Top V Leap Kicking Features Coffee Developers Should Know

You mightiness receive got heard nearly Spring Boot in addition to it's magical powers nearly creating a Spring Web application inwards only nether 140 characters which tin give notice travel written inwards a tweet, but what that actually means? What are those features which render Spring Boot such ability in addition to brand Spring application evolution therefore easy? Well, that's what you lot volition larn inwards this article, but if you lot are inwards hurry permit me say you lot that you lot volition larn nearly Spring Boot's auto-configuration, Starter dependencies, Spring Boot CLI, Actuator in addition to Spring Initializer characteristic inwards detail. These are the characteristic which takes away most of the hurting in addition to friction associated alongside writing Spring-based Java spider web application.

But, earlier going into this detail, let's revisit the problems associated alongside Spring-based Java development. I personally similar to run across the job root in addition to experience it earlier I tin give notice taste the solution. Remember, comfort feels amend exclusively later difficult piece of work in addition to therefore is a meal, you lot taste to a greater extent than when you lot are hungry.

Spring is no incertitude a swell framework it does a lot of things for you, for example, it creates an object for you, it provides them alongside their dependency, it takes away a lot of code you lot would receive got written if Spring doesn't be but inwards render it also inquire a lot from you lot inwards damage of configuration in addition to learning.

If you lot receive got e'er worked inwards a greenfield project, where you lot receive got started a fresh Spring-based Java application from scratch you lot know that it's non a slice of cake.

You root demand to discovery all the dependencies you lot demand in addition to and then their compatible version. You also demand to configure a lot of beans to enable unopen to Spring magic.

For example, if you lot desire to create a Spring MVC based REST application which supports JSON format inwards embedded tomcat in addition to then you lot at-least 8 to 10 dependencies inwards your Maven pom.xml file e.g. spring-core.jar, spring-mvc.jar, jackson.jar, embedded-tomcat.jar etc, in addition to hear it this is a real unproblematic setup.

Btw, if you lot are consummate beginner into Spring Boot footing in addition to then I also advise you lot root become through The Spring Boot Essentials class on Udemy. It's a real brusk course, only 1.5 hours long but give you lot plenty noesis to job Spring Boot inwards your project. It also enables you lot to explore farther on your own.

5 Essential Spring Boot Features

Spring Boot only takes away all these pains in addition to permit you lot write the code which matters i.e. application code. All of the Spring Boot features which I mentioned e.g. auto-configuration, Starter POMs or Starter dependency in addition to Spring Boot CLI aims to simplify Java evolution alongside Spring.

Now, let's become into a niggling flake to a greater extent than details on each of these features

1. AutoConfiguration

You mightiness receive got worked alongside Spring-based Java spider web application which connects to a relational database e.g. an in-memory database similar H2 in addition to if yes in addition to then you lot mightiness know that you lot demand to declare JdbcTemplate equally a edible bean in addition to also demand to configure a DataSource which is a dependency for JdbcTempalte.

In a modern-day Spring application, which uses Java-based configuration, you lot demand to add together the next 2 methods into your Configuration class:

@Bean public JdbcTemplate jdbcTempalte(DateSource ds){    return new JdbcTempalte(ds); }  @Bean public DataSource dataSource(){   return new EmbeddedDatabaseBuilder()      .setType(EmbeddedDatabaseType.H2)      .addScripts('ddl.sql', 'data.sql')      .build(); }

This is non actually a complex for someone who has done Spring evolution but if you lot are starting afresh in addition to then it tin give notice receive got hours in addition to days to figure out this.

But, to a greater extent than importantly, this is a slice of code which many of us receive got written irrespective of our application. I mean, this code is non unique in addition to every unmarried Spring application which plant alongside JDBC volition demand it.

That's where Spring Boot AutoConfiguration comes into the picture. It detects the presence of certainly Class inwards the Classpath in addition to and then automatically configure it for you.


For example, if you lot receive got added JdbcTempalte into your classpath in addition to also H2.jar in addition to then Spring Boot tin give notice automatically configure an in-memory database for you lot in addition to a JdbcTempatle which is laid to use. You don't demand to write higher upward code to job JdbcTemplate inwards your DAO layer.

This is only an example. Spring Boot auto-configuration makes to a greater extent than than 200+ such determination in addition to automatically configure many functionalities past times examining JAR dependencies. For example, if spring-mvc.jar is introduce in addition to then it tin give notice automatically configure DispatcherServlet, InternalViewResolver etc.

If JPA in addition to Hibernate are introduce in addition to then it tin give notice configure that equally good in addition to if you lot receive got spring-security.jar in addition to then it tin give notice fifty-fifty configure basic safety to protect your application.

