Spring Tutorial - Learn Spring (2024)

Spring Framework is a comprehensive and versatile platform for enterprise Java development. It is known for its Inversion of Control (IoC) and Dependency Injection (DI) capabilities that simplify creating modular and testable applications. Key features include Spring MVC for web development, Spring Boot for rapid application setup, and Spring Security for robust authentication and authorization. With a rich ecosystem covering Spring Data for database interactions and Spring Cloud for building microservices, Spring supports scalable and resilient enterprise solutions, making it an essential framework for developers of all experience levels.

In this Spring tutorial, you’ll explore Spring’s robust infrastructure to build scalable, high-performing applications. Covering essential topics like dependency injection, Spring MVC, and Spring Boot, as well as advanced areas such as Spring Data, Spring AOP, and Spring Security. Whether you’re building web applications with Spring MVC or using Spring Boot for rapid development, this guide offers practical examples and real-world projects for beginners and experienced professionals.

What is Spring Framework?

Spring is a lightweight and popular open-source Java-based framework developed by Rod Johnson in 2003. It is used to develop enterprise-level applications. It provides support to many other frameworks such as Hibernate, Tapestry, EJB, JSF, Struts, etc. so it is also called a framework of frameworks. It’s an application framework and IOC (Inversion of Control) container for the Java platform. The spring contains several modules like IOC, AOP, DAO, Context, WEB MVC, etc.

Why to use Spring?

Spring framework is a Java platform that is open source. Rod Johnson created it, and it was first released under the Apache 2.0 license in June 2003. When it comes to size and transparency, Spring is a featherweight. Spring framework’s basic version is about 2MB in size. The Spring Framework’s core capabilities can be used to create any Java program, however there are modifications for constructing web applications on top of the Java EE platform. By offering a POJO-based programming model, the Spring framework aims to make J2EE development easier to use and to promote good programming habits.

Applications of Spring

1. POJO Based: Spring allows developers to use POJOs to create enterprise-class apps. The advantage of using simply POJOs is that you don’t require an EJB container product like an application server; instead, you may use a powerful servlet container like Tomcat or a commercial product.
2. Modular: Spring is set up in a modular approach. Even if there are a lot of packages and classes, you only need to worry about the ones you need and ignore the rest.
3. Integration with Existing Frameworks: Spring does not reinvent the wheel; rather, it makes extensive use of existing technologies such as numerous ORM frameworks, logging frameworks, JEE, Quartz, and JDK timers, and other view technologies.
4. Testability: Because environment-dependent code is put into this framework, testing a Spring-written application is trivial. Furthermore, using JavaBeanstyle POJOs makes it easier to employ dependency injection for injecting test data.
5. Web MVC: Spring’s web framework is a well-designed web MVC framework that is an excellent alternative to web frameworks like Struts and other over-engineered or less popular web frameworks.
6. Central Exception Handling: Spring provides a handy API for converting technology-specific exceptions (such as those raised by JDBC, Hibernate, or JDO) into consistent, unchecked exceptions.
7. Lightweight: IoC containers are typically lightweight, especially when compared to EJB containers, for example. This is useful for creating and distributing programmers on systems with limited memory and CPU resources.

Basics of Spring Framework

The Spring Framework is a comprehensive framework designed for enterprise Java development. It offers a range of tools and libraries to support various aspects of application development, from dependency injection to transaction management. This section covers the core concepts and foundational aspects of Spring, helping you understand the building blocks of the framework.

• Introduction to Spring Framework
• Spring Framework Architecture
• 10 Reasons to Use Spring Framework in Projects
• Spring Initializr
• Spring vs. Struts in Java

Software Setup and Configuration (STS/Eclipse/IntelliJ)

Getting started with Spring development requires setting up an integrated development environment (IDE). This section guides you through installing and configuring popular IDEs like Spring Tool Suite (STS), Eclipse, and IntelliJ IDEA, ensuring you have the right tools for building Spring applications.

