What is the difference between Spring and Spring Boot?
Spring is a large framework for building Java applications that gives you features like dependency injection but needs a lot of manual configuration. Spring Boot is built on Spring and adds auto configuration, starter dependencies, and an embedded server to remove that setup. Spring gives you the tools, and Spring Boot makes them easy to use quickly.
Quick comparison
- Configuration: Spring is mostly manual, Spring Boot auto configures.
- Server: Spring needs an external server, Spring Boot embeds one.
- Dependencies: Spring Boot starters bundle common libraries together.
- Setup speed: Spring Boot gets you running in minutes.
It is important to say Spring Boot does not replace Spring. It sits on top of it, so you still use core Spring concepts like beans and dependency injection, just with far less configuration.
Avoid saying Spring Boot is a newer version of Spring. The accurate framing is Spring Boot is a layer on top of Spring that removes configuration, which shows you understand how they relate.
Common follow up questions
Related interview questions
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