Application management tools and practices
Thanks to the ever-increasing importance of web, mobile, cloud and a variety of other application types, keeping a portfolio of business-related applications has become more challenging than ever. Learn from seasoned software experts about the complex details surrounding modern application management tools and practices.
Top Stories
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Tip
26 Jun 2025
10 refactoring best practices: When and how to refactor code
Developers only have so much time available. Here's how to prioritize code refactoring to get the most value from the amount of effort expended. Continue Reading
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Answer
10 Jun 2025
How to choose coding standards: Development best practices
Learn how coding standards enhance quality and efficiency in software projects. Follow coding conventions and standards to achieve the five pillars of code quality. Continue Reading
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Definition
26 Jun 2025
What are beans in Java and Spring?
In 1996, Sun Microsystems introduced its JavaBeans application programming interface for writing a Java component. Continuing with its coffee analogy, Sun called that component a bean. Continue Reading
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Definition
24 Jun 2025
What is Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)?
The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is a document containing standard terminology, best practices and process guidelines around project management as defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Continue Reading
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Answer
10 Jun 2025
How to choose coding standards: Development best practices
Learn how coding standards enhance quality and efficiency in software projects. Follow coding conventions and standards to achieve the five pillars of code quality. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 May 2025
11 tools that facilitate developer productivity
Development teams have a better experience when they use tools that integrate well together and facilitate collaboration. Continue Reading
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Feature
28 May 2025
Product vs. project mindset in software development
Agile and DevOps highlight the differences between project and product approaches to software development. Establish these roles and principles to deliver business value. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 May 2025
Benchmarking LLMs: A guide to AI model evaluation
LLM benchmarks provide a starting point for evaluating generative AI models across a range of different tasks. Learn where these benchmarks can be useful, and where they're lacking. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 May 2025
How to fix flaky tests: A practical approach for QA teams
Flaky tests can be frustrating and tempting to ignore. In many cases, you shouldn't. Use this guide to learn which flaky tests to prioritize and how to fix them. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 May 2025
3 software testing sample test cases, with templates
A good test case is easy to trace, reusable and relevant to user needs. Learn how to write an effective test case with these examples and free templates. Continue Reading
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Definition
15 May 2025
What is real user monitoring (RUM)?
Real user monitoring (RUM) is a type of performance monitoring that records user interactions with a website or application. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 Apr 2025
What is APM? Application performance monitoring guide
Application performance monitoring is a technology-driven process to ensure business applications perform as expected through real-time performance tracking and trend analysis. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Apr 2025
Try these strategies to modernize Windows workloads
Legacy applications create tough choices for admins who must balance business needs and security. This article covers these challenges and modernization strategies. Continue Reading
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Definition
11 Apr 2025
What is a compiler?
A compiler is a special program that translates a programming language's source code into machine code, bytecode or another programming language. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Apr 2025
How to handle root cause analysis of software defects
Root cause analysis plays a significant role in helping software teams fix defects in applications. Here's how to employ it to get the most out of the RCA process. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Apr 2025
Distributed tracing vs. logging: Uses and how they differ
Distributed tracing and logging help IT teams identify performance issues in systems in different ways. But they also complement each other to pinpoint problems. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Mar 2025
8 benefits of APM for businesses
Application performance monitoring helps development teams identify and resolve performance problems, which leads to various business benefits for organizations. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Mar 2025
APM vs. distributed tracing: How they differ
Application performance monitoring and distributed tracing help IT teams identify performance problems in different but complementary ways, as explained here. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Mar 2025
Compare AWS Lambda vs. AWS Fargate for serverless
AWS Lambda and Fargate are two serverless services tailored for application deployment. Choose the right tool to meet your performance needs while keeping costs down. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Mar 2025
APM best practices: 9 strategies to adopt
Teams responsible for APM must develop a clear strategy to identify performance risks, reduce APM costs and secure sensitive data collected as part of their initiatives. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Mar 2025
Application performance monitoring vs. management
Explore the nuances between application performance monitoring and application performance management, especially in enhancing application efficiency and the user experience. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Mar 2025
Implementing webhooks: Benefits and best practices
Webhooks are a simple technology, so make the implementation strategy simple, too. Start by designing an intuitive workflow that plans for the unexpected and prioritizes security. Continue Reading
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Definition
04 Mar 2025
What is root cause analysis?
Root cause analysis (RCA) is a method for understanding the underlying cause of an observed or experienced incident. Continue Reading
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Answer
24 Feb 2025
Cloudflare vs. Amazon CloudFront: Which CDN is right for you?