• How to Download and Install Spring Tool Suite (Spring Tools 4 for Eclipse) IDE?
• How to Create and Setup Spring Boot Project in Spring Tool Suite?
• How to Create a Spring Boot Project with IntelliJ IDEA?
• How to Create and Setup Spring Boot Project in Eclipse IDE?
• How to Run Your First Spring Boot Application in Spring Tool Suite?

Core Spring

Core Spring focuses on the fundamental principles of Inversion of Control (IoC) and Dependency Injection (DI). These concepts are crucial for decoupling components and managing object lifecycles. This section explores how Spring’s IoC container and DI mechanisms work, providing examples and explanations.

Spring with REST API

Spring’s support for RESTful web services allows developers to create robust APIs that can be consumed by various clients. This section introduces the basics of REST, how to create controllers, and how to handle different types of data formats like JSON and XML.

• Spring – REST Controller
• Spring Boot – Introduction to RESTful Web Services
• How to Make a Simple RestController in Spring Boot?
• How to create a REST API using Java Spring Boot
• Spring REST JSON Response
• Spring – REST XML Response
• JSON using Jackson in REST API Implementation with Spring Boot
• Spring – RestTemplate
• How to create a REST API using Java Spring Boot
• Easiest Way to Create REST API using Spring Boot

Spring Data JPA

Spring Data JPA makes it easy to implement JPA-based repositories with minimal boilerplate code. This section explores how to perform CRUD operations, use custom queries, and manage database transactions using Spring Data JPA.

• Introduction to the Spring Data Framework
• What is Spring Data JPA?
• Spring Data JPA – Find Records From MySQL
• Spring Data JPA – Delete Records From MySQL
• Spring Data JPA – @Table Annotation
• Spring Data JPA – Insert Data in MySQL Table
• Spring Data JPA – Attributes of @Column Annotation with Example
• Spring Data JPA – @Column Annotation
• Spring Data JPA – @Id Annotation
• How to access database using Spring Data JPA
• How to Make a Project Using Spring Boot, MySQL, Spring Data JPA, and Maven?

Spring JDBC

Spring JDBC provides a straightforward way to interact with databases, offering a simpler alternative to ORM frameworks like Hibernate. This section covers the basics of using JdbcTemplate, named parameters, and handling SQL exceptions.

• Spring JDBC Template
• Spring JDBC Example
• Spring – SimpleJDBCTemplate with Example
• Spring – Prepared Statement JDBC Template
• Spring – NamedParameterJdbcTemplate
• Spring – Using SQL Scripts with Spring JDBC + JPA + HSQLDB
• Spring – ResultSetExtractor

Spring ORM or Spring Hibernate

Spring ORM integrates with Hibernate to provide a robust solution for object-relational mapping in Java applications. This section covers the setup, configuration, and use of Hibernate with Spring, including mappings, lifecycle management, and query handling.

• Spring Hibernate Configuration and Create a Table in the Database
• JPA vs Hibernate
• Spring ORM Example using Hibernate
• Hibernate Lifecycle
• Spring Boot – Validation using Hibernate Validator
• CRUD Operations using Hibernate
• Hibernate – One-to-One Mapping
• Hibernate – Many-to-One Mapping
• Hibernate – One-to-Many Mapping
• Hibernate – Many-to-Many Mapping
• Hibernate – Eager/Lazy Loading
• Hibernate – @Embeddable and @Embedded Annotation
• Hibernate Example using JPA and MySQL
• Automatic Table Creation Using Hibernate
• Hibernate – get() and load() Method
• Hibernate – Pagination
• Hibernate – Batch Processing

To know more about Hibernate, refer to – Hibernate Tutorial

See Also

2. Introduction to Spring Framework

Spring AOP

Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) in Spring helps in separating cross-cutting concerns, such as logging, security, and transaction management, from the business logic. This section introduces AOP concepts, usage of aspects, and how to implement them in Spring applications.

