I'm planning to start learning Spring but when I open any spring tutorial, I find many modules like Spring REST, spring MVC etc.
I'm really confused on how to start with spring, from which module to start, how are these modules related to each other, should I go through all the modules??
I tried searching many sites to answer my questions but couldn't find satisfactory ans, so thought of posting here. It would be great if somebody can guide me in this regard.
Spring is a java framework which provides solutions to several problems. So i guess it really depends on what you are planning to learn. The most important to learn first is understanding what Dependency Injection and inversion of control means. When you understand this you will understand why the rest of the frameworks are designed as it is. i suppose learn Spring IoC first since this is basically the core component of Spring Framework. Link: http://docs.spring.io/spring-framework/docs/current/spring-framework-reference/html/beans.html
After learning Spring IoC, you can go on learning each specific Spring frameworks which address specific problems. For example:
Are you interested in Web development? --> Spring MVC
Are you interested in storing data to database? --> Spring Data
Are you interested in developing web services / web apis --> Spring REST
http://docs.spring.io/spring-framework/docs/current/spring-framework-reference/html/overview.html
Start with Spring Core Module, which is the heart of entire Spring.
Spring Core Module helps in Injecting Dependencies (java objects) into
the Application at Runtime.
Please refer below URL for more details:
http://www.springbyexample.org/examples/core-concepts.html
A good knowledge of design patterns is essential for learning any framework in Java.
These Youtube videos can give you a good understanding of basic Spring.
As explained in the previous answers, start learning with the Spring core. You need to have a sound knowledge of servlets, JSP, Hibernate (ORM's) to understand the advanced topics.
Related
As part of a new web application project, I'm planning to learn Spring. I started to read through the Spring framework reference. While I was googling, I came across Spring boot. What I understood is that spring boot helps to build application much faster than spring by reducing configuration. Now I'm little confused whether should I continue learning spring or jump to spring boot. My intention is to understand how spring works as a framework rather than a few features. So please let me know, as a beginner what should I do? First, learn Spring and then spring boot or vice-versa.
Update
Ok, I know it's a while since I asked this question. I kind of have an answer (personal one)
I started with Spring Boot and so far built one Spring Boot REST application. Yes, as others said, Spring Boot, helps you to get started quickly and being new to some language/technology, I would love to see a working module ASAP. So Spring boot helps you with that.
Later depending on your interest, you can start exploring in-depth how Spring boot does that magic.
So, in summary, go with Spring Boot and then deep dive to understand the underlying concept. Again this is my opinion.
Thanks, everyone for your inputs/suggestions.
If you want to develop web applications especially micro-services, I will recommend that you should learn Spring Boot first.
The first reason is that there are many resources and examples on
web, so you can easily find what you need.
The second reason is that Spring Framework (including Spring Boot) is
suitable for PaaS environment especially Pivotal. Therefore you can
rapidly deploy your applications without too much effort.
First of all, learn how Spring applications work.
Spring applications are based on the Object Relation Model. You need to understand the annotations and why we use them. Then you have to learn how Spring MVC works. Up to here, both Spring and Spring Boot are similar. Basically, Spring Boot is made so that a Spring-based application can be made very easily. Spring Boot is very good framework for the Web and other.
After learning the above things, then you can jump easily onto Spring Boot. However, if you jump directly to Spring Boot you will see there are many such things which are not described in the Spring Boot tutorials, since many of them expect that you have some prior knowledge of Spring.
I know this is not a programmatic questions.
I am a n00b to this area coming from Java EE background and could not find the difference between the two online (may be I am not a good surfer)
Could someone please share the info?
Spring is a framework alternative to Java EE with three parts:
Dependency injection
Aspect oriented programming.
Libraries for web MVC, persistence, messaging, etc.
Spring MVC is for web MVC. It's one of the many libraries built into Spring. You can use other alternatives (e.g. Struts, SEAM, etc.) if you wish and still use Spring.
spring is enterprise framework designed to solve all your problems for enterprise applications. At present they call it as Spring IO, which can be found at spring.io website.
However, Spring MVC is a framework part of the whole stack available to solve the enterprise solutions. This is framework for writing web applications.
