diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index c8ee35f..248f530 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ COPY $PWD /session-service
 WORKDIR /session-service
 RUN mvn package -DskipTests -Dpackaging.type=jar
 
-FROM openjdk:8-jre
+FROM openjdk:11-jre-slim
 # copy over target/session_service-x.y.z.jar ignore *-model.jar, that jar is
 # used by cbioportal/cbioportal to import the models
 COPY --from=build /session-service/target/*[0-9].jar /app.war
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index ad0cf33..a213010 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
     <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-parent</artifactId>
-    <version>2.3.3.RELEASE</version>
+    <version>2.7.6</version>
   </parent>
   <profiles>
     <profile>
@@ -37,6 +37,22 @@
       <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
       <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-test</artifactId>
       <scope>test</scope>
+      <exclusions>
+        <exclusion>
+          <groupId>org.junit.jupiter</groupId>
+          <artifactId>junit-jupiter-engine</artifactId>
+        </exclusion>
+        <exclusion>
+          <groupId>org.junit.vintage</groupId>
+          <artifactId>junit-vintage-engine</artifactId>
+        </exclusion>
+      </exclusions>
+    </dependency>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>junit</groupId>
+      <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
+      <version>4.12</version>
+      <scope>test</scope>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
@@ -85,6 +101,10 @@
       <artifactId>hibernate-validator</artifactId>
       <version>6.0.13.Final</version>
     </dependency>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>javax.xml.bind</groupId>
+      <artifactId>jaxb-api</artifactId>
+    </dependency>
   </dependencies>
   <properties>
     <java.version>1.8</java.version>
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/cbioportal/session_service/SessionService.java b/src/main/java/org/cbioportal/session_service/SessionService.java
index 69e9187..5081722 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/cbioportal/session_service/SessionService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/cbioportal/session_service/SessionService.java
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
 import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;
 import org.springframework.boot.web.servlet.support.SpringBootServletInitializer;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.PropertySource;
 import org.springframework.data.mongodb.core.mapping.event.ValidatingMongoEventListener;
 import org.springframework.validation.beanvalidation.LocalValidatorFactoryBean;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
@@ -43,7 +44,8 @@
 /**
  * @author Manda Wilson 
  */
-@SpringBootApplication // shorthand for @Configuration, @EnableAutoConfiguration, @ComponentScan
+@SpringBootApplication
+@PropertySource(value = "classpath:system_settings_hidden_from_users.properties")
 public class SessionService extends SpringBootServletInitializer {
 
     @Bean
diff --git a/src/main/resources/system_settings_hidden_from_users.properties b/src/main/resources/system_settings_hidden_from_users.properties
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d7f7798
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/resources/system_settings_hidden_from_users.properties
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+spring.mvc.pathmatch.matching-strategy=ant-path-matcher
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/cbioportal/session_service/SessionServiceTest.java b/src/test/java/org/cbioportal/session_service/SessionServiceTest.java
index 619a756..1153a95 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/cbioportal/session_service/SessionServiceTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/cbioportal/session_service/SessionServiceTest.java
@@ -45,13 +45,22 @@
 import org.springframework.boot.test.web.client.TestRestTemplate;
 import org.springframework.boot.web.server.LocalServerPort;
 import org.springframework.http.*;
+import org.springframework.test.context.TestPropertySource;
 import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner;
 
 /**
  * @author Manda Wilson 
  */
 @RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
-@SpringBootTest(webEnvironment=SpringBootTest.WebEnvironment.RANDOM_PORT, classes = SessionService.class, value= {"server.error.include-exception=true"})
+@SpringBootTest(
+    classes = SessionService.class,
+    webEnvironment=SpringBootTest.WebEnvironment.RANDOM_PORT,
+    properties = {
+        "server.error.include-exception=true",
+        "spring.mongodb.embedded.version=3.5.5",
+        "spring.mvc.pathmatch.matching-strategy=ANT_PATH_MATCHER"
+    }
+)
 public class SessionServiceTest {
 
     // get randomly assigned port
@@ -67,6 +76,7 @@ public void setUp() throws Exception {
         template = new TestRestTemplate();
     }
 
+
     @After
     public void tearDown() throws Exception {
         // get all and delete them