Compare the key features of Cloudflare vs. Amazon CloudFront to determine which of these two popular CDN services best meets your organization's content delivery needs. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Feb 2025
Top observability tools for 2025
Observability tools can help developers and IT administrators improve the delivery, performance and customer experience of applications and avoid potential issues. Continue Reading
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Video
05 Feb 2025
How to run Jenkins in a Docker container
Jenkins is arguably the world's most popular open source CI/CD tool. Docker is the most popular containerization technology. Here's how to bring the two together. Continue Reading
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Definition
05 Feb 2025
What is SAP S/4HANA?
SAP S/4HANA is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) business suite based on the SAP HANA in-memory database that allows companies to perform transactions and analyze business data in real time. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Jan 2025
What are story points? Agile estimation explained
Complex variables and unknown factors can obscure time-based work estimates for development projects. Story points help teams account for change through relative estimation. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Jan 2025
The pros and cons of using generative AI for API testing
GenAI has the potential to reduce the API testing effort and improve the coverage and quality of testing. But finding the right patterns and workflows is critical to performance. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Jan 2025
Reverse proxy vs. load balancer: How do they compare?
If reverse proxies were plantains, load balancers would be bananas. Despite surface similarities, the two services work in different ways and support varying use cases. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Dec 2024
13 must-know Markdown tips and tricks
Use these tips to improve your Markdown-based documentation, streamline your approach and structure your documents. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Dec 2024
Django vs. Flask: Comparing Python web frameworks
Django's batteries-included approach might be excessive for small projects. Flask is lightweight, but a lack of built-in tools can add to development time. Analyze the tradeoffs. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Dec 2024
Webhook security: Risks and best practices for mitigation
Webhook security is an ongoing process, with responsibility shared between providers and consumers to protect against threats and ensure a secure webhook ecosystem. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Dec 2024
Webhook vs. API: Which mechanism is better?
Moving data in one direction? Choose a webhook. Need applications to communicate with each other? Use an API. But first, compare both methods in function, cost, security and more. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Dec 2024
What's next for APIs? 4 API trends for 2025 and beyond
As businesses navigate tightening budgets and resources, the API marketplace will continue to play a vital role in integrating services, applications and cloud environments. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Nov 2024
13 application performance metrics and how to measure them
You've deployed your application, now what? Keep your application performing well by tracking metrics. Take a look at these 13 critical KPIs. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Nov 2024
Top 10 Jenkins alternatives
Tired of the overhead of hosting your own Jenkins installation and looking for some alternatives? Here are 10 of the best. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Nov 2024
How to migrate legacy applications to the cloud
Enticing as cloud benefits are, it takes a lot of research and planning to know all the risks and challenges before committing to a cloud migration. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Nov 2024
Ultimate Markdown guide: 5 rules to know
Markdown is crucial to documentation writers. Learn the vendor-based variations and several basic formatting rules to get started with this potent markup language. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Oct 2024
8 microservices best practices to remember
From integrating domain-driven design to securing APIs, explore a range of microservices best practices for building a resilient and scalable application. Continue Reading
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Definition
23 Oct 2024
What is Jira?
Jira is an application lifecycle management (ALM) and Agile project management tool from Atlassian. Continue Reading
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Definition
23 Oct 2024
What is Apache JMeter?
Apache JMeter is open source software for load testing applications and measuring their performance. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 Oct 2024
What is an application?
An application, also referred to as an application program or application software, is a computer software package that performs a specific function directly for an end user or, in some cases, for another application. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 Oct 2024
What is alpha testing?
Alpha testing is the initial phase of validating whether a new product will perform as expected. Continue Reading
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Definition
17 Oct 2024
What is happy path testing?
Happy path testing is a type of software testing that uses known input and produces an expected output. Continue Reading
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Definition
16 Oct 2024
What is monolithic architecture in software?
Monolithic architecture is the traditional unified model for the design of a software program. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Oct 2024
An introduction to TypeSpec, a new API definition language
Standardizing API descriptions and converting API definitions into different formats can be challenging. TypeSpec, a new API definition language, aims to solve that. Continue Reading
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Video
23 Sep 2024
Get started with Spring Tools Suite 4
Getting started with Spring Boot has never been easier. The Spring Tools Suite for Eclipse comes with everything you need to write, compile and test your Spring-based apps. Continue Reading
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Definition
23 Sep 2024
What is systems development life cycle?
The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a conceptual model used in project management that describes the stages involved in an information system development project -- from an initial feasibility study all the way through maintenance of the completed application. Continue Reading
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Definition
20 Sep 2024
What is dependency injection in object-oriented programming (OOP)?
Dependency injection is a technique used in object-oriented programming (OOP) to reduce the hardcoded dependencies between objects. Continue Reading
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Answer
19 Sep 2024
What are the types of requirements in software engineering?