• Aspect-Oriented Programming and AOP in Spring Framework
• Spring AOP – Example (Spring1.2 Old Style AOP)
• Spring AOP – AspectJ Xml Configuration
• Spring AOP – AspectJ Annotation
• Usage of @Before, @After, @Around, @AfterReturning, and @AfterThrowing in a Single Spring AOP Project
• How to Implement AOP in Spring Boot Application?
• Spring Boot – AOP(Aspect Oriented Programming)
• Spring Boot – Cache Provider
• Spring Boot – AOP Around Advice
• Spring Boot – Difference Between AOP and OOP
• Spring Boot – Difference Between AOP and AspectJ
• Spring Boot – AOP After Throwing Advice
• Spring Boot – AOP After Returning Advice
• Spring Boot – AOP After Advice
• Spring Boot – AOP Before Advice

Spring Security

Spring Security is a powerful and customizable authentication and access control framework for Java applications. This section covers the core features, including setting up basic security, customizing authentication, and managing user sessions.

• Introduction to Spring Security and its Features
• Some Important Terms in Spring Security
• Spring Security Project Example using Java Configuration
• Spring Security Form-Based Authentication
• How to Change Default User and Password in Spring Security?
• Spring – Add User Name and Password in Spring Security
• Spring – Add Roles in Spring Security
• Spring Security JSP Tag Library
• Spring Security – Remember Me
• Spring Security XML
• Spring Security at Method Level
• OAuth2 Authentication with Spring and Github

To know more about Spring Security, refer to – Spring Security Tutorial

Interview Questions on Spring Framework

• Spring Interview Questions and Answers

Advantages of Spring

• Predefined Templates
• Loose Coupling
• Lightweight
• Fast Development
• Powerful abstraction
• Declarative support
• Security Features
• Transaction Management

Spring Latest & Upcoming Features

Spring Framework Updates

• Spring Framework 6.x: This release enhances compatibility with Jakarta EE 10 and Java 17, bringing improved integration with contemporary Java standards and enterprise requirements.
• Enhanced Kubernetes Support: Updates focus on optimizing Spring’s functionality within cloud-native environments, with better configuration and management capabilities.
• Native Compilation Enhancements: Expanded support for GraalVM Native Image, allowing Spring applications to be compiled into native executables. This advancement improves application startup times and reduces memory usage.

Upcoming Features (Anticipated in Future Releases)

• Spring Framework 7.0: Expected to integrate with Jakarta EE 11, offering additional improvements in cloud-native support and reactive programming capabilities.
• Spring Boot 3.x: Projected enhancements include better integration with cloud platforms, advanced observability features, and further optimization for native compilation.

Trends in Spring Development

• Cloud-Native Focus: Emphasis on enhancing cloud-native features, including support for microservices, service discovery, and distributed tracing.
• Reactive Programming: Increasing support for reactive paradigms, aiming to improve handling of real-time and large-scale data streams.
• AI and Machine Learning Integration: Future updates are likely to include improved support for AI/ML frameworks, expanding Spring’s application in data-intensive and intelligent systems.

Spring’s future advancements are focused on optimizing performance, enhancing developer productivity, and integrating seamlessly with emerging technologies.

Java Spring – FAQs

What is spring used for?

Spring provides infrastructure support for developing Java applications.

Why use Spring in Java?

Java applications are complex and heavy-weight components. improves coding efficiency and reduces development time. The components are dependent on the operating system (OS) for their appearance and properties.

How to use Spring in Java?

You need to follow five simple steps:

1. Create the Bean. java class.
2. Create a XML/ configuration file.
3. Create the main class.
4. Load the required jar files.
5. Run the application.

What are Spring Beans?

Spring Beans are the objects forming the backbone of the user’s application and are managed by the Spring IoC container. They are created with the configuration metadata that the users supply to the container. These are instantiated, configured, wired, and managed by the IoC container.