Optimizing Cloud Native Java, 2nd Edition

Appendix B. Performance Antipatterns Catalog

In this appendix, we will present a short catalog of performance antipatterns. The list is by no means exhaustive, and there are doubtless many more still to be discovered.

Distracted by Shiny

The newest or coolest tech is often the first tuning target, as it can be more exciting to explore how newer technology works than to dig around in legacy code. It may also be that the code accompanying the newer technology is better-written code that is easier to maintain. Both of these facts push developers toward looking at the newer components of the application.

Example Comments

“It’s teething trouble—​we need to get to the bottom of it.”

“It is likely component X that I introduced and have been reading more about.”

Reality

• This is often just a shot in the dark rather than an effort at targeted tuning or measuring the application.

• The developer may not fully understand the new technology yet and will tinker around rather than examine the documentation—often, in reality, causing other problems.

• In the case of new technologies, examples online are often for small or sample datasets and don’t discuss good practice about scaling to an enterprise size.

Discussion

This antipattern is common in newly formed or less experienced teams. Eager to prove themselves, or to avoid becoming tied to what they see as legacy systems, they are often advocates for newer, “hotter” technologies—which may, coincidentally, be exactly the sort of technologies ...