Implicit versus explicit propagation of context in APIs

This article looks at ways to propagate contextual information in an API. Context is usually needed across every layer of an application. Examples include the signed-in user’s identity and roles, or the selected locale. When an application needs that information, we have to decide how to pass it through the API. Java gives us two options, explicit and implicit propagation. The article recaps both and points out their advantages and drawbacks.

The article is longer than usual for this blog, so I chose to publish it in Google Docs & Spreadsheets.