When we start working with Java enterprise applications, two terms come up very often: Spring and Spring Boot. Beginners sometimes get confused about the difference, but once you understand the basics, it becomes much easier to choose the right one for your project.
What is Spring?
Spring is a Java framework that makes application development quicker, easier, and safer.
Key Features:
- Inversion of Control (IoC): The framework controls object creation instead of developers manually handling it.
- Dependency Injection (DI): Dependencies are injected into classes at runtime, making code more flexible and testable.
- Microservices support: Large projects can be split into smaller, manageable services.
What is Spring Boot?
Spring Boot (introduced in 2014) is built on top of the Spring framework to simplify development.
Features of Spring Boot:
- Create stand-alone applications easily.
- Embedded servers (Tomcat, Jetty, Undertow) → no need to deploy WAR files separately.
- Starter dependencies → simplifies build configuration.
- Auto-configuration → Spring + third-party libraries work with minimal setup.
- Production-ready features → metrics, configuration, and health checks.
- No XML configuration needed → less boilerplate, faster development.
Spring vs Spring Boot
| Spring | Spring Boot |
|---|---|
| Needs more setup | Easy setup |
| Requires external server | Built-in server (Tomcat/Jetty/Undertow) |
| Manual dependencies | Starter dependencies |
| Deploy as WAR | Run as JAR |
| Manual configuration | Auto-configuration |
| Used in large enterprise apps | Great for microservices & quick development |
Tools and Concepts
- JAR (Java ARchive): Packaged Java application (group of .class files).
- WAR (Web Application Archive): Packaged Java web application.
- XML: Configuration or data markup language (used in Maven, web apps, etc.).
- Maven: Tool to manage dependencies and build projects.
- Spring Tool Suite (STS): IDE designed for Spring Boot development (also available in Eclipse Marketplace).
- Spring Initializr: Online tool to quickly generate a Spring Boot project with required dependencies.
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