Spring vs Spring Boot

Anuja Dilrukshi
4 min readFeb 18, 2022

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The Spring framework has become increasingly sophisticated in recent years as new functions have been added. To begin a new Spring project, you must first go through a lengthy procedure. Spring Boot was created to prevent having to start from scratch and save time. As a foundation, the Spring framework is used.

What is a Framework?

Before we get into Spring, let’s define what a framework is. The framework is a reusable software system design platform that supports code libraries and a variety of scripting languages. A framework, in plain terms, is something that makes fundamental programming easier.

There are frameworks for PHP, Perl, Java, Python, Ruby, and many other languages. All Software Frameworks are designed with the intention of reusability in mind, and they provide tools to aid programmers in the development and binding of various components of a software project.

Now that we’ve established what a framework is, let’s move on to the Spring specification.

What is Spring?

Spring is a lightweight application framework that can be compared to a framework of frameworks because it supports a variety of frameworks like Struts, JSP, Hibernate, and others. Rod Johnson wrote the first version of the Spring framework in2002, and it was first released in 2003 under the Apache license version 2.0.

What is Spring Boot?

Spring Boot simplifies the development of stand-alone, production-ready Spring-based applications. It’s a Java-based framework for developing microservices (microservices are described as tiny, interconnected services). Microservices are a type of architecture that separates an application into a collection of loosely connected services that implement business needs.

Let’s have a look at how to define Spring Boot in layman’s terms. The term “spring boot” consists of two words. Spring and Boot The first part of spring stands for spring framework (a framework that allows you to develop enterprise Java applications), while the second portion stands for bootstrap. Spring Boot is a framework for building a spring application from the ground up.

Mike Youngstrom, a client, submitted a Jira ticket (a software tool used for problem tracking and project management) in October 2012, requesting that the spring framework be bootstrapped so that it may be deployed immediately. As a result, in early 2013, Spring Boot was created.

Spring Framework’s Pros and Cons

  • Spring Framework is a popular Java Enterprise Edition (Java EE) framework for developing apps.
  • Its goal is to make Java EE development easier, allowing developers to be more productive.
  • We must explicitly set up the server in order to test the Spring project.
  • Dependency injection is the Spring Framework’s most important feature.
  • It allows us to create loosely linked applications, which makes things easier.
  • An in-memory database isn’t supported.
  • To do the simplest task, the developer creates a lot of code (boilerplate code).
  • In pom.xml, developers declare the Spring project’s dependencies manually.
  • It provides middleware services.

Spring boot’s Pros and Cons

  • The Spring Boot Framework is a popular framework for creating REST APIs.
  • Its goal is to reduce code length and make developing Web applications as simple as possible.
  • Spring Boot’s main feature is autoconfiguration. It configures the classes automatically based on the requirements.
  • It aids in the creation of a self-contained application with minimal configuration.
  • It cuts down on boilerplate code.
  • Spring Boot has integrated servers like Jetty and Tomcat, among others.
  • It includes H2 as one of the plugins for working with an embedded and in-memory database.
  • Spring Boot has a starter in the pom.xml file that takes care of getting the necessary JARs depending on the Spring Boot Requirement.
  • You don’t have to deploy WAR files using Spring Boot.
  • It has features that are ready for production.

Overall, the Spring framework has made and continues to make a substantial contribution. The Spring framework is an excellent choice for developers because of the various capabilities listed above. Because all Spring Boot properties are auto-configured, you can get an application up and running in a fraction of the time it takes with Spring.

Spring Boot Features

Tip of the day

“Boilerplate code” is any seemingly repetitive code that appears repeatedly in order to achieve a result that appears to be much simpler.

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