Devlog Week 9: React Frontend Kickoff (Vite, Routing, Layout) # This week starts the frontend phase of the Maintenance Log project. The focus was not new domain functionality yet, but establishing a clean React baseline: routing, layout composition, reusable UI building blocks, and a consistent styling foundation.
Devlog Week 8: Final Backend Hardening & Reflection # This is my last backend-focused post before I shift to a React frontend. This week wasn’t about new domain features — it was about hardening what I already built: tightening a security flaw, centralizing validation, and cleaning up the external API seeding integration.
Devlog Week 7: Deployment, CI/CD & Running It For Real # This week was all about getting the project out of my IDE and onto an actual server. The goal wasn’t to add new domain features — it was to make the API build, ship, and update automatically.
Devlog Week 6: JWT Authentication & Role-Based Authorization # This week was entirely dedicated to building a deployment-ready authentication and authorization system. No new domain features—just securing everything that already exists. The focus was on JWT tokens, role hierarchies, and integrating security seamlessly into the existing architecture without breaking tests or existing functionality.
Devlog Week 5: Interface Refinement, REST API Testing & The Mapper Pattern # This week marked a significant shift from building features to refining architecture and establishing a robust testing foundation. The focus was on three major areas: granular interface design following ISP principles, comprehensive REST API testing with RestAssured, and implementing the DTO mapper pattern.
Devlog Week 4: Building a Production-Style REST API # Welcome back! This week was all about taking the solid persistence layer and API integration work from previous weeks and exposing it all through a proper REST API. The goal: build a complete, well-architected HTTP interface using Javalin 7.0.1 that follows REST principles and industry best practices.
Devlog Week 3: External API Integration & Concurrent Processing # Alright, welcome back! After a little bit of a break due to unforeseen circumstances, I’ve now continued my work on this little project of mine. The goal this week was to integrate and fetch some data from an external API and use it somehow — so, without further ado:
Devlog Week 2: Relations, DAOs & Exception Handling # So, welcome to this second entry of my Devlog. Without further ado, let’s continue into this week’s additions.
Relations, DAOs and exception handling # This week’s primary goal was to get the necessary relations between my entities up and running, begin to finalize the DAOs for each, and integrate interfaces both for simple CRUD and for specific queries across the board. After that, the project looked a bit like this:
Devlog Week 1: Project Kickoff & Scope # So, first of all, welcome to this first week post of the development of my little maintenance log. Just for posterity, let’s start with what is in my README for the project, since that actually breaks down what it is: