Spring Boot is a framework built on top of the Spring Framework that helps
developers create stand-alone, production-ready Spring applications quickly and
with minimal configuration. It provides features like auto-configuration, embedded
servers (like Tomcat), and starter dependencies that simplify project setup and
development. Spring Boot removes the need for boilerplate code and external server
deployment, making it ideal for building REST APIs, microservices, and enterprise
applications.
✅ Key Features of Spring Boot
1. Auto-Configuration: Spring Boot eliminates the need for heavy XML configuration,
which is common in traditional Spring MVC projects. Instead, everything is auto-
configured. Developers only need to add the appropriate configuration to utilize
specific functionalities.
Auto-Configuration: Automatically configures Spring application based on the
classpath.
Embedded Servers: Comes with embedded Tomcat, Jetty, or Undertow.
Starter Dependencies: Pre-defined dependencies for common functionality (e.g.,
spring-boot-starter-web, spring-boot-starter-data-jpa).
Spring Boot CLI: Allows rapid application development using Groovy.
Production-Ready Features: Includes metrics, health checks, and monitoring via
Spring Boot Actuator.
@SpringBootApplication
Combines three annotations:
@EnableAutoConfiguration: Enables auto-configuration.
@ComponentScan: Scans for components (e.g., @Controller, @Service).
@Configuration: Marks the class as a configuration source.
Spring Boot Architecture
To understand the architecture of Spring Boot, let’s examine its different layers
and components.
Layers in Spring Boot
Spring Boot follows a layered architecture with the following key layers:
Client Layer:
This represents the external system or user that interacts with the
application by sending HTTPS requests.
Controller Layer (Presentation Layer):
Handles incoming HTTP requests from the client.
Processes the request and sends a response.
Delegates business logic processing to the Service Layer.
Service Layer (Business Logic Layer):
Contains business logic and service classes.
Communicates with the Repository Layer to fetch or update data.
Uses Dependency Injection to get required repository services.
Repository Layer (Data Access Layer):
Handles CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on the database.
Extends Spring Data JPA or other persistence mechanisms.
Model Layer (Entity Layer):
Represents database entities and domain models.
Maps to tables in the database using JPA/Spring Data.
Database Layer:
The actual database that stores application data.
Spring Boot interacts with it through JPA/Spring Data.
Spring Boot Flow Architecture
Request Flow in Spring Boot
A Client makes an HTTPS request (GET/POST/PUT/DELETE).
The request is handled by the Controller, which is mapped to the corresponding
route.
If business logic is required, the Controller calls the Service Layer.
The Service Layer processes the logic and interacts with the Repository Layer to
retrieve or modify data in the Database.
The data is mapped using JPA with the corresponding Model/Entity class.
The response is sent back to the client. If using Spring MVC with JSP, a JSP page
may be returned as the response if no errors occur.