Btw, when it comes to relying on auto-configuration, equally in-depth noesis is required to properly protect your application. If you lot are interested inwards Spring Security, depository fiscal establishment check Spring Security MasterClass by Eugen Paraschiv.

The Auto-Configuration characteristic is past times default disabled in addition to you lot demand to enable it past times using @EnableAutoConfiguration or @SpringBootApplication annotation on your Configuration class. I unremarkably annotated the Main class, which I am going to run alongside an embedded Tomcat server.

It's recommended to job @SpringBootApplication annotation from Spring Boot 1.2 onwards equally it combines a span of other annotations to brand your code to a greater extent than readable. See Learn Spring Boot - Rapid Spring Application Development to larn to a greater extent than nearly Spring Boot annotations.

In short, The auto-configuration characteristic of Spring Boot saves a lot of piece of work in addition to cut back the evolution fourth dimension in addition to I strongly recommend to job auto-configuration whenever you lot job Spring Boot.

2. Starter POMs

While AutoConfiguration takes away the hurting of configuring mutual functionalities, the Starter POMs receive got away hurting past times finding in addition to adding mutual dependencies inwards your project.

In guild to construct a unproblematic Spring MVC based REST application which supports Jackson in addition to to run it an embedded container, you lot would at to the lowest degree demand next dependencies e.g.

spring-core.jar
spring-web.jar
spring-webmvc.jar
jackson-databind.jar
tomcat-embed-core.jar
tomcat-embed-el.jar
tomcat-embed-logging-juil.jar

By using Spring Boot Starter POMs or starter dependency feature, you lot tin give notice acquire all of these past times only adding spring-boot-starter-web dependency inwards your pom.xml

So, instead of adding all these dependencies in addition to worrying nearly their compatible version, you lot only demand to add together one. You volition also travel to a greater extent than confident that tried in addition to tested versions of libraries are used in addition to at that spot won't travel whatever incompatibility consequence inwards future.

Another subtle practice goodness of starter POMs characteristic is that you lot don't demand to hollo upward or search dependencies. If you lot are edifice spider web application you lot tin give notice add together a 'web' starter, if you lot are edifice JPA application you lot could add together 'jpa' starter, past times aggregating mutual dependencies past times functionalities Spring Boot has made them slow to hollo upward in addition to use.

Btw, if you lot are wondering how Starter POMs characteristic plant internally in addition to then permit me say you lot all the magic comes from Maven or Gradle's transitive dependency feature.

 It's Maven or Gradle which pulls the correct version of libraries, Starter POMs only declare them. If you lot desire to larn more, I advise you lot depository fiscal establishment check out Dan Vega's Rapid Application evolution alongside Spring Boot course.

In short, Starter POMs or starter dependency is unopen to other awesome characteristic of Spring Boot which actually helps to simplify Spring application development. It's similar a unopen cousin of auto-configuration in addition to you lot volition oftentimes job them together.

3. Spring Boot CLI

In the root paragraph of this article, I said that it's right away possible to create a Java spider web application which tin give notice check inwards a tweet in addition to it happens because of Groovy in addition to Spring Boot CLI.

The Spring Boot CLI is a command business interface provided past times Spring Boot framework which allows you lot to create Spring based spider web application using Groovy programming language.

Actually, Groovy in addition to Spring Boot nicely complement each other, Groovy aims to brand Java evolution simpler spell Spring Boot aims to brand Spring application evolution simpler in addition to both practice goodness from each other's simplicity.

While auto-configuration in addition to starter dependencies are an integral characteristic of Spring Boot, Spring CLI is an optional one, you lot also demand to install Spring CLI inwards guild to job it.

Here is a unproblematic HelloWorld RESTful Web Service inwards Groovy in addition to Spring Boot CLI in addition to it plant you lot tin give notice only run fifty-fifty without compiling equally shown below:

@RestController class HelloSpringBootController{    @RequestMapping("/")   def hello() {     return "Hello Spring Boot CLI"    } }

That's it, you lot tin give notice run it on an embedded container which comes alongside Spring Boot CLI, no web.xml, no configuration, in addition to no server setup.

If you lot are wondering how these whole things piece of work i.e. how does Groovy knows nearly @RestController in addition to @RequestMapping annotations in addition to then permit me say you lot that Spring Boot CLI leverages auto-configuration in addition to starter POMs characteristic to permit you lot focus on exclusively writing application code?

Spring Boot CLI discovery that @RestController in addition to @RequestMapping are inwards job in addition to it knows which starter dependencies are required to add together into classpath to acquire inwards work.

