In times of interesting discussions around support and monetization of Open Source, the value of standard APIs is as strong as ever. So Sekhar's latest entry on Java EE verification tools should be of interest to many, wether they use GlassFish or not.

The "verifier" tool validates a Java EE application against a set of assertions to produce a report on the level of portability of the application. It is accessible via a command-line tool bundled in every copy of GlassFish, in NetBeans, and also available as an ANT task. One could use the ANT approach in a continuous build environment or simply archive the results in the VCS to track down when non-portable modifications are introduced.

Finally, you can apply those very same checks at deploy-time in GlassFish using the --verify=true option of the asadmin deploy option or simply check the "Run Verifier" box in the graphical admin tool.

The verifier is a very nice piece of technology that helps many users fix their Java EE coding and packaging issues. There's been some interest from the community recently for potential contributions, so we've created a dedicated mailing list for this verifier-AT-glassfish.dev.java.net.

Now would be a good time to look into this technology (look for the bin/verifier tool in every GlassFish/Java EE SDK distribution). One of my favorite existing feature is the possibility to run a subset of tests (say EJB 3.0 persistence tests, Web tests, WebServices tests, etc...). Sahoo is coordinating the effort to improve this tool. Remember contributions could be eligible for the GAP.

The verifier tool is available as a command-line tool, as an ANT task, as part of the deployment process, as well as in NetBeans.