Maarten on IT
Hi, my name is Maarten, an IT specialist and Java Champion from the Netherlands! I’m enthousiastic about open source, Java and software architecture. For a better introduction, you can read more about me.
A few years ago, I’ve started this site as a list of personal notes, interesting findings or whatsoever. Over time, I’m adding content that more looks like a regular blog.
Today, it not only serves myself for things I tend to forget, but I know many more people around the global find new insights here. I hope it will be useful for you, too! Let me know what you think by getting in touch with me. For options, see the right pane.
Below are a few recent posts. Enjoy!
Building a CLI with Quarkus, Kotlin and GraalVM
Command-line tools are great for automation, but choosing the right technology stack to build them can be tricky. I recently set out to build a new command-line application to streamline some tasks, drawing from previous experiences where the tooling left me wanting more.
This time, I chose a different combination of technologies that better suits my needs: Kotlin, Quarkus, and GraalVM. In this blog, I’ll walk you through the setup and decisions behind this stack—so you can get up and running even faster when building your own CLI tools.
— Read more... →Coding, Thinking and Adapting: My Take-Aways from Devoxx Poland 2025
Six years after my first Devoxx Poland visit, I was invited there again to present. This time, I had the opportunity to give two talks instead of just one. Apart from speaking, visiting a conference is a great way to also join other speaker’s sessions. In this blog, I will share some of the most inspiring talks I attended. Topics include mutation testing, monads, tips for smooth-running applications in production, effectively working with AI and hexagonal architecture. Continue reading for my recommendations from this year’s edition!
— Read more... →Authenticate Jakarta EE apps with Google using OpenID Connect
In one of my pet projects, I’m writing a Jakarta EE web application where I want users to authenticate using Google. Easy, you would say, as Jakarta EE 10 includes Jakarta Security 3.0, which has support for OpenID Connect authentication. Took me a bit more time to figure out how to get it working, and to save you from having to do that, here’s what I found.
— Read more... →Reduce Maven Plugin logging
Sometimes, a Maven plugin logs more then you want it to. I recently had this situation with a plugin that generated source code from specifications. This plugin alone wrote over 22000 lines of output just to inform the user that it did what it had to do. No errors or such, only confirming that it did its job. Such superfluous output makes it hard for developers to focus on actual problems in their build. It’s too easy to think “too long, didn’t read” (TL;DR) and hence miss the important bits. So, it’s time to tame the plugin logging!
— Read more... →Devnexus 2024
This year, I again have the pleasure to join Devnexus and speak there. In this blog, I’ll highlight some of the sessions that I’ve joined.
— Read more... →