Boost Your Java Knowledge: 4 Can’t-Miss Sessions from JNation 2025
JNation 2025 just wrapped up in the vibrant city of Coimbra, Portugal, and once again, it delivered cutting-edge insights for the Java community. If you're looking to sharpen your skills and stay ahead of the curve, these four key sessions are absolute must-watches:
1. 🐾 Bootiful Spring Boot: A DOGumentary by Josh Long
What’s it about?
Spring advocate Josh Long walks you through the development of a dog adoption app using Spring Boot. It's more than a tutorial, it's a full-fledged journey into creating real-world applications using modern Spring features and tools.
Why it’s worth your time:
If Spring is your go-to framework, this session is a masterclass in building modular, intelligent, and production-ready applications. Josh shows how to integrate tools like Spring AI, generate GraalVM native images, and work with Spring Modulith.
Key Takeaways:
Build modular architectures using Spring Modulith
Add intelligent features with Spring AI and OpenAI
Optimize your app for production with GraalVM
2. ⚡ My Code Is Faster Than Yours... Let Me Prove It! by François Martin
What’s it about?
Performance matters. François Martin digs into JMH (Java Microbenchmark Harness) to teach you how to accurately measure, compare, and optimize Java code performance with real benchmarks—not gut feelings.
Why you should watch:
This session is a must for backend developers who want to write high-performance, scalable systems. François doesn’t just talk theory—he shows what works and what doesn’t with concrete examples.
Key Takeaways:
Master JMH benchmarking techniques
Avoid common microbenchmarking traps
Interpret benchmark results to improve real-world performance
3. 🧩 Java Pattern Puzzles by Simon Ritter
What’s it about?
Simon Ritter dives deep into pattern matching, one of Java’s most transformative language improvements. Through practical examples and clever puzzles, he illustrates how to use patterns effectively with records, sealed classes, and switch expressions.
Why it stands out:
Pattern matching leads to safer, more expressive Java code—but it’s easy to misuse. Simon helps you understand the nuances and get it right the first time.
Key Takeaways:
Master modern Java pattern matching
Use record and type patterns effectively
Write safer, cleaner, and more concise code
4. 🌍 From CLIs to LLMs: 5 Cool Applications to Build with GraalVM by Alina Yurenko
What’s it about?
Alina Yurenko shows off the versatility of GraalVM by walking through five unique projects, from fast command-line tools to running local Large Language Models (LLMs). This talk highlights just how much more GraalVM can do beyond performance optimization.
Why it's exciting:
If you’re curious about the edges of what Java and the JVM can achieve, this session is a goldmine. Learn how to experiment with new domains like LLMs and secure, high-performance apps.
Key Takeaways:
Build ultra-fast CLIs
Create efficient full-stack apps
Run LLMs locally with Java
Leverage GraalVM’s ecosystem for speed, efficiency, and flexibility
💬 What’s Your Favorite?
These sessions represent some of the JNation amazing sessions, and they’re freely available on YouTube! Whether you’re into Spring Boot, performance tuning, language features, or futuristic tooling like LLMs, there’s something here for you.
👉 Watched any of the talks? Let me know your favorite feature or insight in the comments, or drop me a message. I’d love to hear what resonated most with you!
First, I'll see you talk about Spring Modulith in Out Of The Box before Josh Long. Thanks for sharing!