diff --git a/.tools/run_jvm_tests.sh b/.tools/run_jvm_tests.sh
index c9483da1..5032ec7a 100755
--- a/.tools/run_jvm_tests.sh
+++ b/.tools/run_jvm_tests.sh
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ pushd $PROJECT_ROOT/templates/java-maven && mvn verify && popd || exit
 pushd $PROJECT_ROOT/templates/kotlin-gradle && ./gradlew check && popd || exit
 pushd $PROJECT_ROOT/templates/kotlin-gradle-lambda-cdk/lambda && ./gradlew check && popd || exit
 
+pushd $PROJECT_ROOT/basics/basics-java && ./gradlew check && popd || exit
+
 pushd $PROJECT_ROOT/patterns-use-cases/sagas/sagas-java && ./gradlew check && popd || exit
 
 pushd $PROJECT_ROOT/tutorials/tour-of-restate-java && ./gradlew check && popd || exit
diff --git a/.tools/update_jvm_examples.sh b/.tools/update_jvm_examples.sh
index f76e52a2..1b7a4184 100755
--- a/.tools/update_jvm_examples.sh
+++ b/.tools/update_jvm_examples.sh
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ search_and_replace_version_maven $PROJECT_ROOT/templates/java-maven
 search_and_replace_version_gradle $PROJECT_ROOT/templates/kotlin-gradle
 search_and_replace_version_gradle $PROJECT_ROOT/templates/kotlin-gradle-lambda-cdk/lambda
 
+search_and_replace_version_gradle $PROJECT_ROOT/basics/basics-java
+
 search_and_replace_version_gradle $PROJECT_ROOT/patterns-use-cases/sagas/sagas-java
 search_and_replace_version_gradle $PROJECT_ROOT/patterns-use-cases/sagas/sagas-kotlin
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7b8a0fce..354a9c11 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -43,13 +43,14 @@ challenges.
 
 ### Java
 
-| Type       | Name / Link                                                     |
-|------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
-| Use Cases  | [Sagas](patterns-use-cases/sagas/sagas-java)                    |
-| End-to-End | [Food Ordering App](end-to-end-applications/java/food-ordering) |
-| Tutorial   | [Tour of Restate](tutorials/tour-of-restate-java/)              |
-| Templates  | [Template using Gradle](templates/java-gradle)                  |
-| Templates  | [Template using Maven](templates/java-maven)                    |
+| Type       | Name / Link                                                                |
+|------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| Basics     | [Durable Execution, Event-processing, Virtual Objects](basics/basics-java) |
+| Use Cases  | [Sagas](patterns-use-cases/sagas/sagas-java)                               |
+| End-to-End | [Food Ordering App](end-to-end-applications/java/food-ordering)            |
+| Tutorial   | [Tour of Restate](tutorials/tour-of-restate-java/)                         |
+| Templates  | [Template using Gradle](templates/java-gradle)                             |
+| Templates  | [Template using Maven](templates/java-maven)                               |
 
 ### Kotlin
 
@@ -81,17 +82,15 @@ Install and run the `restate-server` binary:
   - Download from https://github.com/restatedev/restate/releases
   - Install with Homebrew: `brew install restatedev/tap/restate-server`
   - Install with _npm_: `npm install --global @restatedev/restate-server@latest`
-
-Or run Restate Server in Docker:
-  - `docker run --name restate_dev --rm -p 8080:8080 -p 9070:9070 -p 9071:9071 --add-host=host.docker.internal:host-gateway docker.io/restatedev/restate:latest`
+  - Run in Docker: `docker run --name restate_dev --rm -p 8080:8080 -p 9070:9070 -p 9071:9071 --add-host=host.docker.internal:host-gateway docker.io/restatedev/restate:latest`
 
 
 ### (2) Register the examples at Restate Server
 
-Many examples need to be registered at Restate, so that Restate will proxy their function calls and
-do its magic. Once both server and example are running, register the example
+The service endpoints need to be registered in Restate, so that Restate will proxy their function calls and
+do its magic. Once both server and example are running, register the example:
 
-* Via the [CLI](https://docs.restate.dev/operate/cli): `restate dp reg localhost:9080`
+* Via the [CLI](https://docs.restate.dev/operate/cli): `restate deployments register localhost:9080`
 * Via `curl localhost:9070/deployments -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{"uri": "http://localhost:9080"}'`
 
