Implementing real-time dashboards with GlassFish and Java EE

17 Sep 2023

In today’s fast-paced business environment, organizations need to make data-driven decisions in real-time. One way to achieve this is by implementing real-time dashboards that provide up-to-date information at a glance. In this blog post, we will explore how to create real-time dashboards using GlassFish, a popular Java EE application server.

What is GlassFish?

GlassFish is an open-source Java EE application server that provides a robust and scalable platform for developing and deploying Java applications. It includes features such as clustering, monitoring, and high availability, making it an ideal choice for building real-time dashboards.

Building the Dashboard

To create a real-time dashboard with GlassFish and Java EE, we will utilize various technologies such as WebSocket and JavaServer Faces (JSF).

Start by creating a new Java EE project in your preferred development environment.

Add WebSocket support to your project by including the appropriate dependencies in your pom.xml or build.gradle file. For example, in Maven:

<dependencies>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>javax.websocket</groupId>
        <artifactId>javax.websocket-api</artifactId>
        <version>1.1</version>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.glassfish.tyrus</groupId>
        <artifactId>tyrus-server</artifactId>
        <version>1.13</version>
    </dependency>
</dependencies>

Create a WebSocket endpoint to handle real-time data updates. This endpoint will receive data from the server and push it to the client using the WebSocket API. You can define your endpoint by creating a Java class annotated with @ServerEndpoint and implementing the necessary methods.

import javax.websocket.OnMessage;
import javax.websocket.OnOpen;
import javax.websocket.Session;
import javax.websocket.server.ServerEndpoint;
   
@ServerEndpoint("/dashboard")
public class DashboardEndpoint {
    @OnOpen
    public void onOpen(Session session) {
        // Perform initialization logic here
    }
   
    @OnMessage
    public void onMessage(Session session, String message) {
        // Handle incoming data and update the dashboard
    }
}

Create a JSF page to display the real-time dashboard. You can design your dashboard using HTML, CSS, and JSF components. Use JavaScript to establish a WebSocket connection with the server and listen for incoming data updates.

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:h="http://java.sun.com/jsf/html">
  <h:head>
    <script>
      var socket = new WebSocket("ws://localhost:8080/your-project-name/dashboard");
   
      socket.onmessage = function(event) {
        // Update the dashboard with the received data
      };
    </script>
  </h:head>
  <h:body>
    <!-- Your dashboard HTML code goes here -->
  </h:body>
</html>

Deploy your Java EE application to GlassFish and access the dashboard URL in a web browser. You should see real-time updates on the dashboard based on the data received through the WebSocket connection.

Conclusion

Implementing real-time dashboards with GlassFish and Java EE provides organizations with the ability to monitor and analyze data in real-time. By utilizing technologies such as WebSocket and JSF, you can create visually appealing dashboards that display up-to-date information. With the scalability and reliability offered by GlassFish, you can ensure that your dashboards can handle high volumes of data without compromising performance.

#TechBlog #JavaEE