Spring Boot Setup and Installation

Prerequisites

• Install a supported JDK, preferably an LTS release such as Java 17 or 21.
• Install an IDE such as IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, or VS Code.
• Choose Maven or Gradle as the build tool.
• Have a terminal and Git available for running the wrapper scripts and cloning samples.

Installing the JDK

Spring Boot needs a Java Development Kit, not just a runtime. Any recent LTS distribution (Temurin, Amazon Corretto, Microsoft Build of OpenJDK, Oracle) works the same way from Spring Boot's point of view — pick one and install it consistently across your team.

After installing, verify the JDK is on your PATH and is the version you expect:

java -version
javac -version

Maven vs Gradle

Both build tools compile your code, run tests, resolve dependencies, and package a runnable JAR. Spring Initializr supports either, and Boot works identically on top of them — the choice is mostly about syntax preference and existing team conventions.

Create a project with Spring Initializr

Open start.spring.io and fill in a few fields before generating the project ZIP. Each choice affects the generated files:

IDE setup

• IntelliJ IDEA: File → Open, select the extracted project folder, and let it auto-import the Maven/Gradle model.
• VS Code: install the "Extension Pack for Java" and "Spring Boot Extension Pack", then File → Open Folder on the project.
• Eclipse: use File → Import → Existing Maven/Gradle Project and point it at the folder containing pom.xml or build.gradle.

Run from the terminal

./mvnw spring-boot:run

# Or build and run a JAR
./mvnw clean package
java -jar target/demo-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT.jar

Verify your setup

A successful start prints an ASCII banner, the active profile, and a line confirming the embedded server is listening. Look for output similar to this:

  .   ____          _            __ _ _
 /\\ / ___'_ __ _ _(_)_ __  __ _ \ \ \ \
( ( )\___ | '_ | '_| | '_ \/ _` | \ \ \ \
 \\/  ___)| |_)| | | | | || (_| |  ) ) ) )
  '  |____| .__|_| |_|_| |_\__, | / / / /
 =========|_|==============|___/=/_/_/_/
 :: Spring Boot ::                (v3.3.0)

Starting DemoApplication using Java 21
Tomcat initialized with port(s): 8080 (http)
Tomcat started on port(s): 8080 (http)
Started DemoApplication in 1.284 seconds (process running for 1.6)

If you see Tomcat started on port(s): 8080 (or another port you configured), the embedded server is up and the application context finished loading successfully.

Verify JDK Setup More Thoroughly

After installation, verify everything is working correctly:

java -version
javac -version
echo $JAVA_HOME  # On Windows: echo %JAVA_HOME%

All three commands should show the same Java version (e.g., 21.0.1). If they show different versions or can't be found, your PATH or JAVA_HOME needs adjustment.

Creating Your First Project - Step by Step

Step 1: Visit Spring Initializr

1. Go to https://start.spring.io
2. You'll see a form with several fields
3. This tool generates a new Spring Boot project with your choices

Step 2: Fill in the Form

Step 3: Add Dependencies

Click "Add Dependencies" and search for these (click to add each):

Step 4: Generate and Download

1. Click the green "GENERATE" button
2. A ZIP file downloads
3. Extract it to a convenient location (e.g., ~/projects/tutorial-app)

Project Structure Explained

tutorial-app/
├── src/
│   ├── main/
│   │   ├── java/
│   │   │   └── com/example/tutorialapp/
│   │   │       └── TutorialAppApplication.java  ← Main class, run this!
│   │   └── resources/
│   │       └── application.properties            ← Configuration here
│   └── test/
│       └── java/                                 ← Write tests here
├── target/                                       ← Build output (ignore)
├── pom.xml                                       ← Dependencies defined here
└── mvnw                                          ← Run Maven (wrapper)

Running Your First Project

Option 1: From IDE (Recommended for beginners)

1. Open the project in IntelliJ IDEA or VS Code
2. Find the TutorialAppApplication.java file in src/main/java
3. Right-click on it and select "Run" or press Ctrl+Shift+F10
4. Watch the console for the "Started" message
5. Visit http://localhost:8080 in your browser (you should see an error page - that's normal!)

Option 2: From Command Line

# Navigate to project directory
cd tutorial-app

# Run using Maven
./mvnw spring-boot:run

# Or build first, then run the JAR
./mvnw clean package
java -jar target/tutorial-app-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT.jar

What It Means When Your App is Running

Next Steps After Setup

1. Write your first controller: Create a REST endpoint that returns "Hello, World!"
2. Add a database entity: Create a User or Product class mapped to a table
3. Create a repository: Define a JpaRepository for database access
4. Build a complete CRUD API: Create, Read, Update, Delete operations
5. Add validation: Ensure incoming data is correct before saving
6. Add error handling: Return meaningful error messages to clients

Development Tips

Troubleshooting

IDE-Specific Tips

IntelliJ IDEA

• Right-click pom.xml → "Add as Maven Project"
• Use Run → Edit Configurations to customize how the app starts
• View → Tool Windows → Terminal to open built-in terminal

VS Code

• Install "Extension Pack for Java"
• Install "Spring Boot Extension Pack"
• Use command palette: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Java: Debug"

Eclipse

• File → Import → Maven → Existing Maven Projects
• Right-click project → Run As → Maven Build... (Goal: spring-boot:run)