 **Important** When running Restate with Docker, use `host.docker.internal` instead of `localhost` in the URIs above.
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/.gitignore b/basics/basics-java/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..53ecbad3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+# Compiled class file
+*.class
+
+# Log file
+*.log
+
+# BlueJ files
+*.ctxt
+
+# Mobile Tools for Java (J2ME)
+.mtj.tmp/
+
+# Package Files #
+*.jar
+*.war
+*.nar
+*.ear
+*.zip
+*.tar.gz
+*.rar
+
+# virtual machine crash logs, see http://www.java.com/en/download/help/error_hotspot.xml
+hs_err_pid*
+
+# Ignore Gradle project-specific cache directory
+.gradle
+
+# Ignore Gradle build output directory
+build
+
+.idea
+*.iml
+
+# Unignore the gradle wrapper
+!gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.jar
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/README.md b/basics/basics-java/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b0b1997b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+# Examples of the basic concepts for Restate in TypeScript / JavaScript
+
+The examples here showcase the most basic building blocks of Restate. **Durable Execution**,
+**Durable Promises**, and **Virtual Objects**, and the **Workflows** abstraction built on top
+of them.
+
+The individual example files contain code snippets with comments and a brief descriptions
+about how they work and how they can be run.
+
+### Examples
+
+* **[Basic Durable Execution:](durable_execution/RoleUpdateService.java):** Running code cleanly
+  to the end in the presence of failures. Automatic retries and recovery of previously
+  finished actions. The example applies a series of updates and permission setting changes
+  to user's profile.
+    ```shell
+    ./gradlew -PmainClass=durable_execution.RoleUpdateService run
+    ```
+
+* **[Durable Execution with Compensations](durable_execution_compensation/RoleUpdateService.java):**
+  Reliably compensating / undoing previous actions upon unrecoverable errors halfway
+  through multi-step change. This is the same example as above, extended for cases where
+  a part of the change cannot be applied (conflict) and everything has to roll back.
+    ```shell
+    ./gradlew -PmainClass=durable_execution_compensation.RoleUpdateService run
+    ```
+
+* **[Virtual Objects](virtual_objects/GreeterObject.java):** Stateful serverless objects
+  to manage durable consistent state and state-manipulating logic.
+    ```shell
+    ./gradlew -PmainClass=virtual_objects.GreeterObject run
+    ```
+
+* **[Kafka Event-processing](events_processing/UserUpdatesService.java):** Processing events to
+  update various downstream systems with durable event handlers, event-delaying,
+  in a strict-per-key order.
+    ```shell
+    ./gradlew -PmainClass=events_processing.UserUpdatesService run
+    ```
+
+* **[Stateful Event-processing](events_state/ProfileService.java):** Populating state from
+  events and making is queryable via RPC handlers.
+    ```shell
+    ./gradlew -PmainClass=events_state.ProfileService run
+    ```
+
+
+### Running the examples
+
+1. Start Restate Server in a separate shell: `npx restate-server`
+
+2. Start the relevant example. The commands are listed above for each example.
+
+3. Register the example at Restate server by calling
+   `npx restate -y deployment register --force localhost:9080`.
+
+   _Note: the '--force' flag here is to circumvent all checks related to graceful upgrades, because it is only a playground, not a production setup._
+
+4. Check the comments in the example for how to interact with the example.
+
+**NOTE:** When you get an error of the type `{"code":"not_found","message":"Service 'greeter' not found. ...}`, then you forgot step (3) for that example.
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/build.gradle.kts b/basics/basics-java/build.gradle.kts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..12b75172
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/build.gradle.kts
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+import java.net.URI
+
+plugins {
+  java
+  application
+}
+
+repositories {
+  mavenCentral()
+}
+
+val restateVersion = "0.9.0"
+
+dependencies {
+  annotationProcessor("dev.restate:sdk-api-gen:$restateVersion")
+
+  // Restate SDK
+  implementation("dev.restate:sdk-api:$restateVersion")
+  implementation("dev.restate:sdk-http-vertx:$restateVersion")
+  // To use Jackson to read/write state entries (optional)
+  implementation("dev.restate:sdk-serde-jackson:$restateVersion")
+
+  // Jackson parameter names
+  // https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-modules-java8/tree/2.14/parameter-names
+  implementation("com.fasterxml.jackson.module:jackson-module-parameter-names:2.16.1")
+  // Jackson java8 types
+  implementation("com.fasterxml.jackson.datatype:jackson-datatype-jdk8:2.16.1")
+  implementation("com.fasterxml.jackson.datatype:jackson-datatype-jsr310:2.16.1")
+
+  // Logging (optional)
+  implementation("org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core:2.20.0")
+}
+
+// Set main class
+application {
+  if (project.hasProperty("mainClass")) {
+    mainClass.set(project.property("mainClass") as String)
+  } else {
+    mainClass.set("durable_execution.RoleUpdateService")
+  }
+}
+
+tasks.withType<JavaCompile> {
+  // Using -parameters allows to use Jackson ParameterName feature
+  // https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-modules-java8/tree/2.14/parameter-names
+  options.compilerArgs.add("-parameters")
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.jar b/basics/basics-java/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.jar
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..033e24c4
Binary files /dev/null and b/basics/basics-java/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.jar differ
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties b/basics/basics-java/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..62f495df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+distributionBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
+distributionPath=wrapper/dists
+distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-8.2-bin.zip
+networkTimeout=10000
+validateDistributionUrl=true
+zipStoreBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
+zipStorePath=wrapper/dists
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/gradlew b/basics/basics-java/gradlew
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..fcb6fca1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/gradlew
@@ -0,0 +1,248 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+#
+# Copyright © 2015-2021 the original authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+
+##############################################################################
+#
+#   Gradle start up script for POSIX generated by Gradle.
+#
+#   Important for running:
+#
+#   (1) You need a POSIX-compliant shell to run this script. If your /bin/sh is
+#       noncompliant, but you have some other compliant shell such as ksh or
+#       bash, then to run this script, type that shell name before the whole
+#       command line, like:
+#
+#           ksh Gradle
+#
+#       Busybox and similar reduced shells will NOT work, because this script
+#       requires all of these POSIX shell features:
+#         * functions;
+#         * expansions «$var», «${var}», «${var:-default}», «${var+SET}»,
+#           «${var#prefix}», «${var%suffix}», and «$( cmd )»;
+#         * compound commands having a testable exit status, especially «case»;
+#         * various built-in commands including «command», «set», and «ulimit».
+#
+#   Important for patching:
+#
+#   (2) This script targets any POSIX shell, so it avoids extensions provided
+#       by Bash, Ksh, etc; in particular arrays are avoided.
+#
+#       The "traditional" practice of packing multiple parameters into a
+#       space-separated string is a well documented source of bugs and security
+#       problems, so this is (mostly) avoided, by progressively accumulating
+#       options in "$@", and eventually passing that to Java.
+#
+#       Where the inherited environment variables (DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS, JAVA_OPTS,
+#       and GRADLE_OPTS) rely on word-splitting, this is performed explicitly;
+#       see the in-line comments for details.
+#
+#       There are tweaks for specific operating systems such as AIX, CygWin,
+#       Darwin, MinGW, and NonStop.
+#
+#   (3) This script is generated from the Groovy template
+#       https://github.com/gradle/gradle/blob/HEAD/subprojects/plugins/src/main/resources/org/gradle/api/internal/plugins/unixStartScript.txt
+#       within the Gradle project.
+#
+#       You can find Gradle at https://github.com/gradle/gradle/.
+#
+##############################################################################
+
+# Attempt to set APP_HOME
+
+# Resolve links: $0 may be a link
+app_path=$0
+
+# Need this for daisy-chained symlinks.
+while
+    APP_HOME=${app_path%"${app_path##*/}"}  # leaves a trailing /; empty if no leading path
+    [ -h "$app_path" ]
+do
+    ls=$( ls -ld "$app_path" )
+    link=${ls#*' -> '}
+    case $link in             #(
+      /*)   app_path=$link ;; #(
+      *)    app_path=$APP_HOME$link ;;
+    esac
+done
+
+# This is normally unused
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034
+APP_BASE_NAME=${0##*/}
+APP_HOME=$( cd "${APP_HOME:-./}" && pwd -P ) || exit
+
+# Use the maximum available, or set MAX_FD != -1 to use that value.
+MAX_FD=maximum
+
+warn () {
+    echo "$*"
+} >&2
+
+die () {
+    echo
+    echo "$*"
+    echo
+    exit 1
+} >&2
+
+# OS specific support (must be 'true' or 'false').
+cygwin=false
+msys=false
+darwin=false
+nonstop=false
+case "$( uname )" in                #(
+  CYGWIN* )         cygwin=true  ;; #(
