Spring vs Spring Boot

When it comes to building applications, Spring just happens to be one of the most commonly used Java EE Frameworks. For the Java platform, this framework provides an intricate model for both programming as well as configuration.

Despite being so popular, what is it that led to the emergence of Spring Boot?

This blog will give you the answer to the question – ‘Spring vs. Spring Boot – how do they differ from each other?’ We’ll also see what roles do they play in solving various problems.

The aim of Spring is to simplify Java EE development, and it does a great job of that. Helping developers all over the world be more productive at work, it can be used on any type of deployment platform. Quite an intelligent framework, it takes into account the unique requirements of today’s businesses and strives to fulfil them all. Spring is different from most other frameworks, as it focuses on several areas of an app while making a wide range of features available. An example would be dependency injection – a feature that allows the development of loosely coupled apps, helping make things simpler.

Some of the benefits offered by the Spring Framework are:

• It can be used for all layers of implementation while developing an application.
• Owing to its POJO model, Spring is a lightweight framework.
• It allows for easy testability and loose coupling.
• It’s capable of eliminating the formation of factory classes and singleton.
• It supports both annotations as well as XML configurations.

With the Spring framework, the focus is on providing flexibility; with Spring Boot, the aim is to shorten the code length. With annotation configuration and default codes, it provides the easiest and the fastest way to develop any web application. With Spring Boot, a developer can build a stand-alone web application with less or almost no configuration. A special feature of this framework is Autoconfiguration. Just like its name, it automatically configures a class based on the requirement.

How useful is Spring Boot to developers? Let’s have a see:

• With Spring Boot, you are not required to deploy WAR files.
• It helps developers can create stand-alone web applications.
• You can embed Jetty, Tomcat, or Undertow directly.
• You don’t need XML configuration for Spring Boot.
• It offers easier customization, management, and is easy to launch.

Spring vs Spring boot – the difference is evident. Where Spring framework requires going through a lengthy process when starting a new project, Spring Boot saves the developers a lot of time. The latter does use the Spring framework as its foundation, but unlike Spring, it helps to avoid to start from scratch, and hence boosts their overall efficiency. For all the problems brought about by the Spring framework, Spring Boot happens to be the solution.