Common Configuration and Code Issues in a New Java Backend Project

On the first day at a new company the author was immediately assigned tasks, exposing a series of configuration and code problems.

Issue 1: The project reads two configuration files—one inside WEB-INF and one external—leading to duplicated settings and confusion about which values take precedence.

Example code that sets a property: prop_c.setProperty(key, value); When the external value is missing, a NullPointerException is thrown. The underlying Properties implementation uses a Hashtable.

Another snippet shows a synchronized put method that checks for null values:

public synchronized V put(K key, V value) {<br/>    // Make sure the value is not null<br/>    if (value == null) {<br/>        throw new NullPointerException();<br/>    }<br/>}

Issue 2: Many parameters are hard‑coded in the source, making future changes labor‑intensive. Example: role.haveRole("ADMIN_USE") Issue 3: Logging is inconsistent, mixing System.out.println with proper logger calls, and sometimes catching multiple exceptions unnecessarily.

Issue 4: Lack of technical manager review leads to mismatched production and local code, causing database synchronization problems.

Issue 5: Arbitrary changes to the production database rely solely on developers' discipline.

Issue 6: Maven dependency problems arise from using a pom type without an actual JAR. The fix often involves adding: <type>pom</type> Solutions: For new or upgraded projects, keep configuration inside application.yml (or application.properties) and avoid external files unless necessary. In production, specify the config location via the JVM command line, e.g.:

nohup java -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8 -Dspring.config.location=server/src/main/config/application.properties -jar xxx.jar &

Adopt consistent coding standards, avoid modifying existing source unless refactoring, and rely on proper logging and configuration management.

"I was once a happy student with lofty ideals, until I faced mountain after mountain and pit after pit..."