+  Darwin* )         darwin=true  ;; #(
+  MSYS* | MINGW* )  msys=true    ;; #(
+  NONSTOP* )        nonstop=true ;;
+esac
+
+CLASSPATH=$APP_HOME/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.jar
+
+
+# Determine the Java command to use to start the JVM.
+if [ -n "$JAVA_HOME" ] ; then
+    if [ -x "$JAVA_HOME/jre/sh/java" ] ; then
+        # IBM's JDK on AIX uses strange locations for the executables
+        JAVACMD=$JAVA_HOME/jre/sh/java
+    else
+        JAVACMD=$JAVA_HOME/bin/java
+    fi
+    if [ ! -x "$JAVACMD" ] ; then
+        die "ERROR: JAVA_HOME is set to an invalid directory: $JAVA_HOME
+
+Please set the JAVA_HOME variable in your environment to match the
+location of your Java installation."
+    fi
+else
+    JAVACMD=java
+    if ! command -v java >/dev/null 2>&1
+    then
+        die "ERROR: JAVA_HOME is not set and no 'java' command could be found in your PATH.
+
+Please set the JAVA_HOME variable in your environment to match the
+location of your Java installation."
+    fi
+fi
+
+# Increase the maximum file descriptors if we can.
+if ! "$cygwin" && ! "$darwin" && ! "$nonstop" ; then
+    case $MAX_FD in #(
+      max*)
+        # In POSIX sh, ulimit -H is undefined. That's why the result is checked to see if it worked.
+        # shellcheck disable=SC3045
+        MAX_FD=$( ulimit -H -n ) ||
+            warn "Could not query maximum file descriptor limit"
+    esac
+    case $MAX_FD in  #(
+      '' | soft) :;; #(
+      *)
+        # In POSIX sh, ulimit -n is undefined. That's why the result is checked to see if it worked.
+        # shellcheck disable=SC3045
+        ulimit -n "$MAX_FD" ||
+            warn "Could not set maximum file descriptor limit to $MAX_FD"
+    esac
+fi
+
+# Collect all arguments for the java command, stacking in reverse order:
+#   * args from the command line
+#   * the main class name
+#   * -classpath
+#   * -D...appname settings
+#   * --module-path (only if needed)
+#   * DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS, JAVA_OPTS, and GRADLE_OPTS environment variables.
+
+# For Cygwin or MSYS, switch paths to Windows format before running java
+if "$cygwin" || "$msys" ; then
+    APP_HOME=$( cygpath --path --mixed "$APP_HOME" )
+    CLASSPATH=$( cygpath --path --mixed "$CLASSPATH" )
+
+    JAVACMD=$( cygpath --unix "$JAVACMD" )
+
+    # Now convert the arguments - kludge to limit ourselves to /bin/sh
+    for arg do
+        if
+            case $arg in                                #(
+              -*)   false ;;                            # don't mess with options #(
+              /?*)  t=${arg#/} t=/${t%%/*}              # looks like a POSIX filepath
+                    [ -e "$t" ] ;;                      #(
+              *)    false ;;
+            esac
+        then
+            arg=$( cygpath --path --ignore --mixed "$arg" )
+        fi
+        # Roll the args list around exactly as many times as the number of
+        # args, so each arg winds up back in the position where it started, but
+        # possibly modified.
+        #
+        # NB: a `for` loop captures its iteration list before it begins, so
+        # changing the positional parameters here affects neither the number of
+        # iterations, nor the values presented in `arg`.
+        shift                   # remove old arg
+        set -- "$@" "$arg"      # push replacement arg
+    done
+fi
+
+
+# Add default JVM options here. You can also use JAVA_OPTS and GRADLE_OPTS to pass JVM options to this script.
+DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS='"-Xmx64m" "-Xms64m"'
+
+# Collect all arguments for the java command;
+#   * $DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS, $JAVA_OPTS, and $GRADLE_OPTS can contain fragments of
+#     shell script including quotes and variable substitutions, so put them in
+#     double quotes to make sure that they get re-expanded; and
+#   * put everything else in single quotes, so that it's not re-expanded.
+
+set -- \
+        "-Dorg.gradle.appname=$APP_BASE_NAME" \
+        -classpath "$CLASSPATH" \
+        org.gradle.wrapper.GradleWrapperMain \
+        "$@"
+
+# Stop when "xargs" is not available.
+if ! command -v xargs >/dev/null 2>&1
+then
+    die "xargs is not available"
+fi
+
+# Use "xargs" to parse quoted args.
+#
+# With -n1 it outputs one arg per line, with the quotes and backslashes removed.
+#
+# In Bash we could simply go:
+#
+#   readarray ARGS < <( xargs -n1 <<<"$var" ) &&
+#   set -- "${ARGS[@]}" "$@"
+#
+# but POSIX shell has neither arrays nor command substitution, so instead we
+# post-process each arg (as a line of input to sed) to backslash-escape any
+# character that might be a shell metacharacter, then use eval to reverse
+# that process (while maintaining the separation between arguments), and wrap
+# the whole thing up as a single "set" statement.
+#
+# This will of course break if any of these variables contains a newline or
+# an unmatched quote.
+#
+
+eval "set -- $(
+        printf '%s\n' "$DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS $JAVA_OPTS $GRADLE_OPTS" |
+        xargs -n1 |
+        sed ' s~[^-[:alnum:]+,./:=@_]~\\&~g; ' |
+        tr '\n' ' '
+    )" '"$@"'
+
+exec "$JAVACMD" "$@"
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/gradlew.bat b/basics/basics-java/gradlew.bat
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6689b85b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/gradlew.bat
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+@rem
+@rem Copyright 2015 the original author or authors.
+@rem
+@rem Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+@rem you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+@rem You may obtain a copy of the License at
+@rem
+@rem      https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+@rem
+@rem Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+@rem distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+@rem WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+@rem See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+@rem limitations under the License.
+@rem
+
+@if "%DEBUG%"=="" @echo off
+@rem ##########################################################################
+@rem
+@rem  Gradle startup script for Windows
+@rem
+@rem ##########################################################################
+
+@rem Set local scope for the variables with windows NT shell
+if "%OS%"=="Windows_NT" setlocal
+
+set DIRNAME=%~dp0
+if "%DIRNAME%"=="" set DIRNAME=.
+@rem This is normally unused
+set APP_BASE_NAME=%~n0
+set APP_HOME=%DIRNAME%
+
+@rem Resolve any "." and ".." in APP_HOME to make it shorter.
+for %%i in ("%APP_HOME%") do set APP_HOME=%%~fi
+
+@rem Add default JVM options here. You can also use JAVA_OPTS and GRADLE_OPTS to pass JVM options to this script.
+set DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS="-Xmx64m" "-Xms64m"
+
+@rem Find java.exe
+if defined JAVA_HOME goto findJavaFromJavaHome
+
+set JAVA_EXE=java.exe
+%JAVA_EXE% -version >NUL 2>&1
+if %ERRORLEVEL% equ 0 goto execute
+
+echo.
+echo ERROR: JAVA_HOME is not set and no 'java' command could be found in your PATH.
+echo.
+echo Please set the JAVA_HOME variable in your environment to match the
+echo location of your Java installation.
+
+goto fail
+
+:findJavaFromJavaHome
+set JAVA_HOME=%JAVA_HOME:"=%
+set JAVA_EXE=%JAVA_HOME%/bin/java.exe
+
+if exist "%JAVA_EXE%" goto execute
+
+echo.
+echo ERROR: JAVA_HOME is set to an invalid directory: %JAVA_HOME%
+echo.
+echo Please set the JAVA_HOME variable in your environment to match the
+echo location of your Java installation.
+
+goto fail
+
+:execute
+@rem Setup the command line
+
+set CLASSPATH=%APP_HOME%\gradle\wrapper\gradle-wrapper.jar
+
+
+@rem Execute Gradle
+"%JAVA_EXE%" %DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS% %JAVA_OPTS% %GRADLE_OPTS% "-Dorg.gradle.appname=%APP_BASE_NAME%" -classpath "%CLASSPATH%" org.gradle.wrapper.GradleWrapperMain %*
+
+:end
+@rem End local scope for the variables with windows NT shell
+if %ERRORLEVEL% equ 0 goto mainEnd
+
+:fail
+rem Set variable GRADLE_EXIT_CONSOLE if you need the _script_ return code instead of
+rem the _cmd.exe /c_ return code!
+set EXIT_CODE=%ERRORLEVEL%
+if %EXIT_CODE% equ 0 set EXIT_CODE=1
+if not ""=="%GRADLE_EXIT_CONSOLE%" exit %EXIT_CODE%
+exit /b %EXIT_CODE%
+
+:mainEnd
+if "%OS%"=="Windows_NT" endlocal
+
+:omega
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/durable_execution/RoleUpdateService.java b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/durable_execution/RoleUpdateService.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b9138ff0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/durable_execution/RoleUpdateService.java
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 - Restate Software, Inc., Restate GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Restate Examples
+ * which is released under the MIT license.
+ *
+ * You can find a copy of the license in the file LICENSE
+ * in the root directory of this repository or package or at
+ * https://github.com/restatedev/examples/blob/main/LICENSE
+ */
+
+package durable_execution;
+
+import dev.restate.sdk.Context;
+import dev.restate.sdk.annotation.Handler;
+import dev.restate.sdk.annotation.Service;
+import dev.restate.sdk.common.CoreSerdes;
+import dev.restate.sdk.http.vertx.RestateHttpEndpointBuilder;
+import utils.Permission;
+import durable_execution.utils.UpdateRequest;
+
+import static utils.ExampleStubs.applyPermission;
+import static utils.ExampleStubs.applyUserRole;
+
+// This is an example of the benefits of Durable Execution.
+// Durable Execution ensures code runs to the end, even in the presence of
+// failures. This is particularly useful for code that updates different systems and needs to
+// make sure all updates are applied:
+//
+//  - Failures are automatically retried, unless they are explicitly labeled
