Introduction to Spring Boot

What is Spring Boot?

Spring Boot is an open-source Java-based framework used to create stand-alone, production-grade Spring-based applications. It simplifies the setup and development of new Spring applications by providing default configurations and dependencies.

Key Features

Auto Configuration: Automatically configures your application based on the jar dependencies you have added.
Standalone: Spring Boot applications can be run without an external server.
Production Ready: Features like metrics, health checks, and externalized configuration.
Spring Boot Starter: A set of convenient dependency descriptors you can include in your application.

Setting Up Spring Boot

Ensure you have Java JDK installed (version 8 or higher).
Download and install an IDE (Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, etc.).
Set up your project structure using Spring Initializr (https://start.spring.io/).

Note: Use Maven or Gradle as your build tool.

Creating Your First Application

Follow these steps to create a simple RESTful application:

Create a new Spring Boot project using Spring Initializr.
Add the Spring Web dependency.
Create a simple controller:


@RestController
@RequestMapping("/api")
public class HelloController {
    @GetMapping("/hello")
    public String sayHello() {
        return "Hello, Spring Boot!";
    }
}

Run the application and access http://localhost:8080/api/hello to see the response.

FAQ

What is the difference between Spring and Spring Boot?

Spring is a framework for building Java applications while Spring Boot is an extension of Spring that simplifies the process of setting up and developing new applications.

Can I use Spring Boot with other languages?

Spring Boot is primarily designed for Java, but it can interact with other languages through REST APIs.

What are Spring Boot Starters?

Spring Boot Starters are a set of convenient dependency descriptors that you can include in your application to get started quickly with various functionalities.


graph TD;
    A[Start] --> B{Setup Project};
    B -->|Spring Initializr| C[Add Dependencies];
    B -->|Manual Setup| D[Create build.gradle or pom.xml];
    C --> E[Create Application Class];
    D --> E;
    E --> F[Run Application];
    F --> G[Access API Endpoints];
    G --> H[End];