Spring Boot is a framework built on top of the Spring Framework that simplifies the setup and configuration of Spring applications. It allows for rapid application development with minimal configuration.

  • Key features:
    • Auto-configuration: Automatically configures application components based on dependencies in the classpath.
    • Standalone applications: Can run as standalone applications with embedded web servers like Tomcat or Jetty.
    • Production-ready: Comes with built-in features like health checks, metrics, and externalized configuration.

Differences from Spring Framework:

  • Configuration: Spring Boot minimizes configuration by offering defaults and auto-configuration, while Spring Framework requires more manual configuration.
  • Deployment: Spring Boot enables packaging applications as standalone, executable JARs or WARs, while Spring Framework typically requires an external application server (e.g., Tomcat).
  • Complexity: Spring Boot simplifies application setup and management, making it faster to develop compared to the more flexible but complex Spring Framework.

In summary, Spring Boot is a more streamlined, opinionated version of Spring Framework, focusing on ease of use and quick setup for Spring-based applications.