+//    as terminal errors
+//  - Restate tracks execution progress in a journal.
+//    Work that has already been completed is not repeated during retries.
+//    Instead, the previously completed journal entries are replayed.
+//    This ensures that stable deterministic values are used during execution.
+//  - Durable executed functions use the regular code and control flow,
+//    no custom DSLs
+//
+@Service
+public class RoleUpdateService {
+
+    @Handler
+    public void applyRoleUpdate(Context ctx, UpdateRequest req) {
+
+        // Apply a change to one system (e.g., DB upsert, API call, ...).
+        // The side effect persists the result with a consensus method so
+        // any later code relies on a deterministic result.
+        boolean success = ctx.run(CoreSerdes.JSON_BOOLEAN, () ->
+            applyUserRole(req.getUserId(), req.getRole()));
+        if (!success) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // Loop over the permission settings and apply them.
+        // Each operation through the Restate context is journaled
+        // and recovery restores results of previous operations from the journal
+        // without re-executing them.
+        for(Permission permission: req.getPermissions()) {
+            ctx.run(() -> applyPermission(req.getUserId(), permission));
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static void main(String[] args) {
+        RestateHttpEndpointBuilder.builder()
+                .bind(new RoleUpdateService())
+                .buildAndListen();
+    }
+}
+
+//
+// See README for details on how to start and connect Restate.
+//
+// When invoking this function (see below for sample request), it will apply all
+// role and permission changes, regardless of crashes.
+// You will see all lines of the type "Applied permission remove:allow for user Sam Beckett"
+// in the log, across all retries. You will also see that re-tries will not re-execute
+// previously completed actions again, so each line occurs only once.
+/*
+curl localhost:8080/RoleUpdateService/applyRoleUpdate -H 'content-type: application/json' -d \
+'{
+    "userId": "Sam Beckett",
+    "role": { "roleKey": "content-manager", "roleDescription": "Add/remove documents" },
+    "permissions" : [
+      { "permissionKey": "add", "setting": "allow" },
+      { "permissionKey": "remove", "setting": "allow" },
+      { "permissionKey": "share", "setting": "block" }
+    ]
+}'
+*/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/durable_execution_compensation/RoleUpdateService.java b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/durable_execution_compensation/RoleUpdateService.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2d65375a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/durable_execution_compensation/RoleUpdateService.java
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 - Restate Software, Inc., Restate GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Restate Examples
+ * which is released under the MIT license.
+ *
+ * You can find a copy of the license in the file LICENSE
+ * in the root directory of this repository or package or at
+ * https://github.com/restatedev/examples/blob/main/LICENSE
+ */
+package durable_execution_compensation;
+
+import dev.restate.sdk.Context;
+import dev.restate.sdk.annotation.Handler;
+import dev.restate.sdk.annotation.Service;
+import dev.restate.sdk.common.TerminalException;
+import dev.restate.sdk.http.vertx.RestateHttpEndpointBuilder;
+import dev.restate.sdk.serde.jackson.JacksonSerdes;
+import durable_execution.utils.UpdateRequest;
+import org.apache.logging.log4j.LogManager;
+import org.apache.logging.log4j.Logger;
+import utils.Permission;
+import utils.UserRole;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+
+import static utils.ExampleStubs.*;
+
+// This is an example of Durable Execution and compensation logic.
+// Durable execution ensures code runs to the end, even in the presence of
+// failures. That allows developers to implement error handling with common
+// control flow in code:
+//
+//  - This example uses the SAGA pattern: on error, the code undos previous
+//    operations in reverse order.
+//  - The code uses common exception handling and variables/arrays to remember
+//    the previous values to restore.
+//
+
+@Service
+public class RoleUpdateService {
+    private static final Logger logger = LogManager.getLogger(RoleUpdateService.class);
+
+    @Handler
+    public void applyRoleUpdate(Context ctx, UpdateRequest update){
+
+        // Restate does retries for regular failures.
+        // TerminalErrors, on the other hand, are not retried and are propagated
+        // back to the caller.
+        // No permissions were applied so far, so if this fails,
+        // we propagate the error directly back to the caller.
+        UserRole previousRole = ctx.run(JacksonSerdes.of(UserRole.class),
+                () -> getCurrentRole(update.getUserId()));
+        ctx.run(() -> tryApplyUserRole(update.getUserId(), update.getRole()));
+
+        // Apply all permissions in order.
+        // We collect the previous permission settings to reset if the process fails.
+        List<Permission> previousPermissions = new ArrayList<>();
+        for (Permission permission : update.getPermissions()) {
+            try {
+                Permission previous = ctx.run(
+                        JacksonSerdes.of(Permission.class),
+                        () -> tryApplyPermission(update.getUserId(), permission));
+                previousPermissions.add(previous); // remember the previous setting
+            } catch (TerminalException err) {
+                rollback(ctx, update.getUserId(), previousRole, previousPermissions);
+                throw err;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static void main(String[] args) {
+        RestateHttpEndpointBuilder.builder()
+            .bind(new RoleUpdateService())
+            .buildAndListen();
+    }
+
+    private void rollback(Context ctx, String userId, UserRole previousRole, List<Permission> previousPermissions) {
+        logger.info(">>>  !!! ROLLING BACK CHANGES for user ID: " + userId);
+
+        for (Permission prev : previousPermissions) {
+            ctx.run(() -> tryApplyPermission(userId, prev));
+        }
+
+        ctx.run(() -> tryApplyUserRole(userId, previousRole));
+    }
+}
+
+//
+// See README for details on how to start and connect Restate.
+//
+// When invoking this function (see below for sample request), you will see that
+// all role/permission changes are attempted. Upon an unrecoverable error (like a
+// semantic application error), previous operations are reversed.
+//
+// You will see all lines of the type "Applied permission remove:allow for user Sam Beckett",
+// and, in case of a terminal error, their reversal.
+//
+// This will proceed reliably across the occasional process crash, that we blend in.
+// Once an action has completed, it does not get re-executed on retries, so each line occurs only once.
+
+/*
+curl localhost:8080/RoleUpdateService/applyRoleUpdate -H 'content-type: application/json' -d \
+'{
+    "userId": "Sam Beckett",
+    "role": { "roleKey": "content-manager", "roleDescription": "Add/remove documents" },
+    "permissions" : [
+      { "permissionKey": "add", "setting": "allow" },
+      { "permissionKey": "remove", "setting": "allow" },
+      { "permissionKey": "share", "setting": "block" }
+    ]
+}'
+*/
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/events_processing/UserUpdatesService.java b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/events_processing/UserUpdatesService.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0876f67a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/events_processing/UserUpdatesService.java
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 - Restate Software, Inc., Restate GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Restate Examples
+ * which is released under the MIT license.
+ *
+ * You can find a copy of the license in the file LICENSE
+ * in the root directory of this repository or package or at
+ * https://github.com/restatedev/examples/blob/main/LICENSE
+ */
+
+package events_processing;
+
+//
+// Processing events (from Kafka) to update various downstream systems.
+//  - Journaling actions in Restate and driving retries from Restate, recovering
+//    partial progress
+//  - Preserving the order-per-key, but otherwise allowing high-fanout, because
+//    processing of events does not block other events.
+//  - Ability to delay events when the downstream systems are busy, without blocking
+//    entire partitions.
+//
+
+import dev.restate.sdk.ObjectContext;
+import dev.restate.sdk.annotation.Handler;
+import dev.restate.sdk.annotation.VirtualObject;
+import dev.restate.sdk.common.CoreSerdes;
+import dev.restate.sdk.http.vertx.RestateHttpEndpointBuilder;
+import events_state.ProfileService;
+import utils.UserUpdate;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+
+import static utils.ExampleStubs.*;
+
+//
+// Processing events (from Kafka) to update various downstream systems.
+//  - Journaling actions in Restate and driving retries from Restate, recovering
+//    partial progress
+//  - Preserving the order-per-key, but otherwise allowing high-fanout, because
+//    processing of events does not block other events.
+//  - Ability to delay events when the downstream systems are busy, without blocking
+//    entire partitions.
+//
+
+@VirtualObject
+public class UserUpdatesService {
+
+    /*
+     * uses the Event's key (populated for example from Kafka's key) to route the events to the correct Virtual Object.
+     * And ensures that events with the same key are processed one after the other.
+     */
+    @Handler
+    public void updateUserEvent(ObjectContext ctx, UserUpdate update) {
+
