7 Spring Framework Books That Separate Experts from Amateurs

After analyzing numerous full stack development cases, Juha Hinkula crafted a resource that bridges backend and frontend development using Spring Boot 3 and React. Drawing from his 17 years in software development and academic role, he guides you through building secure, testable web applications with Java, React, and TypeScript. You'll learn to create REST APIs, handle database operations with JPA and Hibernate, implement React Hooks, and deploy applications with Docker and AWS. This book suits Java developers venturing into frontend frameworks, frontend developers expanding to full stack, and seasoned developers seeking updated tools and practices.

During years of teaching Java developers worldwide, Laurentiu Spilca developed this guide to cut through the overwhelming breadth of the Spring ecosystem. You’ll learn how to build web applications, manage Spring contexts, handle data persistence with transactions and REST services, and leverage Spring Boot’s conventions to accelerate development. The book also covers testing techniques and refactoring existing apps to Spring, making it well-suited for those with some Java background aiming to gain practical Spring skills. If you want to grasp foundational concepts and apply them confidently in real projects, this book provides a focused pathway without unnecessary detours.

This tailored book explores the Spring Framework through a personalized lens, focusing on your unique challenges and goals. It covers core concepts like dependency injection, aspect-oriented programming, and data access, along with advanced topics such as microservices integration and cloud-native development. By matching your background and skill level, it reveals pathways that clarify complex areas and deepen your understanding. The content examines real-world applications and design patterns, ensuring you gain practical insights that resonate with your projects. This personalized approach makes mastering Spring Framework more efficient and engaging by centering on your specific learning needs and interests.

Drawing from more than two decades immersed in the Java ecosystem, Catalin Tudose crafted this guide to demystify Java persistence with Spring Data and Hibernate. You’ll gain concrete skills in mapping persistent classes, managing transactions, and querying using QueryDSL, all illustrated with both relational and non-relational database examples. The book delves into practical challenges like creating fetch plans and building Spring Data REST projects, making it particularly useful if you’re an intermediate Java developer aiming to master persistence layers. Chapters on testing persistence applications and comparing tool alternatives help sharpen your ability to choose the right approach for your projects.

When Magnus Larsson realized how complex and brittle distributed systems could be, he turned to modern solutions like Spring Cloud, Kubernetes, and Istio to tame these challenges. This book walks you through building microservices from simple setups to robust, scalable architectures using the latest Spring Boot 3 and Java 17 features. You'll learn to deploy in Kubernetes environments, secure APIs with OAuth 2.1, and implement observability with Prometheus and Grafana, making it a practical guide for developers aiming to master microservice landscapes. If you're comfortable with Java and Spring Boot and want to deepen your expertise in cloud-native applications, this book offers detailed examples and covers critical tools without overwhelming you.

John Carnell, a seasoned cloud engineer with two decades of Java expertise, brings his deep understanding of microservices to this focused guide. You’ll learn how to design, build, and deploy microservices using Spring Boot and Spring Cloud, mastering patterns like configuration management, client-side resiliency with Hystrix, and intelligent routing with Netflix Zuul. The book walks you through real-world examples, including event-driven architectures and distributed tracing with Sleuth and Zipkin, making it ideal if you’re already comfortable with Java and Spring and want to tackle microservice complexities confidently. While it assumes some background knowledge, it equips you with practical tools to modernize and scale your enterprise applications.

This tailored book explores a focused pathway to mastering the Spring Framework, designed specifically around your experience level and learning goals. It covers essential concepts and practical steps that accelerate your understanding, ensuring you grasp core features and advanced techniques relevant to your projects. By matching content to your background, it supports efficient skill growth and deepens your confidence in applying Spring technologies. The book examines important Spring components such as dependency injection, data access, web development, and microservices architecture, weaving them into a personalized learning journey. This approach creates a clear, manageable progression that keeps you engaged and steadily advancing toward Spring proficiency.

Mark Heckler draws on his deep involvement with VMware's Spring projects to demystify Spring Boot's architecture and practical use. This book walks you through building cloud native applications using Java and Kotlin, emphasizing reactive programming, API construction, and database integration. You’ll gain clear insights into debugging, testing, deployment, and monitoring to enhance application reliability and developer productivity. Chapters like those on extending communication across network boundaries highlight how distributed systems can be effectively managed. If you're aiming to accelerate your Spring Boot skills for mission-critical cloud apps, this book offers a focused, experience-backed guide without unnecessary complexity.

Magnus Larsson challenges the conventional wisdom that microservices development is inherently complex by grounding his approach in practical experience spanning over three decades. Drawing on his extensive consulting work with major Swedish firms like Volvo and AstraZeneca, he guides you through the intricacies of building scalable, reactive microservices using Spring Boot and Spring Cloud. You’ll gain hands-on exposure to integrating security with OAuth 2.0, deploying with Kubernetes, and managing traffic via Istio, with specific chapters dedicated to API design with Swagger and centralized logging using the EFK stack. This book suits Java developers and architects eager to transition from monolithic systems to cloud-native microservices without prior microservices knowledge.