Spring CRUD Generator v1.5.0: Better Spec Consistency, CI Integration Tests, and AI-Friendly Spec Authoring

#java #springboot #githubcopilot #opensource

I’ve just released Spring CRUD Generator v1.5.0.

It’s an open-source Maven plugin that generates Spring Boot CRUD code from a YAML/JSON configuration. The project can generate entities, DTOs, mappers, services, business services, controllers, Flyway migrations, Docker resources, and optional OpenAPI-related pieces.

This release is focused on three things:

better spec consistency
stronger CI verification for generated output
a smoother developer experience when writing and evolving specs

One of the more interesting improvements in this version is better GitHub Copilot support and autocomplete for project specs.

I don’t want to oversell that as “AI magic”, because that’s not what this project is about. The goal is simpler: if you’re editing a larger generator config, the experience is now more natural for AI-assisted authoring and easier to work with in day-to-day development.

What’s new in v1.5.0

1) `basePath` vs `basepath` consistency fix

There was an inconsistency between documentation and code:

documentation used basePath
code also accepted basepath

That is now cleaned up.

basePath is the documented form going forward, while basepath is still supported for backward compatibility but is now deprecated.

2) Integration tests for the generator project

This does not mean the generator now creates integration tests.

Instead, integration tests were added to the generator project itself, and they now run in GitHub CI. The purpose is to detect generated-code inconsistencies earlier when new changes are introduced.

That gives the project a more reliable feedback loop and makes future changes safer.

3) `relation.uniqueItems` support

A new field was added:

relation:
  uniqueItems: true

This can be used for generating Set-based relations for:

OneToMany
ManyToMany

This is useful when uniqueness is part of the intended model and a Set is a better fit than a List.

4) Fix for JSON collection imports in business services

There was a bug in business services when using:

JSON<List<T>>
JSON<Set<T>>

In those cases, List / Set imports are now generated correctly.

5) Better GitHub Copilot support + autocomplete

Spec authoring now works better with GitHub Copilot and autocomplete.

This is especially useful if your generator config is growing over time and you want a smoother editing experience without constantly double-checking every field manually.

6) Security policy added

The project now includes a security policy.

7) Documentation update

The documentation was updated to be more readable and easier to navigate.

Why this release matters

Most generator improvements are not flashy.

But consistency fixes, CI-backed verification, relation modeling improvements, and better tooling support are exactly the things that make a code generator easier to trust over time.

That was the main focus of v1.5.0: making the generator more predictable, safer to evolve, and more comfortable to use on real projects.