+        // event handler is a durably executed function that can use all the features of Restate
+        String userId = ctx.run(CoreSerdes.JSON_STRING, () -> updateUserProfile(update.getProfile()));
+        while(userId.equals("NOT_READY")) {
+            // Delay the processing of the event by sleeping.
+            // The other events for this Virtual Object / key are queued.
+            // Events for other keys are processed concurrently.
+            // The sleep suspends the function (e.g., when running on FaaS).
+            ctx.sleep(Duration.ofMillis(5000));
+            userId = ctx.run(CoreSerdes.JSON_STRING, () -> updateUserProfile(update.getProfile()));
+        }
+
+
+        String finalUserId = userId;
+        String roleId = ctx.run(CoreSerdes.JSON_STRING,
+                () -> setUserPermissions(finalUserId, update.getPermissions()));
+        ctx.run(() -> provisionResources(finalUserId, roleId, update.getResources()));
+    }
+
+    public static void main(String[] args) {
+        RestateHttpEndpointBuilder.builder()
+                .bind(new UserUpdatesService())
+                .buildAndListen();
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/events_state/ProfileService.java b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/events_state/ProfileService.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9f30cbcf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/events_state/ProfileService.java
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 - Restate Software, Inc., Restate GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Restate Examples
+ * which is released under the MIT license.
+ *
+ * You can find a copy of the license in the file LICENSE
+ * in the root directory of this repository or package or at
+ * https://github.com/restatedev/examples/blob/main/LICENSE
+ */
+
+package events_state;
+
+import dev.restate.sdk.ObjectContext;
+import dev.restate.sdk.annotation.Handler;
+import dev.restate.sdk.annotation.VirtualObject;
+import dev.restate.sdk.common.CoreSerdes;
+import dev.restate.sdk.common.StateKey;
+import dev.restate.sdk.http.vertx.RestateHttpEndpointBuilder;
+import utils.UserProfile;
+
+//
+// Populate state from events (from Kafka).
+// Query the state via simple RPC/HTTP calls.
+//
+@VirtualObject
+public class ProfileService {
+
+    private static final StateKey<String> NAME =
+            StateKey.of("name", CoreSerdes.JSON_STRING);
+
+    private static final StateKey<String> EMAIL =
+            StateKey.of("email", CoreSerdes.JSON_STRING);
+
+    @Handler
+    public void registration(ObjectContext ctx, String name){
+        // store in state the user's information as coming from the registration event
+        ctx.set(NAME, name);
+    }
+
+    @Handler
+    public void email(ObjectContext ctx, String email){
+        // store in state the user's information as coming from the email event
+        ctx.set(EMAIL, email);
+    }
+
+    @Handler
+    public UserProfile get(ObjectContext ctx){
+        var name = ctx.get(NAME).orElse("");
+        var email = ctx.get(EMAIL).orElse("");
+        return new UserProfile(ctx.key(), name, email);
+    }
+
+    public static void main(String[] args) {
+        RestateHttpEndpointBuilder.builder()
+                .bind(new ProfileService())
+                .buildAndListen();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/ExampleStubs.java b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/ExampleStubs.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..589b41f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/ExampleStubs.java
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 - Restate Software, Inc., Restate GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Restate Examples
+ * which is released under the MIT license.
+ *
+ * You can find a copy of the license in the file LICENSE
+ * in the root directory of this repository or package or at
+ * https://github.com/restatedev/examples/blob/main/LICENSE
+ */
+package utils;
+
+import org.apache.logging.log4j.LogManager;
+import org.apache.logging.log4j.Logger;
+
+import static utils.FailureStubs.applicationError;
+import static utils.FailureStubs.maybeCrash;
+
+public class ExampleStubs {
+
+    private static final Logger logger = LogManager.getLogger(ExampleStubs.class);
+
+    public static boolean applyUserRole(String userId, UserRole role) {
+        maybeCrash(0.3);
+        logger.info(String.format(">>> Applying role %s to user %s", role, userId));
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    public static void applyPermission(String userId, Permission permission) {
+        maybeCrash(0.2);
+        logger.info(String.format(">>> Applying permission %s:%s for user %s",
+                permission.getPermissionKey(),
+                permission.getSetting(),
+                userId));
+    }
+
+    public static UserRole getCurrentRole(String userId){
+        return new UserRole("viewer", "User cannot do much");
+    }
+
+    public static void tryApplyUserRole(String userId, UserRole role) {
+        maybeCrash(0.3);
+
+        if(!role.getRoleKey().equals("viewer")){
+            applicationError(0.3, "Role " + role.getRoleKey() + " is not possible for user " + userId);
+        }
+        logger.error(String.format(">>> Applying role %s to user %s", role, userId));
+    }
+
+    public static Permission tryApplyPermission(String userId, Permission permission){
+        maybeCrash(0.3);
+
+        if(!permission.getSetting().equals("blocked")) {
+            applicationError(0.4,
+                    "Could not apply permission " + permission.getPermissionKey() +
+                            ":" + permission.getSetting() + " for user" + userId + " due to a conflict."
+                    );
+        }
+        logger.info(String.format(">>> Applying permission %s:%s for user %s",
+                permission.getPermissionKey(),
+                permission.getSetting(),
+                userId));
+
+        return new Permission(permission.getPermissionKey(), "blocked");
+    }
+
+    public static String updateUserProfile(String profile) {
+        return Math.random() < 0.8 ? "NOT_READY" : profile + "-id";
+    }
+
+    public static String setUserPermissions(String userId, String permissions) {
+        return permissions;
+    }
+
+    public static void provisionResources(String userId, String role, String resources){}
+
+}
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/FailureStubs.java b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/FailureStubs.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2f661a65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/FailureStubs.java
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 - Restate Software, Inc., Restate GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Restate Examples
+ * which is released under the MIT license.
+ *
+ * You can find a copy of the license in the file LICENSE
+ * in the root directory of this repository or package or at
+ * https://github.com/restatedev/examples/blob/main/LICENSE
+ */
+package utils;
+
+import dev.restate.sdk.common.TerminalException;
+import org.apache.logging.log4j.LogManager;
+import org.apache.logging.log4j.Logger;
+
+public class FailureStubs {
+
+    private static final Logger logger = LogManager.getLogger(ExampleStubs.class);
+
+    private static final boolean killProcess = System.getenv("CRASH_PROCESS") != null;
+
+    public static void maybeCrash(double probability) {
+        if (Math.random() < probability) {
+            logger.error("A failure happened!");
+
+            if (killProcess) {
+                logger.error("--- CRASHING THE PROCESS ---");
+                System.exit(1);
+            } else {
+                throw new RuntimeException("A failure happened!");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static void applicationError(Double probability, String message){
+        if(Math.random() < probability){
+            logger.error("Action failed: " + message);
+            throw new TerminalException(message);
+        }
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/Permission.java b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/Permission.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c0083b07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/Permission.java
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 - Restate Software, Inc., Restate GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Restate Examples
+ * which is released under the MIT license.
+ *
+ * You can find a copy of the license in the file LICENSE
+ * in the root directory of this repository or package or at
+ * https://github.com/restatedev/examples/blob/main/LICENSE
+ */
+package utils;
+
+public class Permission {
+    private String permissionKey;
+    private String setting;
+
+    public Permission(String permissionKey, String setting) {
+        this.permissionKey = permissionKey;
+        this.setting = setting;
+    }
+
+    // Getters and setters
+    public String getPermissionKey() {
+        return permissionKey;
+    }
+
+    public void setPermissionKey(String permissionKey) {
+        this.permissionKey = permissionKey;
+    }
+
+    public String getSetting() {
+        return setting;
+    }
+
+    public void setSetting(String setting) {
+        this.setting = setting;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/UpdateRequest.java b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/UpdateRequest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b7d003b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/UpdateRequest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 - Restate Software, Inc., Restate GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Restate Examples
+ * which is released under the MIT license.
+ *
