Why Should Java Developers Use the Spring Framework?

In this essay, we'll talk about Spring's main selling point as one of the most popular Java frameworks. More importantly, we'll try to understand why Spring is our go-to framework. As a result, we won't discuss the initial "how" portions and will instead focus on the "whys."

Why Should Java Developers Use the Spring Framework?
Spring Framework

In this essay, we'll talk about Spring's main selling point as one of the most popular Java frameworks.

More importantly, we'll try to understand why Spring is our go-to framework. As a result, we won't discuss the initial "how" portions and will instead focus on the "whys."

Second, why use any framework at all?

Before we begin discussing Spring in particular, let's first clarify why we even need to use a framework at all.

A general-purpose programming language like Java can handle a broad range of applications. Not to mention that Java is always being developed and enhanced.

Furthermore, a sizable number of both free source and commercial libraries support Java in this field.

Consequently, why do we still need a framework?

In all honesty, it's not always necessary to use a framework to do a task. However, it's commonly suggested to use one for the following reasons:

  • Encourages us to focus on the core objective rather than the supplementary boilerplate
  • creates design patterns using decades of knowledge.
  • permits us to adhere to government and industry standards
  • reduces the overall cost of ownership of the application

Although we haven't really scratched the surface, we must confess that the benefits are difficult to ignore. But it can't be all positive, so what's the issue:

  • makes us have to write an application in a certain way
  • ties together with a certain language and library version

Springtime Quick Ecosystem Overview

Spring was developed in the early 2003s, a time when Java Enterprise Edition was undergoing fast change, and building an enterprise application was both thrilling and time-consuming.

Spring started off as a Java Inversion of Control (IoC) container. Even while Spring is still predominantly associated with it, it actually forms the basis for both the framework and any subsequent projects that are added to it.

Framework for Spring

Since the spring framework is divided into modules, using individual components in any application is comparatively easy:

Core:

The most crucial of these is the Inversion of Control (IoC) container from the Spring Framework. The IoC container of the Spring Framework is explored in detail, followed by a detailed discussion of the Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) tools. The Spring Framework's own AOP framework, which is conceptually straightforward to understand, effectively addresses the 80 percent sweet spot of AOP needs in Java enterprise development.

1. The IoC Container

The only ways for objects to specify their dependencies are through function Object() [native code] parameters, arguments to a factory method, or properties placed on the object instance after it is formed or returned from a factory method (i.e., the other objects they work with). These dependencies are subsequently injected when the container produces the bean.

  1. More easily incorporating Spring's AOP features
  2. Message resource management (for use in internationalization)
  3. Event reporting
  4. Application layer-specific contexts, such as the Web Application Context used in web applications

2. Materials

the Java.net specification. Unfortunately, the URL class and standard handlers for various URL prefixes cannot fully support all access to low-level resources. For instance, a resource that requires to be found relative to a Servlet Context or on the classpath cannot be accessed using a defined URL implementation.

Although it is possible to register additional handlers for particular URL prefixes, the URL interface still lacks some useful capabilities, such as a mechanism to verify the presence of the resource being directed to (similar to existing handlers for prefixes like http:). In general, this is pretty difficult.

Access to Data:

After giving a thorough review of the various data access technologies and frameworks that the Spring Framework integrates with, a description of Spring's full set of transaction management features follows.

1. Management of Transactions:

The robust transaction support provided by the Spring Framework is one of its most compelling selling points. The consistent abstraction for transaction management in the Spring Framework has the following benefits:

2. Advocacy for DAO

Working consistently with data access technologies like JDBC, Hibernate, or JPA is made simple by Spring's Data Access Object (DAO) support. This makes moving between the aforementioned persistence systems a breeze and lets you code without worrying about catching exceptions that are specific to each of them.

3. Object Relational Mapping for Data Access (ORM)

The Spring Framework now supports communication with the Java Persistence API in addition to native support for Hibernate for resource management, data access object (DAO) implementations, and transaction strategies (JPA). For example, there is excellent support for Hibernate with a variety of helpful IoC capabilities that answer many typical Hibernate integration difficulties.

Web: 

Web applications using the Servlet API are created and deployed to Servlet containers. Separate chapters are devoted to Spring MVC, View Technologies, CORS Support, and Web Socket Support. A resource for web applications utilizing the reactive stack is called Web on Reactive Stack.

1. Spring Web MVC 

 The initial web framework built on the Servlet API, Spring Web MVC, has always been a part of the Spring Framework. The official name "Spring Web MVC" is derived from the name of its source module, despite the fact that "Spring MVC" is more frequently used to refer to it (spring-web MVC).

2. Testing Servlet API Mocks:

 By employing mock Servlet API contract implementations, controllers, filters, and other web components may be unit tested. Go to Servlet API mock objects for further details.

The Test Context Framework offers support for loading Spring configuration in JUnit and TestNG tests. It also offers support for loading a Web Application Context with a Mock Servlet Context and effectively caching the loaded information across test methods.

Integration:

enables the integration of Enterprise Java with Java Message Service (JMS), Java Management Extension (JMX), and Remote Method Invocation (RMI) (Remote Method Invocation)

1. Using Spring, Web Services, and Remote Access

Spring offers integration classes for remoting support with several technologies. The remoting functionality makes it simpler to develop services that are implemented by standard POJOs and can be utilized remotely.

2. Employing Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB)

Since Spring may be a  small container,  it's widely used as an EJB substitute. For many, if not the bulk, of applications and use cases, we do believe that Spring, as a container,  together with its rich supporting capabilities in the areas of transactions, ORM, and JDBC access, may be a  superior solution to delivering the same functionality through an EJB container and EJBs.

Testing:

Testing is an integral part of enterprise software development. This chapter focuses on the advantages of integration testing support in the Spring Framework as well as the benefits that the IoC principle brings to unit testing.

 1. unit testing.

    Your code should be less reliant on the container due to dependency injection than it would be with traditional Java EE development. Without using Spring or another container, the POJOs of your application should be ready to be tested in JUnit or TestNG tests with objects produced using the new operator.

2. Testing the integration:

The ability to perform certain integration testing without connecting to external enterprise infrastructure or deploying to your application server is essential.  this enables  you to test things like:

  • To begin with, your Spring IoC container contexts must be properly connected.
  • Accessing data with JDBC or an ORM tool.  this might include the precision of SQL statements, Hibernate queries, JPA entity mappings, and other components.

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