Once it downloads those serial of dependencies, auto-configuration automatically kicks-in in addition to configured it for job e.g. 1 time spring-boot-web-starter comes into the motion-picture present it downloads spring-mvc.jar in addition to and then auto-configuration automatically configure DispatcherServlet in addition to enable Spring MVC.

This whole thing looks similar magic but it's a reality. If you lot similar this model of evolution I advise you lot become through Spring Boot inwards Action past times Craig Walls to larn Spring CLI inwards depth. Craig has covered this theme actually nicely.

4. Actuator

The actuator is unopen to other awesome characteristic of Spring Boot which allows seeing what's going on within a running Spring Boot application. With all its goodness of auto-configuration, at that spot comes a adventure of non knowing what is within your application in addition to that adventure is addressed past times Spring Actuator.

It provides a lot of insights in addition to metrics nearly a running application inwards production. For example, past times using Actuator you lot tin give notice discovery out just which beans are configured inwards the Application context, what are auto-configuration decisions made, what surroundings variables, organization properties, command business arguments are available to an application in addition to many more.

You tin give notice fifty-fifty acquire a describe of HTTP requests handled past times the application, along alongside diverse useful application metrics e.g. CPU in addition to Memory usage, garbage collection details, spider web requests, in addition to information source usage.

Spring Boot Actuator also provides several endpoints to retrieve this information e.g. you lot tin give notice acquire all this using RESTful APIs or you lot tin give notice job its remote compaction characteristic to securely become within the application in addition to acquire all this information past times issuing commands.

It also exposes all this functionality using JMX MBeans which agency you lot tin give notice command them at runtime using a JMX customer similar JConsole.

At the same time, you lot also demand to secure access to Actuator endpoints because it non exclusively expose confidential information but also it's dangerous. For example, anyone tin give notice halt your application past times using /shutdown endpoints.

Though, you lot don't demand to worry. Like whatever other Spring application, you lot tin give notice job Spring Security to protect Actuator endpoints. Btw, If you lot are non familiar alongside it in addition to then The Spring Security MasterClass past times Eugen Paraschiv is a proficient house to start with.

5. Spring Boot Initializer

Spring Initializer is unopen to other characteristic of Spring Boot which solves the job alongside honour to projection structure. It's a spider web application which allows you lot to generate a Maven or Gradle projection alongside Java, Kotlin or Groovy in addition to Spring Boot.

All you lot demand to specify is to render Project MetaData inwards GUI e.g. hollo of your project, Group, Artifact etc. It also allows you lot to guide a starter dependency from a big listing e.g. web, JPA, or safety starter.

The Spring Initializer projection tin give notice travel accessed at https://start.spring.io/. Once you lot create a projection you lot tin give notice download the Zip file in addition to and then opened upward into an IDE similar Eclipse or IntelliJ IDEA equally explained inwards Spring Boot Essential class past times Nelson Djalo. You tin give notice in addition to then edit this sample projection to position your code.

As per my experience, 1 of the mutual job many Java in addition to Spring developers faces is to start a project. Many of them are clueless nearly whether to position your Java file, resources file etc.

Though Maven, Gradle, IntelliJ IDEA, in addition to Eclipse assist you lot to give basic construction you lot even therefore demand to proficient on those 2 skills to acquire a caput start in addition to if you lot are non familiar alongside Maven or your IDE, it tin give notice travel a nightmare.

Spring Boot Initaizer solves this job in addition to makes it slow to create a Spring-based Java application without actually knowing nearly a lot of internal details of Spring framework.

It's a actually useful tool for both Spring Application developer in addition to Java guys in addition to If you lot desire to larn inwards depth, I advise you lot depository fiscal establishment check out this listing of unopen to of the best Spring boot courses.


That's all nearly unopen to of the essential features of Spring Boot which Java developers should know. These features actually brand working alongside Java in addition to Spring fun in addition to productive in addition to that's why to a greater extent than in addition to to a greater extent than companies are adopting Spring Boot for Java development.

Java developers alongside Spring Boot experience is also inwards proficient demand in addition to if you lot are looking for your adjacent task equally Java spider web developer in addition to then Spring Boot skills tin give notice actually brand a difference. If you lot are interested inwards learning Spring Boot inwards depth, the next resources tin give notice assist you:

Further Learning
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Top five Spring Boot Annotations Java Developers should know (read)

Difference betwixt @SpringBootApplication in addition to @EnableAutoConfiguration? (answer)

five Spring Books Experienced Java Developer Should Read inwards 2019 (books)
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Thanks a lot for reading this article therefore far. If you lot similar these Spring Boot features in addition to then delight part alongside your friends in addition to colleagues. If you lot receive got whatever questions or feedback in addition to then delight drib a note.