Connecting a MySQL database to your Spring Boot project is one of the most common and essential tasks for building real-world web applications. In this tutorial, we'll go step-by-step to set up and integrate MySQL into a Spring Boot application.
Prerequisites
Before we start, make sure you have the following installed:
- Java 17+
- Maven or Gradle
- MySQL Server (Running locally or remotely)
- Spring Boot (v3+)
- IDE such as IntelliJ IDEA or Eclipse
Step 1: Create a Spring Boot Project
You can create a Spring Boot project in two ways:
Option 1: Using Spring Initializr
- Go to https://start.spring.io/
- Choose:
- Project: Maven Project
- Language: Java
- Spring Boot Version: 3.x
- Dependencies:
- Spring Web
- Spring Data JPA
- MySQL Driver
- Click Generate, and extract the downloaded project.
Option 2: Using IDE (like IntelliJ or Eclipse)
- Go to File → New → Project → Spring Initializr
- Add the same dependencies mentioned above.
Step 2: Configure MySQL Database
Create a new MySQL database:
CREATE DATABASE springboot_db;You can use any name for the database.
Step 3: Add Database Configuration in application.properties
In src/main/resources/application.properties , add:
# Database Configuration
spring.datasource.url=jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/springboot_db
spring.datasource.username=root
spring.datasource.password=your_password
# JPA Configuration
spring.jpa.hibernate.ddl-auto=update
spring.jpa.show-sql=true
spring.jpa.properties.hibernate.dialect=org.hibernate.dialect.MySQL8DialectExplanation: - ddl-auto=update : Automatically creates or updates tables based on entity classes. - show-sql=true : Logs SQL queries to the console. - MySQL8Dialect : Optimizes Hibernate for MySQL 8.
Step 4: Create a JPA Entity
Inside src/main/java/com/example/demo/model , create a class named User.java :
package com.example.demo.model;
import jakarta.persistence.*;
@Entity
@Table(name = "users")
public class User {
@Id
@GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.IDENTITY)
private Long id;
private String name;
private String email;
// Constructors
public User() {}
public User(String name, String email) {
this.name = name;
this.email = email;
}
// Getters & Setters
public Long getId() { return id; }
public String getName() { return name; }
public void setName(String name) { this.name = name; }
public String getEmail() { return email; }
public void setEmail(String email) { this.email = email; }
}Step 5: Create a Repository Interface
Inside src/main/java/com/example/demo/repository , create UserRepository.java :
package com.example.demo.repository;
import com.example.demo.model.User;
import org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.JpaRepository;
public interface UserRepository extends JpaRepository<User, Long> {
}This gives you all CRUD methods (save, findAll, delete, etc.) without writing SQL manually.
Step 6: Create a Service and Controller
Service Layer
package com.example.demo.service;
import com.example.demo.model.User;
import com.example.demo.repository.UserRepository;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;
import java.util.List;
@Service
public class UserService {
private final UserRepository repository;
public UserService(UserRepository repository) {
this.repository = repository;
}
public List<User> getAllUsers() {
return repository.findAll();
}
public User addUser(User user) {
return repository.save(user);
}
}Controller Layer
package com.example.demo.controller;
import com.example.demo.model.User;
import com.example.demo.service.UserService;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.*;
import java.util.List;
@RestController
@RequestMapping("/api/users")
public class UserController {
private final UserService service;
public UserController(UserService service) {
this.service = service;
}
@GetMapping
public List<User> getUsers() {
return service.getAllUsers();
}
@PostMapping
public User createUser(@RequestBody User user) {
return service.addUser(user);
}
}Step 7: Run the Application
Run the application using:
mvn spring-boot:runOr run DemoApplication.java directly from your IDE.
Once it starts, visit:
- GET Users: http://localhost:8080/api/users\
- POST Users: http://localhost:8080/api/users
Sample JSON for POST request:
{
"name": "Akshay",
"email": "akshay@example.com"
}Step 8: Verify in MySQL
Run this in your MySQL terminal:
SELECT * FROM users;You should see your inserted data!
Common Troubleshooting Tips
| Problem | Possible Fix |
|---|---|
| Access denied for user 'root' | |
| Check MySQL username/password in application.properties | |
| Cannot connect to MySQL |
| Ensure MySQL server is running and port is correct|
|Table doesn’t exist | Try spring.jpa.hibernate.ddl-auto=create for first run|
Conclusion
You've successfully integrated MySQL with Spring Boot! 🎉 Now your app can store and manage data efficiently with the power of Spring Data JPA.