+ * You can find a copy of the license in the file LICENSE
+ * in the root directory of this repository or package or at
+ * https://github.com/restatedev/examples/blob/main/LICENSE
+ */
+package durable_execution.utils;
+
+import utils.Permission;
+import utils.UserRole;
+
+import java.util.List;
+
+public class UpdateRequest {
+    private String userId;
+    private UserRole role;
+    private List<Permission> permissions;
+
+    public UpdateRequest(String userId, UserRole role, List<Permission> permissions) {
+        this.userId = userId;
+        this.role = role;
+        this.permissions = permissions;
+    }
+
+    // Getters and setters
+    public String getUserId() {
+        return userId;
+    }
+
+    public void setUserId(String userId) {
+        this.userId = userId;
+    }
+
+    public UserRole getRole() {
+        return role;
+    }
+
+    public void setRole(UserRole role) {
+        this.role = role;
+    }
+
+    public List<Permission> getPermissions() {
+        return permissions;
+    }
+
+    public void setPermissions(List<Permission> permissions) {
+        this.permissions = permissions;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/UserProfile.java b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/UserProfile.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4e30fbdd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/UserProfile.java
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 - Restate Software, Inc., Restate GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Restate Examples
+ * which is released under the MIT license.
+ *
+ * You can find a copy of the license in the file LICENSE
+ * in the root directory of this repository or package or at
+ * https://github.com/restatedev/examples/blob/main/LICENSE
+ */
+package utils;
+
+public class UserProfile {
+
+    private final String id;
+    private final String name;
+    private final String email;
+
+    public UserProfile(String id, String name, String email) {
+        this.id = id;
+        this.name = name;
+        this.email = email;
+    }
+
+    public String getId() {
+        return id;
+    }
+
+    public String getName() {
+        return name;
+    }
+
+    public String getEmail() {
+        return email;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/UserRole.java b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/UserRole.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c7bb0939
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/UserRole.java
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 - Restate Software, Inc., Restate GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Restate Examples
+ * which is released under the MIT license.
+ *
+ * You can find a copy of the license in the file LICENSE
+ * in the root directory of this repository or package or at
+ * https://github.com/restatedev/examples/blob/main/LICENSE
+ */
+package utils;
+
+public class UserRole {
+    private String roleKey;
+    private String roleDescription;
+
+    public UserRole(String roleKey, String roleDescription) {
+        this.roleKey = roleKey;
+        this.roleDescription = roleDescription;
+    }
+
+    // Getters and setters
+    public String getRoleKey() {
+        return roleKey;
+    }
+
+    public void setRoleKey(String roleKey) {
+        this.roleKey = roleKey;
+    }
+
+    public String getRoleDescription() {
+        return roleDescription;
+    }
+
+    public void setRoleDescription(String roleDescription) {
+        this.roleDescription = roleDescription;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/UserUpdate.java b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/UserUpdate.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f25a7e94
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/utils/UserUpdate.java
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 - Restate Software, Inc., Restate GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Restate Examples
+ * which is released under the MIT license.
+ *
+ * You can find a copy of the license in the file LICENSE
+ * in the root directory of this repository or package or at
+ * https://github.com/restatedev/examples/blob/main/LICENSE
+ */
+package utils;
+
+public class UserUpdate {
+    private String profile;
+    private String permissions;
+    private String resources;
+
+    public UserUpdate(String profile, String permissions, String resource) {
+        this.profile = profile;
+        this.permissions = permissions;
+        this.resources = resource;
+    }
+
+    public String getProfile() {
+        return profile;
+    }
+
+    public void setProfile(String profile) {
+        this.profile = profile;
+    }
+
+    public String getPermissions() {
+        return permissions;
+    }
+
+    public void setPermissions(String permissions) {
+        this.permissions = permissions;
+    }
+
+    public String getResources() {
+        return resources;
+    }
+
+    public void setResources(String resources) {
+        this.resources = resources;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/virtual_objects/GreeterObject.java b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/virtual_objects/GreeterObject.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ea1e2b06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/src/main/java/virtual_objects/GreeterObject.java
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 - Restate Software, Inc., Restate GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Restate Examples
+ * which is released under the MIT license.
+ *
+ * You can find a copy of the license in the file LICENSE
+ * in the root directory of this repository or package or at
+ * https://github.com/restatedev/examples/blob/main/LICENSE
+ */
+package virtual_objects;
+
+import dev.restate.sdk.ObjectContext;
+import dev.restate.sdk.annotation.Handler;
+import dev.restate.sdk.annotation.VirtualObject;
+import dev.restate.sdk.common.CoreSerdes;
+import dev.restate.sdk.common.StateKey;
+import dev.restate.sdk.http.vertx.RestateHttpEndpointBuilder;
+
+//
+// Virtual Objects hold state and have methods to interact with the object.
+// An object is identified by a unique id - only one object exists per id.
+//
+// Virtual Objects have their state locally accessible without requiring any database
+// connection or lookup. State is exclusive, and atomically committed with the
+// method execution.
+//
+// Virtual Objects are _Stateful Serverless_ constructs.
+//
+
+@VirtualObject
+public class GreeterObject {
+
+    private static final StateKey<Integer> COUNT =
+            StateKey.of("available-drivers", CoreSerdes.JSON_INT);
+
+    @Handler
+    public String greet(ObjectContext ctx, String greeting) {
+
+        // Access the state attached to this object (this 'name')
+        // State access and updates are exclusive and consistent with the invocations
+        int count = ctx.get(COUNT).orElse(0);
+        int newCount = count + 1;
+        ctx.set(COUNT, newCount);
+
+        return String.format( "%s %s, for the %d-th time", greeting, ctx.key(), newCount);
+    }
+
+    @Handler
+    public String ungreet(ObjectContext ctx) {
+        int count = ctx.get(COUNT).orElse(0);
+        if(count > 0){
+            int newCount = count - 1;
+            ctx.set(COUNT, newCount);
+        }
+
+        return "Dear " + ctx.key() + ", taking one greeting back: " + count;
+    }
+
+    public static void main(String[] args) {
+        RestateHttpEndpointBuilder.builder()
+            .bind(new GreeterObject())
+            .buildAndListen();
+    }
+}
+
+// See README for details on how to start and connect to Restate.
+// Call this service through HTTP directly the following way:
+// Example1: `curl localhost:8080/GreeterObject/mary/greet -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '"Hi"'`;
+// Example2: `curl localhost:8080/GreeterObject/barack/greet -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '"Hello"'`;
+// Example3: `curl localhost:8080/GreeterObject/mary/ungreet -H 'content-type: application/json' -d ''`;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/basics/basics-java/src/main/resources/log4j2.properties b/basics/basics-java/src/main/resources/log4j2.properties
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..536d1d39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/basics-java/src/main/resources/log4j2.properties
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+# Set to debug or trace if log4j initialization is failing
+status = warn
+
+# Console appender configuration
+appender.console.type = Console
+appender.console.name = consoleLogger
+appender.console.layout.type = PatternLayout
+appender.console.layout.pattern = %d{yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss} %-5p %notEmpty{[%X{restateInvocationTarget}]}%notEmpty{[%X{restateInvocationId}]} %c - %m%n
+
+# Filter out logging during replay
+appender.console.filter.replay.type = ContextMapFilter
+appender.console.filter.replay.onMatch = DENY
+appender.console.filter.replay.onMismatch = NEUTRAL
+appender.console.filter.replay.0.type = KeyValuePair
+appender.console.filter.replay.0.key = restateInvocationStatus
+appender.console.filter.replay.0.value = REPLAYING
+
+# Restate logs to debug level
+logger.app.name = dev.restate
+logger.app.level = info
+logger.app.additivity = false
+logger.app.appenderRef.console.ref = consoleLogger
+
+# Root logger
+rootLogger.level = info
+rootLogger.appenderRef.stdout.ref = consoleLogger
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/basics/basics-typescript/README.md b/basics/basics-typescript/README.md
index 94ad335d..65e2a059 100644
--- a/basics/basics-typescript/README.md
+++ b/basics/basics-typescript/README.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Examples of the basic concepts for Restate in TypeScript / JavaScript
 
