Difference Between Spring Framework and Spring Boot.¶
A detailed comparison table that covers all possible differences between Spring Boot and Spring Framework. This comparison covers everything from setup, configuration, embedded servers, web applications, testing, microservices support, and much more.
| Category | Spring Framework | Spring Boot |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | A comprehensive framework for building Java applications. | An extension of Spring Framework to simplify configuration and create stand-alone applications. |
| Setup | Requires manual setup, including XML or Java-based configuration. | Minimal setup with auto-configuration based on the classpath. |
| Main Focus | Provides flexibility and control over every aspect of the application. | Focuses on rapid development with sensible defaults and opinions. |
| Configuration | Can use XML, Java-based, or annotation-based configuration. | Uses annotations and properties/YAML files for configuration. |
| Learning Curve | Requires more learning time due to complexity. | Easier to get started with for beginners due to auto-configuration and pre-built setups. |
| Project Dependencies | Requires managing multiple dependencies for each feature manually. | Provides starters (e.g., spring-boot-starter-web) to include required dependencies. |
| Embedded Server | No embedded server support; WAR files must be deployed to external servers (Tomcat, Jetty, etc.). | Comes with embedded servers (Tomcat, Jetty, or Undertow) for running stand-alone applications. |
| Deployment | Deploy WAR/EAR files to external servers. | Runs applications directly as JAR files with embedded servers. |
| Auto-Configuration | No auto-configuration; requires manual configuration of components. | Auto-configures components based on available classpath dependencies. |
| Application Entry Point | Relies on external servlet containers to manage the lifecycle. | Uses @SpringBootApplication as the entry point with SpringApplication.run(). |
| Microservices Support | Not specialized for microservices; requires additional tools. | Built with microservices architecture in mind. Supports Spring Cloud, Eureka, Feign, etc. |
| Performance | Requires more configuration to optimize performance. | Better suited for lightweight and high-performance microservices. |
| Profiles | Supports profiles for environment-specific configurations but requires more setup. | Supports profiles easily through application.yml or application.properties. |
| Testing | Provides JUnit support but requires manual configuration for context loading. | Provides easy testing with @SpringBootTest, @MockBean, @DataJpaTest, and others. |
| Security | Uses Spring Security but requires manual integration. | Integrates Spring Security easily with spring-boot-starter-security. |
| Database Access | Provides JDBC, JPA, ORM support, but requires more configuration. | Simplifies database access with Spring Data JPA and auto-configuration of DataSource. |
| Starters and Dependency Management | Requires manual management of dependencies and configurations. | Provides Spring Boot Starters that bundle all required dependencies for specific use cases. |
| Template Engines | Supports Thymeleaf, JSP, and others with manual setup. | Supports template engines with starters (e.g., spring-boot-starter-thymeleaf). |
| Command-Line Interface (CLI) | No built-in CLI support. | Provides Spring Boot CLI to run Groovy scripts for quick development. |
| Actuator and Monitoring | Requires external monitoring tools or custom configurations. | Comes with Spring Boot Actuator to monitor application health, metrics, and endpoints. |
| DevTools for Hot Reload | Requires manual setup for hot reloading of code changes. | Provides Spring Boot DevTools for hot reloading during development. |
| Support for Reactive Programming | Supports Spring WebFlux and Project Reactor (from version 5.x). | Fully supports Spring WebFlux for reactive, non-blocking programming. |
| Circuit Breakers & Resilience | Requires integration with third-party libraries like Hystrix. | Seamlessly integrates with Resilience4j and Spring Cloud for resilience. |
| Integration with Cloud Platforms | Requires Spring Cloud or manual setup for cloud integration. | Seamlessly integrates with Spring Cloud for cloud-native development. |
| Logging Configuration | Requires manual configuration of logging frameworks (e.g., Log4j, SLF4J). | Provides auto-configured logging using Logback by default. |
| Health Checks and Metrics | Requires manual configuration to expose health metrics. | Provides Actuator endpoints (/actuator/health, /actuator/metrics) out-of-the-box. |
| Web Framework | Uses Spring MVC for building web applications. | Uses Spring MVC or Spring WebFlux with easy setup through starters. |
| Restful API Development | Requires manual setup of controllers and components. | Provides easy development with @RestController and auto-configuration of REST endpoints. |
| Command-Line Arguments Support | Requires manual handling of command-line arguments. | Easily reads command-line arguments with SpringApplication or @Value. |
| Caching Support | Requires setting up EhCache, Guava, or other caching solutions manually. | Provides easy caching configuration with @EnableCaching and auto-configuration. |
| Internationalization (i18n) | Supports i18n but requires more setup. | Supports i18n with minimal configuration through application.properties. |
| Job Scheduling | Requires integration with Quartz or other scheduling libraries. | Supports scheduling with @Scheduled and Task Executors. |
| Dependency Injection (DI) | Provides dependency injection with IoC container. | Same as Spring Framework but simplifies it with auto-wiring using @Autowired. |
| Backward Compatibility | Must manually update configurations when upgrading versions. | Provides backward compatibility with most Spring projects. |
| Community and Ecosystem | Large community and extensive ecosystem. | Built on top of Spring Framework with additional tools for modern development. |
Summary of Key Differences:¶
- Spring Boot simplifies Spring Framework by:
- Automating configuration.
- Providing embedded servers.
- Offering out-of-the-box starters for common features.
- Spring Framework gives more control and flexibility but at the cost of manual setup and configuration.
- Spring Boot is optimized for rapid development, especially for microservices and cloud-native applications.
- Spring Framework is still relevant for legacy applications or when fine-grained control is necessary.