What is Spring Boot, and how does it differ from Spring?

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• What is Spring Boot?
• Key Differences Between Spring Boot and Spring Framework
  • 1. Configuration
  • 2. Starter Projects
  • 3. Standalone Applications
  • 4. Production-Ready Features
  • 5. Opinionated Defaults
• Conclusion

Introduction

Spring Boot is an extension of the Spring Framework that simplifies the process of building and deploying Java applications. It offers a set of tools and conventions designed to streamline application development, particularly for microservices and web applications. This guide explains what Spring Boot is and highlights its key differences from the traditional Spring Framework.

What is Spring Boot?

Spring Boot is a framework designed to make it easier to create stand-alone, production-ready Spring applications. It provides various features, including:

• Auto-configuration: Automatically configures Spring applications based on the dependencies present in the classpath.
• Starter Projects: Provides a set of convenient dependency descriptors (starters) that aggregate commonly used libraries for specific tasks.
• Embedded Servers: Supports embedded web servers (like Tomcat or Jetty), allowing applications to be run as standalone services without needing an external server.
• Production-Ready Features: Includes built-in support for metrics, health checks, and externalized configuration.

Key Differences Between Spring Boot and Spring Framework

1. Configuration

• Spring Framework: Requires a significant amount of manual configuration, often involving XML files or extensive Java configuration classes.
• Spring Boot: Uses auto-configuration to reduce the need for manual setup. Developers can focus more on writing business logic rather than boilerplate code.

2. Starter Projects

• Spring Framework: Does not provide starter dependencies. Developers must manually include each library needed for their project.
• Spring Boot: Offers "starter" dependencies that bundle commonly used libraries for specific functionalities (e.g., spring-boot-starter-web for web applications).

3. Standalone Applications

• Spring Framework: Typically requires a traditional application server (like Tomcat or JBoss) for deployment.
• Spring Boot: Supports embedded servers, allowing applications to be run as standalone services. This simplifies deployment and development.

4. Production-Ready Features

• Spring Framework: Developers need to implement their own mechanisms for monitoring, metrics, and configuration management.
• Spring Boot: Comes with built-in support for production-ready features such as health checks, metrics, and externalized configuration, making it easier to manage applications in production.

5. Opinionated Defaults

• Spring Framework: Provides a flexible but less opinionated approach to configuration, which can lead to complexity.
• Spring Boot: Follows an opinionated configuration approach, making decisions for you to reduce configuration overhead. This can speed up development time while still allowing customization.

Conclusion

Spring Boot significantly simplifies the process of developing and deploying Java applications compared to the traditional Spring Framework. With features like auto-configuration, starter projects, and embedded servers, Spring Boot reduces boilerplate code and accelerates development. Understanding the differences between Spring Boot and Spring is essential for leveraging the strengths of both frameworks effectively in modern application development.