Setting Up the Environment for Spring Boot

Introduction

In this chapter, we will guide you through the process of setting up your development environment for Spring Boot.

Required Tools

To get started with Spring Boot, you need to have the following tools installed on your system:

1. Java Development Kit (JDK)
2. Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
3. Build Tool (Maven or Gradle)
4. Spring Boot CLI (Optional)

1. Java Development Kit (JDK)

Installation Steps:

1. Download JDK:
   • Go to the official Oracle JDK download page or AdoptOpenJDK.
   • Choose the latest version of JDK (Java 17 or later is recommended).
2. Install JDK:
   • Follow the installation instructions specific to your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
   • Set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to point to the JDK installation directory.
3. Verify Installation:
   • Open a terminal or command prompt.
   • Run the command: java -version
   • Ensure the output shows the correct version of the JDK installed.

2. Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

Popular IDEs:

1. IntelliJ IDEA:
   • Download and install IntelliJ IDEA from the official JetBrains website.
   • Choose the Community Edition for free access or the Ultimate Edition for advanced features.
2. Eclipse:
   • Download and install Eclipse IDE for Java Developers from the official Eclipse website.
   • Install the Spring Tools Suite (STS) plugin for enhanced Spring support.
3. Visual Studio Code:
   • Download and install Visual Studio Code from the official Microsoft website.
   • Install the Java Extension Pack and Spring Boot Extension Pack from the VS Code Marketplace.

3. Build Tool (Maven or Gradle)

Maven Installation:

1. Download Maven:
   • Go to the official Apache Maven website.
   • Download the latest version of Maven.
2. Install Maven:
   • Extract the downloaded archive to a directory of your choice.
   • Set the M2_HOME environment variable to point to the Maven installation directory.
   • Add the bin directory of Maven to the PATH environment variable.
3. Verify Installation:
   • Open a terminal or command prompt.
   • Run the command: mvn -version
   • Ensure the output shows the correct version of Maven installed.

Gradle Installation:

1. Download Gradle:
   • Go to the official Gradle website.
   • Download the latest version of Gradle.
2. Install Gradle:
   • Extract the downloaded archive to a directory of your choice.
   • Set the GRADLE_HOME environment variable to point to the Gradle installation directory.
   • Add the bin directory of Gradle to the PATH environment variable.
3. Verify Installation:
   • Open a terminal or command prompt.
   • Run the command: gradle -version
   • Ensure the output shows the correct version of Gradle installed.

4. Spring Boot CLI (Optional)

The Spring Boot CLI provides a command-line interface for creating and managing Spring Boot applications.

Installation Steps:

1. Download Spring Boot CLI:
   • Go to the official Spring Boot website.
   • Download the latest version of the Spring Boot CLI.
2. Install Spring Boot CLI:
   • Extract the downloaded archive to a directory of your choice.
   • Add the bin directory of the Spring Boot CLI to the PATH environment variable.
3. Verify Installation:
   • Open a terminal or command prompt.
   • Run the command: spring --version
   • Ensure the output shows the correct version of the Spring Boot CLI installed.

Conclusion

In this chapter, you learned how to set up the development environment for Spring Boot, including installing the JDK, IDE, build tools, and Spring Boot CLI. In the next chapter, we will learn different ways to create Spring Boot applications.