I am very very new to Spring and I don't even know Java EE. Can I proceed with Spring? If not , then how and what things do I have to gain before moving to Spring?
Please also guide me spring flavour and the best books for the specified flavours.
Please also give brief about each flavor so that I can gain knowledge about what is used for what.
You don't need to learn Java EE for learning Spring. Spring is not Java EE and Java EE is not spring. You can develop Java EE application using spring and without spring.
From the wikipedia : The Spring Framework is an open source application framework and inversion of control container for the Java platform.
Before moving to spring, you should be acquinted with design patterns. Effective Java and Head First Design Pattern is a good book to start. You can also find multiple source online.
Once you through about design pattern. You can find the Spring very much easy and its uses.
Start with Spring core. Then move to the other sub-projects of spring.
Documentation in Spring Source is best place to start..
You have to first learn Java EE especially JSP and Servlets. Get some detailed information on MVC pattern. You also require some hands-on knowledge on Web servers. Then you can move on to learn Spring.
This is a very subjective question; what teaching aides work best depend on the individual. As far as videos go, I would start with youtube with the springsource channel for Spring related information, and even some Java EE 101 type stuff. Also have a look at slideshare.net for presentations on various Java EE and Spring topics. good luck!
I know java well, and have some experience in EclipseLink, Hibernate, JSF, Grails and some other stuff. but now I wanna learn Spring MVC for web apps and maybe for the sites. and should I learn Spring Framework before begin Spring MVC, or not?
In short, yes. Spring MVC borrows a lot of concepts like dependency injection from Spring, so you need to burn these concepts in before learning Spring MVC. For example, just create a simple Java project, create a few beans, understand the concepts of how a container / injection / wiring work, and then move on to implementing them in Spring MVC.
The most obvious benifit is you can integrate Spring with other web frameworks that you might already be familiar with. That way you get the best of both worlds, and don't have to learn Spring MVC until you have to.
This tutorial explains connecting to a database the spring way, and explains basic Spring concepts while at it. You could then follow it up with the Spring MVC tutorial.
Spring has an easy learning curve, (not to master it of course) so I would suggest learning them together on a small-scale test project.
I don't know if the question is pertinent for stackoverflow, but in any case I think learning Spring MVC is the best way to take a first step to learn Spring, in fact many Spring tutorials start with a Spring MVC application.
i don't know JSF very well, and i have a friend who is using only JSF
and he asked me a very open question, why do you use spring not jsf ?
and because of there are a lot of things about spring in my mind
i wasn't able to give some straight answers
so what are the advantages of spring over JSF ?
Spring and JSF are quite a different frameworks.
JSF is more of a web application framework and you can still use spring with JSF to manage the relationship and creations of the objects.
Spring is more of an entire j2ee application framework/plaform.
Spring MVC and web flow will help you to design web applications similar to JSF.
But spring with its IOC concept also brings a lot of other modules such as dependency injection, aop, DAO, ORM, integration, batch and social tools and much more.
You can also check the JSF-Spring combination - http://www.springsource.org/node/422
JSF is presentation layer, Spring business layer (roughly said), they can be used together and do not compete.
As said before, JSF is a request-driven, MVC web-framework, built around a light-weight IoC container and is designed to simplify and standardize the way UI-layer of a web-application is built.
Spring, on the other hand, is less concerned with UI-layer but its precise definition is hard to formulate. It can be said that the primary function of SF is to tie together different layers of a web application in a standardized way, at the same time abstracting away the implementation details of a particular web technology from the developer. As one of the consequences, the developer is freed from implementing "plumbing" and instead gets working module interconnections which are tested, implemented and used relatively easily. This should provide a boost to productivity and shortens development cycle.
This abstraction can be viewed through various Spring modules - Spring is heavily modularized, so you choose which components of the framework will you be using. Though it features a MVC framework (SpringMVC is mostly written as a reaction to the Jakarta Struts, whom the Spring developers deemed poorly written), Spring lacks a dedicated presentation module so you're free to use most of existing UI technologies (e.g. JSF, GWT-oids, etc.) - once you properly configure them in Spring.
In another words, the "scopes" of JSF and Spring are quite different (though not totally disjunct).