Getting Started with Spring Boot: A Beginner's Guide

Prerequisites

Before we dive into developing Spring Boot applications, please ensure you have the following prerequisites in place:

Java: Version 17 or above
IDE (Integrated Development Environment)

The latest stable version of the Spring Boot framework is 3.3.x, which requires Java 17 and is compatible with versions up to and including Java 23.

Check if you have Java installed using the following command.

java --version

If Java is not installed, you can follow the installation process from my blog post: How to Install Java for MacOS and Windows?

IDE (Integrated Development Environment)

An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is an essential tool that enhances the coding, debugging, and project management processes for developers. It provides a variety of features such as code editing, refactoring, debugging, and an integrated terminal, among others, to support efficient application development.

For Java-based Spring Boot applications, we have several IDE options available:

VSCode - Free
Eclipse - Free
IntelliJ IDEA - Community Edition (Free) or Ultimate Edition (Licensed)

I prefer IntelliJ IDEA, as it stands out as one of the most advanced and widely used IDEs for Java developers. If you haven't installed it yet, you can download the Community Edition of IntelliJ here

Choosing the Right Build Tools: Maven vs. Gradle

Build tools play a crucial role in software development. Build tools are used to automate the process of compiling, testing, packaging, and deploying your application. It can save a lot of time, especially when working with a large, distributed team.

Using build tools we can simplify the process of managing project dependencies. It helps to automate the process of including external libraries in your project and resolving the dependencies automatically.
Primarily there are two popular build tool choices for writing Java applications; Maven and Gradle.

Maven:

Maven is a popular build automation tool used primarily for Java projects. Maven is almost 20 years old and was first introduced in 2024.

It uses an XML file called a pom.xml (Project Object Model) to define the project's configuration. The pom.xml file serves as the central configuration file for managing dependencies, plugins and build configurations for the Java project. It contains details about the project, including its dependencies, plugins, build lifecycle, and other relevant project metadata.

pom.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
  xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 https://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
  <parent>
    <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-parent</artifactId>
    <version>3.3.4</version>
    <relativePath/> <!-- lookup parent from repository -->
  </parent>
  <groupId>com.stacktips</groupId>
  <artifactId>hello-spring</artifactId>
  <version>0.0.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
  <name>hello-spring</name>
  <description>Demo project for Spring Boot</description>
  <properties>
    <java.version>17</java.version>
  </properties>
  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
      <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-web</artifactId>
    </dependency>

    <dependency>
      <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
      <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-test</artifactId>
      <scope>test</scope>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>

  <build>
    <plugins>
      <plugin>
        <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
        <artifactId>spring-boot-maven-plugin</artifactId>
      </plugin>
    </plugins>
  </build>

</project>

Gradle

Gradle is yet another build automation tool, it was first introduced in 2007. Gradle uses either Groovy or Kotlin DSL (Domain-Specific Language) for defining build scripts. Gradle maintains the dependency configurations in build.gradle file.

The build.gradle file is typically stored in the project's root directory. An example of a Gradle build file for a Spring Boot application follows.

build.gradle

plugins {
  id 'java'
  id 'org.springframework.boot' version '3.3.4'
  id 'io.spring.dependency-management' version '1.1.6'
}

group = 'com.stacktips'
version = '0.0.1-SNAPSHOT'

java {
  toolchain {
    languageVersion = JavaLanguageVersion.of(17)
  }
}

repositories {
  mavenCentral()
}

dependencies {
  implementation 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-web'
  testImplementation 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-test'
  testRuntimeOnly 'org.junit.platform:junit-platform-launcher'
}

tasks.named('test') {
  useJUnitPlatform()
}

Though Gradle is relatively new, it has gained popularity due to its ability to handle complex build automation and dependency management capability.

Choosing Between Maven and Gradle

While Maven is a well-established standard in the Java community, Gradle has emerged as a modern build system that has gained significant popularity in recent years. Both Gradle and Maven are powerful tools, making them suitable for larger and more complex projects.

The choice between Maven and Gradle for Spring Boot development depends on your personal preferences and the specific needs of your project.

Maven uses an XML file (pom.xml) for configuration, which can become verbose and complex for larger projects.
Maven tends to have slower build times due to its less efficient handling of incremental builds and parallel execution. Read more here
Choose Gradle if you prefer modern, expressive DSL for configuration (Groovy or Kotlin). ![[2.3. maven-vs-gradle.png| 600]]

Prerequisites for Spring Boot Development