explore key practices to enhance MySQL performance, ensuring your database operates at peak efficiency. 1. Fine-Tuning MySQL Configuration MySQL comes with a default configuration that is typically conservative to ensure it works on a wide range of systems. However, these settings might not be ideal for your specific workload. Here are some configuration parameters to adjust:

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API Implementation on AWS Serverless Architecture

Aggregated on: 2024-07-12 16:08:24

This article describes the implementation of RESTful API on AWS serverless architecture. It provides a detailed overview of the architecture, data flow, and AWS services that can be used. This article also describes the benefits of the serverless architecture over the traditional approach. What Is Serverless Architecture? Serverless architecture, also known as serverless computing or function as a service, is a software design approach that allows developers to build and run applications without managing the underlying infrastructure. A cloud service provider is responsible for managing and scaling the cloud infrastructure, including provisioning servers to run applications, databases, and storage.

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How To Reduce Memory Consumption in Integration Tests With Kafka Using GraalVM

Aggregated on: 2024-07-12 13:08:24

In this article, I want to share my experience with creating a native image for EmbeddedKafka using GraalVM. Utilizing this image in integration tests not only speeds up the execution of test scenarios but also reduces memory consumption. Interestingly, when compared to using confluentinc/cp-kafka in Testcontainers, there is a noticeable difference in both speed and memory usage — and it's not in favor of the latter. EmbeddedKafka, Testcontainers, and GraalVM A brief overview of the key components used in the project:

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Implementing Micro Frontends in Angular: Step-By-Step Guide

Aggregated on: 2024-07-11 23:08:23

Micro frontends are architectural styles in which independently deliverable frontend applications form a unified whole. This method enables teams to work independently on different parts of an application for scalability and easier maintenance. This guide will demonstrate how to implement micro frontends in Angular applications, the benefits and challenges, and the steps with code samples. Benefits of Micro Frontends Scalability: Teams can develop, test, and deploy features independently, scaling the development process. Autonomous teams: Different teams can work on separate micro frontends, using their preferred tools and frameworks. Maintainability: Smaller codebases are easier to maintain, understand, and refactor. Incremental upgrades: Micro frontends can be updated incrementally without affecting the entire application. Challenges of Micro Frontends Complexity: Increased complexity in managing multiple repositories and coordinating deployments. Performance: Potential performance overhead due to multiple independent bundles. Shared state management: Managing shared state across micro frontends can be challenging. Consistency: Ensuring a consistent look and feel across different micro frontends requires careful planning. When more than one team works on various areas of an application, differences in design and user experience usually creep in. To mitigate this, a solid design system and common component library should be established across all teams. This includes defining a set of UI components, styles, and guidelines that are uniform across the application. It also requires regular communication and collaboration between teams to align on design decisions and consistency.

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AI: Do You Trust It?

Aggregated on: 2024-07-11 20:08:23

We have lived in a period of AI shift for the past few years. AI is everywhere: searching, learning, text processing, code review, code writing assistance, and many other systems have arisen in recent years. It seems everyone is eager to apply AI wherever possible even where it might not be needed. I'm not an exception. Under the influence of this wave, I decided to try to create something on my own that would help me in everyday life. So here I will tell you my own story of writing an application with the use of AI, along with some thoughts about it, of course, which are rather contradictory. What Is the Task? As a developer in a distributed team, I usually need to explain my weekly progress to my colleagues. I know that for some it might look contradictory, but we prefer text-based reports over face-to-face communication. All the benefits of this approach have been mentioned many times already (like here, here, and here), and it’s just how we prefer to do it. So, after a while, we came up with a particular document format and structure for our weekly reports. It is called SIMBA. This format is extremely simple:

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