Spring Boot Skill
Apply the practices below when developing Spring Boot applications. Read the linked reference only when working on that area.
Maven pom.xml Configuration
Read references/spring-boot-maven-config.md for Maven pom.xml configuration with supporting plugins and configurations to improve code quality, and testing.
Package structure
Read references/code-organization.md for domain-driven, module-based package layout and naming conventions.
Spring Data JPA
Implement the repository and entity layer using references/spring-data-jpa.md.
Service layer
Implement business logic in the service layer using references/spring-service-layer.md.
Spring MVC REST APIs
Implement REST APIs with Spring MVC using references/spring-webmvc-rest-api.md.
Spring Modulith
Build a modular monolith with Spring Modulith using references/spring-modulith.md.
Thymeleaf
If Thymeleaf is used for view templates, refer references/thymeleaf.md
Testing
Write tests at complementary levels — unit, sliced Spring tests, and at least one end-to-end/smoke test; the levels are not either/or. Most framework-touching tests belong at the fast sliced level (@SpringBootTest(classes = …) or a slice annotation); keep full-context @SpringBootTest for a smoke test plus a request-level end-to-end. For why the levels are complementary and how to keep a large suite fast (context caching, one container for the suite), read references/testing-strategy.md.
| What you're testing | Level | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Business/domain logic, no framework | Unit (no Spring context) | testing-unit-mocking.md |
| JPA / JDBC / JdbcClient / Spring Data JDBC / jOOQ queries | Persistence slice + Testcontainers | testing-slices-persistence.md |
| Controller, JSON serialization, or a REST client | Web slice (@WebMvcTest/@JsonTest/@RestClientTest) | testing-slices-web.md |
| A few components together, external HTTP (WireMock), or a startup/request-level smoke test | Sliced @SpringBootTest(classes = …) or smoke test | testing-integration.md |
Full REST API over a real port, full BaseIT suite (RestTestClient) | End-to-end | spring-boot-rest-api-testing.md |
A view-rendering controller (MockMvcTester) | Web slice | spring-boot-webapp-testing-with-mockmvctester.md |
Wiring a container (@ServiceConnection / dynamic properties) | — | testcontainers-wiring.md |
All persistence and integration tests use Testcontainers with a real database (never in-memory H2); see references/testcontainers-wiring.md for @ServiceConnection vs dynamic-property wiring.
Write ArchUnit Tests
To write tests for testing the architecture using ArchUnit, refer references/archunit.md
Spring Boot Docker Compose Support
To use Docker Compose support for local development, refer references/spring-boot-docker-compose.md.
Taskfile
Use references/taskfile.md for easier commands execution.