Table of Contents for

Spring Microservices in Action

Acknowledgments

As I sit down to write these acknowledgments, I can’t help but think back to 2014 when I ran my first marathon. Writing a book is a lot like running a marathon. Writing the proposal and the outline for the book is much like the training process. It gets your thoughts in shape, it focuses you for what’s ahead and, yes, near the end of the process, it can be more than a little tedious and brutal.

When you start writing the book, it’s a lot like race day. You start the marathon excited and full of energy. You know you’re trying to do something bigger than anything you might have done before and it’s both exciting and nerve-wracking. This is what you’ve trained for, but at the same time, there’s always that small voice of doubt in the back of your mind that says you won’t finish what you started.

What I’ve learned from running is that races aren’t completed one mile at a time. Instead, they’re run one foot in front of the other. The miles run are the sum of the individual footsteps. When my children are struggling with something, I laugh and ask them, “How do you write a book? One word, one single step at a time.” They usually roll their eyes, but in the end there’s no other way around this indisputable and ironclad law.

However, when you run a marathon, you might be the one running the race, but you’re never running it alone. There’s a whole team of people there to give you support, time, and advice along the way. It has been the same experience writing this book.

I’d like to start by thanking Manning for the support they gave me in writing this book. It started with Greg Wild, my acquisitions editor, who patiently worked with me as I refined the core concepts in this book and guided me through the proposal process. Along the way, Marina Michaels, my development editor, kept me honest and challenged me to become a better author. I’d also like to thank Raphael Villela and Joshua White, my technical editors, who constantly checked my work and ensured the overall quality of the examples and the code I produced. I’m extremely grateful for the time, talent, and commitment each of these individuals put into into the overall project. I’d also like to thank the reviewers who provided feedback on the manuscript throughout the writing and development process: Aditya Kumar, Adrian M. Rossi, Ashwin Raj, Christian Bach, Edgar Knapp, Jared Duncan, Jiri Pik, John Guthrie, Mirko Bernardoni, Paul Balogh, Pierluigi Riti, Raju Myadam, Rambabu Posa, Sergey Evsikov, and Vipul Gupta.

I want to close these acknowledgments with a deep sense of thanks for the love and time my family has given me in working on this project. To my wife Janet, you have been my best friend and the love of my life. When I’m tired and want to give up, I only have to listen for the sound of your footsteps next to me to know that you’re always running beside me, never telling me no, and always pushing me forward.

To my son Christopher, you’re growing up to be an incredible young man. I cannot wait for the day when you truly discover your passion, because there will be nothing in this world that can stop you from reaching your goals.

To my daughter Agatha, I’d give all the money I have to see the world through your eyes for just 10 minutes. The experience would make me a better author and more importantly a better person. Your intellect, your power of observation, and creativity humble me.

To my four-year-old son, Jack: Buddy, thank you being patient with me whenever I said, “I can’t play right now because Daddy has to work on the book.” You always make me laugh and you make this whole family complete. Nothing makes me happier than when I see you being the jokester and playing with everyone in the family.

My race with this book is done. Like my marathon, I’ve left nothing on the table in writing this book. I have nothing but gratitude for the Manning team and the MEAP readers who bought this book early and gave me so much valuable feedback. I hope in the end that you enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you.