You will only need the Java SDK, an IDE, or a text editor, and the patience to learn. Technically, you can work with IntelliJ, Eclipse, or NetBeans to compile the source from the book. All of the source code examples in the book were created with the Gradle build tool, which is an open source software. They were created and executed against the Java EE 7 reference implementation: GlassFish Open Source Server Version 4.0.1.