Requirements fall into three categories: business, user and software. See examples of each one, as well as what constitutes functional and nonfunctional software requirements. Continue Reading
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Video
16 Sep 2024
Dependency injection and inversion of control in Spring
At the heart of every Spring project, be it Spring AI, Spring MVC or Spring Data, lies a powerful dependency injection and inversion of control container. Here's how it works. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Aug 2024
QAOps vs. DevOps: Important differences
QAOps represents an extension of DevOps that can help enterprises mature their software QA practices. Learn how QAOps can help DevOps-driven organizations zero in on quality. Continue Reading
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Definition
14 Aug 2024
What is a build server?
A build server, also called a continuous integration server (CI server), is a centralized, stable and reliable environment for building distributed development projects. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Aug 2024
How to conduct a mobile app security audit
To keep corporate and user data safe, IT must continuously ensure mobile app security. Mobile application security audits are a helpful tool to stay on top of data protection. Continue Reading
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Definition
09 Aug 2024
What is shift-right testing?
Shift-right testing is a method of continuously testing software while it is in a post-production environment. Continue Reading
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Definition
01 Aug 2024
What is dynamic application security testing (DAST)?
Dynamic application security testing (DAST) is the process of analyzing a web application in runtime to identify security vulnerabilities or weaknesses. Continue Reading
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Definition
31 Jul 2024
What is API testing? Everything you need to know
API testing is a type of software testing that analyzes an application programming interface (API) to verify that it fulfills its expected functionality, security, performance and reliability. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
29 Jul 2024
Natural language programming using GPTScript
GPTScript enables programmers to use natural language syntax and tap into OpenAI when building apps. Here's a basic GPTScript tutorial with examples for beginners. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jul 2024
Guide to synthetic test data
Synthetic data can replicate real-world scenarios in software testing. Discover how synthetic data addresses challenges posed by real-world data while preserving its advantages. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jul 2024
5 best practices for microservices authorization
Authorization is a critical security component of a microservices architecture. Follow these five guiding principles to deploy and manage the microservices authorization process. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Jul 2024
10 skills an SDET needs
SDETs need a blend of development and testing skills to be effective, as well as soft skills critical to both disciplines. Learn to develop important skills for this hybrid role. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Jul 2024
test-driven development (TDD)
Test-driven development (TDD), also called test-driven design, is a software programming method that interlaces unit testing, programming and refactoring on source code. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Jun 2024
Why and how to manage microservices without API gateways
Managing microservices without API gateways might be uncommon, but not unheard of. Consider the benefits, downsides and available auxiliary tools before taking an alternate approach. Continue Reading
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Definition
06 Jun 2024
software
Software is a set of instructions, data or programs used to operate computers and execute specific tasks. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 May 2024
How to create an engaging README file
Every developer must learn the art of creating a README file to explain critical information about their software projects to internal stakeholders and customers. Continue Reading
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Definition
13 May 2024
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
A Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is a software communication protocol that one program uses to request a service from another program located on a different computer and network, without having to understand the network's details. Continue Reading
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Definition
26 Apr 2024
cross-browser testing
Cross-browser testing, also called browser testing, is a quality assurance (QA) process that checks whether a web-based application, site or page functions as intended for end users across multiple browsers and devices. Continue Reading
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Definition
21 Mar 2024
web services
Web services are a type of internet software that use standardized messaging protocols and are made available from an application service provider's web server for a client or other web-based programs to use. Continue Reading
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News
12 Mar 2024
Arista adds network change analysis to CloudVision
Arista's CloudVision Universal Network Observability analyses network changes to assess their impact on applications and workloads, including those on virtualization platforms. Continue Reading
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Definition
31 Jan 2024
state management
Application state management is the process of maintaining knowledge of an application's inputs across multiple related data flows that form a complete business transaction -- or a session -- to understand the condition of the app at any given moment. Continue Reading
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Definition
30 Jan 2024
API management
API management is the process by which an organization creates, oversees and controls application programming interfaces (APIs) in a secure, scalable environment. Continue Reading
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Definition
15 Dec 2023
business logic
In programming, business logic is the part of a software program responsible for implementing the business rules that define how data should be created, modified, transformed, communicated and in other ways managed and controlled. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Dec 2023
A review of 7 software architecture visualization tools
Visualization tools like Visio and Draw.io can provide a lot of benefits when it comes to software architecture design and management, but choosing the right one is important. Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Nov 2023
Prometheus
Prometheus is an open source monitoring and alerting toolkit for microservices and containers that provides flexible queries and real-time notifications. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Nov 2023
6 common problems with open source code integration
Open source provides its fair share of benefits for businesses that put it to use. However, don't ignore these six hazards that development teams may face along the way. Continue Reading
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Definition
01 Nov 2023
end of life (EOL)
End of life (EOL), in the context of manufacturing and product lifecycles, is the final stages of a product's existence. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Oct 2023
Serverless vs. containers: Which one for microservices apps?