-The examples here showcase the most basic building blocks of Restate. **durable execution**,
-**durable promises**, and **virtual objects**, and the **workflows** abstraction built on top
+The examples here showcase the most basic building blocks of Restate. **Durable Execution**,
+**Durable Promises**, and **Virtual Objects**, and the **Workflows** abstraction built on top
 of them.
 
 The individual example files contain code snippets with comments and a brief descriptions
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ about how they work and how they can be run.
 4. Register the example at Restate server by calling
    `npx restate -y deployment register --force "localhost:9080"`.
 
-   _Note: the '--force' flag here is to circumvent all checks relating to graceful upgrades, because it is only a playground, not a production setup._
+   _Note: the '--force' flag here is to circumvent all checks related to graceful upgrades, because it is only a playground, not a production setup._
 
 5. Check the comments in the example for how to interact with the example.
 
diff --git a/basics/basics-typescript/src/1_durable_execution.ts b/basics/basics-typescript/src/1_durable_execution.ts
index a8ad9e3f..0a582c59 100644
--- a/basics/basics-typescript/src/1_durable_execution.ts
+++ b/basics/basics-typescript/src/1_durable_execution.ts
@@ -12,15 +12,18 @@
 import * as restate from "@restatedev/restate-sdk";
 import { UpdateRequest, applyUserRole, applyPermission } from "./utils/example_stubs";
 
