What is Spring Boot?
Spring Boot is an extension of the Spring framework that simplifies the development of Java applications by:
- Providing pre-configured templates.
- Reducing boilerplate code.
- Offering an embedded web server (Tomcat, Jetty).
- Supporting microservices architecture.
Setting Up Spring Boot
1. Prerequisites
- Java Development Kit (JDK) 8 or later.
- An IDE (e.g., IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, or VS Code with Java support).
- Maven or Gradle for dependency management.
2. Create a Spring Boot Project
Option 1: Use Spring Initializr (Recommended)
- Go to Spring Initializr.
- Choose:
- Project: Maven or Gradle.
- Language: Java.
- Spring Boot version: Latest stable version.
- Add dependencies like Spring Web, Spring Data JPA, and H2 Database (if needed).
- Click Generate to download the project.
Option 2: Using IDE Plugins
Most IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA and Eclipse have built-in support to create Spring Boot projects.
Structure of a Spring Boot Application
A typical Spring Boot application contains:
src/main/java
: Your application code.
src/main/resources
: Configuration files (e.g., application.properties
).
- Dependencies: Managed via
pom.xml
(Maven) or build.gradle
(Gradle).
Building Your First Spring Boot Application
1. Main Class
Spring Boot applications have a @SpringBootApplication
-annotated main class:
2. Creating a REST Controller
Add a simple REST API:
Run the application and navigate to http://localhost:8080/hello
to see the response.
Common Spring Boot Annotations
Core Annotations
@SpringBootApplication
: Entry point of the application.
@RestController
: Combines @Controller
and @ResponseBody
.
@GetMapping
, @PostMapping
, @PutMapping
, @DeleteMapping
: Map HTTP requests to handler methods.
Dependency Injection
@Autowired
: Injects dependencies automatically.
@Component
: Marks a class as a Spring-managed component.
Database Integration
1. Add Dependencies
In pom.xml
, include:
2. Configure application.properties
3. Define an Entity
4. Create a Repository
5. Access Data in a Controller
Advanced Topics
- Spring Boot Security: Add authentication and authorization.
- Spring Boot Actuator: Monitor and manage your application.
- Microservices: Use Spring Cloud for building microservices.
- Testing: Use Spring Boot's testing libraries for unit and integration tests.