Spring Boot and Spring MVC

Tinker -

Spring Framework

Spring is an open-source framework developed based on the Java platform, designed to simplify the building and development of enterprise Java applications. It provides a comprehensive programming model and configuration for modern Java-based enterprise applications on any deployment platform. The features of Spring are divided into numerous separate modules, allowing your applications to choose and use any module as needed. Spring Boot and Spring MVC are also modules within the container of the Spring Framework. The key and prominent features of the Spring Framework are Dependency Injection and Inversion of Control (IoC), enabling you to develop applications with loose coupling.

Spring Boot

Spring Boot is a module within the Spring Framework that provides an interface and the ability to develop applications independently with very few cumbersome or virtually no configuration steps. Spring Boot is packaged with many libraries that depend on the underlying modules of the Spring Framework, but it minimizes lengthy and complex source code to provide convenience and suitability for various purposes in application development.

Spring MVC

Similar to Spring Boot, Spring MVC is also a module within the Spring Framework, but its main purpose is to build web applications based on the MVC (Model-View-Controller) design pattern. Spring MVC leverages many configurations from Spring, thus requiring various configuration files for different purposes in your application. It provides a web application development framework oriented towards HTTP.

Spring Boot vs Spring MVC

Conclusion

The choice between Spring Boot and Spring MVC depends on your specific requirements and the nature of the web application you are developing.

Spring Boot:

  • Use Spring Boot if you want a quick and convention-over-configuration approach.
  • Ideal for microservices architecture and standalone applications.
  • Simplifies the configuration process and reduces boilerplate code.
  • Suitable for rapid development and getting started quickly.
  • Comes with embedded servers, making deployment easier.

Spring MVC:

  • Use Spring MVC if you need more control over configurations and prefer a more traditional MVC approach.
  • Suitable for larger and more complex web applications.
  • Offers flexibility in terms of configuration and customization.
  • Well-suited for applications where you want to have a finer control over the components and configurations.
  • Allows you to choose your preferred view technology (JSP, Thymeleaf, etc.).

In many cases, you might find that Spring Boot and Spring MVC are used together. Spring Boot can be used to rapidly set up a project with sensible defaults, and you can still incorporate Spring MVC for handling web aspects if needed.

Ultimately, the choice depends on your project requirements, development preferences, and the level of control you want over the application structure and configurations.