-// Durable execution ensures code runs to the end, even in the presence of
-// failures. Use this for code that updates different systems and needs to
-// make sure all updates are applied.
+
+// This is an example of the benefits of Durable Execution.
+// Durable Execution ensures code runs to the end, even in the presence of
+// failures. This is particularly useful for code that updates different systems and needs to
+// make sure all updates are applied:
 //
 //  - Failures are automatically retried, unless they are explicitly labeled
 //    as terminal errors
-//  - Restate journals execution progress. Re-tries use that journal to replay
-//    previous already completed results, avoiding a repetition of that work and
-//    ensuring stable deterministic values are used during execution.
+//  - Restate tracks execution progress in a journal.
+//    Work that has already been completed is not repeated during retries.
+//    Instead, the previously completed journal entries are replayed.
+//    This ensures that stable deterministic values are used during execution.
 //  - Durable executed functions use the regular code and control flow,
 //    no custom DSLs
 //
@@ -29,17 +32,18 @@ async function applyRoleUpdate(ctx: restate.Context, update: UpdateRequest) {
   // parameters are durable across retries
   const { userId, role, permissions } = update;
 
-  // apply a change to one system (e.g., DB upsert, API call, ...)
-  // the side effect persists the result with a consensus method so any
-  // any later code relies on a deterministic result
+  // Apply a change to one system (e.g., DB upsert, API call, ...).
+  // The side effect persists the result with a consensus method so
+  // any later code relies on a deterministic result.
   const success = await ctx.run(() => applyUserRole(userId, role));
   if (!success) {
     return;
   }
 
-  // simply loop over the array or permission settings.
-  // each operation through the Restate context is journaled and recovery restores
-  // results of previous operations from the journal without re-executing them
+  // Loop over the permission settings and apply them.
+  // Each operation through the Restate context is journaled
+  // and recovery restores results of previous operations from the journal
+  // without re-executing them.
   for (const permission of permissions) {
     await ctx.run(() => applyPermission(userId, permission));
   }
diff --git a/basics/basics-typescript/src/2_durable_execution_compensation.ts b/basics/basics-typescript/src/2_durable_execution_compensation.ts
index 2a6e02ac..0a10b284 100644
--- a/basics/basics-typescript/src/2_durable_execution_compensation.ts
+++ b/basics/basics-typescript/src/2_durable_execution_compensation.ts
@@ -27,13 +27,16 @@ async function applyRoleUpdate(ctx: restate.Context, update: UpdateRequest) {
   // parameters are durable across retries
   const { userId, role, permissions: permissions } = update;
 
-  // regular failures are re-tries, TerminalErrors are propagated
-  // nothing applied so far, so we propagate the error directly
+  // Restate does retries for regular failures.
+  // TerminalErrors, on the other hand, are not retried and are propagated
+  // back to the caller.
+  // No permissions were applied so far, so if this fails,
+  // we propagate the error directly back to the caller.
   const previousRole = await ctx.run(() => getCurrentRole(userId));
   await ctx.run(() => tryApplyUserRole(userId, role));
 
-  // apply all permissions in order
-  // we collect the previous permission settings to reset if the process fails
+  // Apply all permissions in order.
+  // We collect the previous permission settings to reset if the process fails.
   const previousPermissions: Permission[] = [];
   for (const permission of permissions) {
     try {
@@ -87,7 +90,7 @@ serve.listen(9080);
 // and, in case of a terminal error, their reversal.
 //
 // This will proceed reliably across the occasional process crash, that we blend in.
-// Re-tries will not re-execute previously completed actions again, so each line occurs only once.
+// Once an action has completed, it does not get re-executed on retries, so each line occurs only once.
 
 /* 
 curl localhost:8080/roleUpdate/applyRoleUpdate -H 'content-type: application/json' -d \
diff --git a/basics/basics-typescript/src/3_workflows.ts b/basics/basics-typescript/src/3_workflows.ts
index 173a1aa0..de188409 100644
--- a/basics/basics-typescript/src/3_workflows.ts
+++ b/basics/basics-typescript/src/3_workflows.ts
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ export const workflowApi = myWorkflow.api;
 //                                                   "email": "bob@builder.com"
 //                                               } }'
 
-// or programatically
+// or programmatically
 async function signupUser(userId: string, name: string, email: string) {
   const rs = restate.clients.connect("http://restate:8080");
   const { client, status } = await rs.submitWorkflow(workflowApi, "signup-" + userId, {
diff --git a/basics/basics-typescript/src/4_virtual_objects.ts b/basics/basics-typescript/src/4_virtual_objects.ts
index d880b0b5..90a85c6a 100644
--- a/basics/basics-typescript/src/4_virtual_objects.ts
+++ b/basics/basics-typescript/src/4_virtual_objects.ts
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ const greeterObject = restate.object({
     ) => {
       const greeting = request?.greeting ?? "Hello";
 
-      // access the state attached to this object (this 'name')
-      // state access and updates are exclusive and consistent with the invocations
+      // Access the state attached to this object (this 'name')
+      // State access and updates are exclusive and consistent with the invocations
       let count = (await ctx.get<number>("count")) ?? 0;
       count++;
       ctx.set("count", count);
diff --git a/basics/basics-typescript/src/5_events_processing.ts b/basics/basics-typescript/src/5_events_processing.ts
index ef207113..6a16ad10 100644
--- a/basics/basics-typescript/src/5_events_processing.ts
+++ b/basics/basics-typescript/src/5_events_processing.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import {
 
 //
 // Processing events (from Kafka) to update various downstream systems.
-//  - Journalling actions in Restate and driving retries from Restate, recovering
+//  - Journaling actions in Restate and driving retries from Restate, recovering
 //    partial progress
 //  - Preserving the order-per-key, but otherwise allowing high-fanout, because
 //    processing of events does not block other events.
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ const userUpdates = restate.object({
   name: "userUpdates",
   handlers: {
     /*
-     * uses the Event's key (populated for example from Kafka's key) to route the events
+     * uses the Event's key (populated for example from Kafka's key) to route the events to the correct Virtual Object
      * and ensure that events with the same key are processed one after the other.
      */
     updateUserEvent: async (ctx: restate.ObjectContext, event: UserUpdate) => {
@@ -42,9 +42,10 @@ const userUpdates = restate.object({
       // event handler is a durably executed function that can use all the features of Restate
       let userId = await ctx.run(() => updateUserProfile(profile));
       while (userId === NOT_READY) {
-        // delay the event processing. this delays this event, but only queues events for the same
-        // key. all other events proceed - no partition blocking.
-        // the sleep suspends the function (e.g., when running on FaaS)
+        // Delay the processing of the event by sleeping.
+        // The other events for this Virtual Object / key are queued.
+        // Events for other keys are processed concurrently.
+        // The sleep suspends the function (e.g., when running on FaaS).
         ctx.sleep(5_000);
         userId = await ctx.run(() => updateUserProfile(profile));
       }