Difference between Spring and Spring boot in java

The Spring framework is a popular Java EE framework used to develop applications. A module of Spring, Spring Boot is a framework employed in building applications with minimum configurations. Before delving into the points of difference between the two, let’s take a quick look at the basic terminology for these frameworks.

1. Spring

Spring framework comes with a number of features like dependency injection and several out of the box modules as,

- Spring JDBC

- Spring MVC

- Spring Security

- Spring AOP

- Spring ORM

- Spring Test

Using these modules, we can effectively decrease the application development time.

2. Spring Boot

Spring Boot basically sets up the environment for development, it configures the project itself and makes development efficient.

Spring boot aids you to create Spring projects faster by eliminating boilerplate configurations.

Features of Spring Boot:

- The server is embedded to ease the build and configuration of the application.

- Spring functionality is automatically configured.

3. Maven Dependencies

Spring needs to add a minimum of two dependencies- spring-web and spring-webmvc.

Spring boot needs only one dependency, i.e. spring-boot-starter-web, while other required dependencies are automatically configured.

4. Packaging and Deployment

Spring Boot has some advantages over Spring if we consider deployment.

- Support of Embedded container

- We can run jars independently using java-jar

- We can generate random ports for integration testing

- We can specify active profile while deploying

Major Differences Between Spring and Spring Boot

1. Spring is mainly concentrated on its core and MVC features where a developer needs to manually configure and define which feature needs to be used by the application as per requirement. Spring Boot, on the other hand, automatically loads all the features of Spring. Developers do not need to define any specific configuration manually.

2. Spring core has multiple modules which can be used for different purposes, including resolving common utilities as per java application requirements. All those utilities can be properly configured and utilized as per system or project requirements. Spring Boot projects, however, can utilize all those requirements and easily define the application as @SpringBootConfiguration. This annotation is enough to manage loading the entire Spring configuration.

3. Transaction management is one of the most critical jobs in any Spring application, Developers have to define proper transactional management keys for every hibernate session or DB connection (in case of Spring JDBC). Spring specific transactional class needs to be defined in an application-specific configuration file for the entire application to manage the transaction efficiently. Whereas Spring Boot automatically manages entire transactional data without mentioning any specific configuration manually. A transaction can be defined in every opening and closing session or connection. A transaction can be commit or rollback based on the entire task of that specific session completion status.

4. Integration with an ORM tool is important for any kind of spring application. The developer needs to define their data source properly in the configuration file and manually make changes required for any ORM tool exchange. Spring Boot can be easily auto-configured, without manual intervention, after defining one database property file for the set up.

5. Spring core or Spring MVC structure developers can easily maintain on-loading based on project requirements. Whereas in the case of Spring Boot, all the features defined in a dependency or jar files will be automatically loaded. A developer has no control over deploying any specific feature based on project requirements.

Closing Remarks

Spring boot is the extension of Spring and provides easy build, testing, and deployment of an application. We are an ERP development company that employs next-gen technologies to yield the most suitable and profitable solutions for business operations. Our services range from SaaS and CRM to WFM and SCM. Our development services integrate ERP software with various spring and spring boot enabled applications to provide efficient and intelligent systems to enterprises. Contact us to build web and mobile applications for your enterprise now!