Spring vs SpringBoot

Spring vs Spring Boot

Spring and Spring Boot are essential frameworks in the Java ecosystem, but they serve different purposes.

What is Spring Framework?

Spring is a powerful Java framework that provides core features like Dependency Injection (DI), Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP), and transaction management. It requires manual configurations.

Spring Example (Manual Configuration)

@Configuration
public class AppConfig {
    @Bean
    public MyService myService() {
        return new MyService();
    }
}

@Service
public class MyService {
    public void serve() {
        System.out.println("Service is running...");
    }
}

What is Spring Boot?

Spring Boot builds on Spring, offering auto-configuration, embedded servers, and production-ready features for rapid development.

Spring Boot Example (Auto-Configured)

@SpringBootApplication
public class SpringBootDemo {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(SpringBootDemo.class, args);
    }
}

@RestController
@RequestMapping("/api")
public class MyController {
    private final MyService myService;
    public MyController(MyService myService) {
        this.myService = myService;
    }
    @GetMapping("/serve")
    public String serve() {
        myService.serve();
        return "Service executed";
    }
}

Key Differences

Feature Spring (Traditional) Spring Boot (Modern) Configuration Manual setup Auto-configured Server External (Tomcat, Jetty) Embedded (Tomcat, Jetty) Dependency Mgmt Manual via pom.xml Uses Starters Production Ready Requires setup Built-in tools

When to Use What?

• Spring: When you need full control over configurations and a modular approach.
• Spring Boot: When you want fast development with minimal setup, especially for microservices.

Conclusion

Spring provides flexibility, while Spring Boot simplifies development. Choose based on project needs!