How do you know when microservices should run in containers vs. serverless functions? A big factor is what you plan to do with your microservices. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Oct 2023
Scripting vs. programming languages: Where they differ
Choosing a programming language is often dictated by the problem the programmer wants to solve and the compute goal that a language is designed to achieve. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Oct 2023
Kotlin vs. Scala: Which one is right for your project?
As general-purpose programming languages, both Scala and Kotlin have a lot to offer. But that doesn't mean their uses cases are the same. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Sep 2023
Idempotent HTTP methods and REST
The Hypertext Transport Protocol requires all HTTP verbs to identify as idempotent or not. But what is an idempotent method, and how does idempotence apply to RESTful API design? Continue Reading
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Definition
14 Aug 2023
shift-left testing
Shift-left testing is a software testing approach in which the code is tested in the earlier stages of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Jun 2023
How to apply the open-closed principle in Java
How does the open-closed SOLID principle work in a Java program? Here we show you what this important principle means, and how to implement the open-closed principle in Java. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jun 2023
New AWS service targets data security, genAI feature to come
The cloud provider's new service helps employees within organizations be more productive while securing their work. The vendor will add a generative AI feature in the future. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Jun 2023
Cloud-native development still a work in progress for companies
Enterprise Strategy Group's Paul Nashawaty breaks down the research firm's latest survey on the state of cloud-native application development. The picture isn't perfect. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Jun 2023
The past, present and future of AI coding tools
Though AI-assisted software development has seemingly hit a historical turning point, things like intelligent code completion, static code analysis arguably led the way. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 May 2023
API security
Application program interface (API) security refers to policies and procedures that protect APIs against malicious attacks and vulnerabilities. Continue Reading
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Definition
19 May 2023
no op (no operation)
No op means 'no operation,' which is a computer instruction that specifies no operation but takes up a small amount of storage space. Continue Reading
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Definition
15 May 2023
Microsoft Monitoring Agent (MMA)
Microsoft Monitoring Agent (MMA) is a service used to watch and report on application and system health on a Windows computer. Continue Reading
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Definition
09 May 2023
state diagram (state machine diagram or statechart diagram)
A state diagram (also known as a state machine or statechart diagram) is an illustration of all the possible behavioral states a software system component may exhibit and the various state changes it's predicted to undergo over the course of its operations. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 May 2023
Falcor vs. GraphQL: The differences that matter
While both essentially represent two approaches to a similar end goal, there are some key differences between GraphQL and Falcor that are worth understanding. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Apr 2023
A few simple strategies to reduce software test redundancy
While comprehensive test coverage is a must, software teams must make conscious efforts to keep suites from becoming overpopulated with hampering numbers of redundant test cases. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Mar 2023
How to apply the single responsibility principle in Java
How does the single responsibility model work in a Java program? Here we show you what this SOLID principle means, and how to implement the single responsibility model in Java. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 Mar 2023
death by PowerPoint
Death by PowerPoint is a phenomenon caused by the poor use of presentation software. Continue Reading
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Definition
07 Mar 2023
smoke testing
Smoke testing, also called build verification testing or confidence testing, is a software testing method that is used to determine if a new software build is ready for the next testing phase. Continue Reading
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Definition
30 Jan 2023
componentization (component-based development)
Componentization is an approach to software development that involves breaking software down into identifiable and reusable pieces that application developers can independently build and deploy. Continue Reading
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Definition
28 Dec 2022
gRPC
GRPC is a high-performance remote procedure call framework released by Google in August 2016. Continue Reading
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Definition
13 Dec 2022
data dictionary
A data dictionary is a collection of descriptions of the data objects or items in a data model to which programmers and others can refer. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Nov 2022
Signs of a Golden Hammer antipattern, and 5 ways to avoid it
The Golden Hammer antipattern can sneak up on a development team, but there are ways to spot it. Learn the signs, as well as some direct steps a team can take to avoid it. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Oct 2022
Why contract testing can be essential for microservices
Developers face numerous struggles trying to perform traditional, end-to-end integration testing on microservices. Contract testing presents a potential alternative. Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2022
Sisense adds trio of new embedded analytics capabilities
A new integration with Git, a multi-tenant environment and enhancements to the Extense Framework are designed to further the embedded BI capabilities of the vendor's platform. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Jun 2022
7 principles of observability in modern applications
Organizations must keep these seven principles top of mind when monitoring and organizing data to institute observability practices that resolve problems quickly. Continue Reading