Introduction on API Server and Spring Boot

  • Fri, Oct 27, 2023
  • 2-minute read

API Server:

An API serves as an interface facilitating interaction between web applications or mobile apps and server-side functionalities. For instance, it enables tasks such as fetching or updating data through a specified URL.

Before Designing an API Service:

Before establishing an API, several key considerations come into play:

  • Clearly defined status codes or status messages.
  • Ensuring the security of your API service.
  • Crafting concise API documents, potentially utilizing tools like Swagger.
  • Implementing robust error handling mechanisms for various scenarios.

In the subsequent tutorial, I will delve into critical aspects of API design and illustrate using Spring Boot as an example.

What is Spring Boot?

Spring Boot is an open-source, Java-based framework designed for creating standalone, production-grade Spring-based applications. It streamlines the development and deployment of Java applications by offering a predefined set of conventions and defaults for application setup.

How to Create a Spring Boot Application?

To initiate a Spring Boot application, follow these steps:

  1. Visit Spring Initializr: Access the Spring Initializr website.

  2. Configure Your Project:

    • Choose the project settings, such as language (typically Java), project type, and packaging.
    • Set the project’s metadata, including group, artifact, and version.

  3. Select Dependencies:

    • Pick the dependencies required for your project. Common choices include:
      • Spring Web: For building web applications.
      • Spring Data JPA: If you plan to interact with databases.
      • Thymeleaf or FreeMarker: For server-side templating.
      • Spring Boot DevTools: Facilitates development by offering automatic restarts and more.

  4. Generate the Project:

    • Click the “Generate” button to create a ZIP file containing your configured project.

  5. Extract the Project:

    • Download and extract the generated ZIP file to your desired location.

  6. Open in IDE (Integrated Development Environment):

    • Import the project into your preferred IDE, such as IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, or Visual Studio Code.

  7. Configure Java Version:

    • Ensure that your Java environment meets the minimum version requirement, which is Java 17 for the stable Spring Boot version 3.2.0.

  8. Build and Run:

    • Build the project using your IDE or build tools like Maven or Gradle.
    • Run the application to start your Spring Boot project.

Note:

  • As of the provided information, the stable version of Spring Boot is 3.2.0.
  • The minimum required Java version for this version of Spring Boot is Java 17. Ensure your Java environment is appropriately configured.

Sample code here:

Spring boot template

technical SpringBackend