Top Rated Quarkus and Java Tutorials in 2025
These articles represent the best of The Main Thread: battle-tested Java engineering, modern Quarkus architecture, and realistic AI systems that work in production.
If you only read a few posts, make them these.
Most Read on The Main Thread
AI in Production
The Adult in the Room: Why It’s Time to Move AI to Production
The Answer:
This article explains why most AI projects fail after the demo phase and what changes when you treat AI systems like real enterprise software—covering architecture, ownership, failure modes, and operational responsibility.
Read more:
Moving AI to Production
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/java-ai-production-readyBuild Agent-Ready RAG Systems in Java with Quarkus
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/enterprise-rag-quarkus-javaSecuring RAG Systems: Preventing Vector Store Attacks
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/securing-rag-systems-quarkus
Modern Java Concurrency
Java 21 Virtual Threads Explained Through a Real Image Processing Service
The Answer:
This guide shows how virtual threads change the way Java handles I/O-heavy workloads, using a real image processing service to explain when virtual threads help—and when they introduce new risks.
Read more:
Java 21 Virtual Threads in Practice
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/java-21-virtual-threads-quarkusWhen REST Isn’t Enough: Messaging in Modern Java
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/quarkus-messaging-enterpriseReactive Java with Quarkus, Simplified
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/reactive-java-quarkus
Enterprise RAG Architecture
Build Agent-Ready RAG Systems in Java with Quarkus
The Answer:
This article breaks down how to design Retrieval-Augmented Generation systems that survive production, focusing on agent boundaries, context construction, validation, and predictable system behavior.
Read more:
Agent-Ready RAG with Quarkus
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/enterprise-rag-quarkus-javaThe Only Three Architecture Choices That Decide Whether Your RAG System Survives Production
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/rag-architecture-playbookStructured Data Extraction with Quarkus and LangChain4j
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/structured-data-extraction-quarkus
Practical Java & Quarkus Guides
Quarkus on Windows
How Java Developers Should Run Quarkus on Windows
The Answer:
This guide explains how to set up Quarkus on Windows without fighting your toolchain, covering WSL2, SDKMAN, Podman, and the pitfalls that break Dev Services and slow down builds.
Read more:
Quarkus on Windows, Done Right
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/quarkus-windows-setup-wsl2-sdkman-podmanMastering Quarkus Dev Services
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/quarkus-dev-servicesContainerizing Quarkus with Podman
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/quarkus-podman-containers
Data-Oriented Java Design
Data-Oriented Java with Quarkus: Why I Deleted Half My Code
The Answer:
This article shows how a data-oriented approach simplifies Java applications by making data flow explicit, reducing hidden behavior, and dramatically improving testability and maintainability.
Read more:
Data-Oriented Java with Quarkus
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/data-oriented-programming-java-quarkusWhy Active Record Hides Complexity in Enterprise Systems
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/active-record-java-critiqueDesigning APIs That Stay Understandable Over Time
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/api-design-java
Architecture & Engineering Perspective
AI System Design
The Adult in the Room: Why It’s Time to Move AI to Production
The Answer:
A perspective piece on why AI systems need architectural discipline, clear ownership, explicit trade-offs, and boring reliability—just like any other critical enterprise system.
Read more:
AI Systems That Actually Run
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/java-ai-production-readyWhy Guardrails Matter in LLM-Based Systems
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/llm-guardrails-quarkusObservability for AI-Infused Applications
https://www.the-main-thread.com/p/ai-observability-java