How To Create A Spring Boot Project In Spring Initializr And

Last Updated: How to Create a Spring Boot Project in IntelliJ Community Edition: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners (No Ultimate Required) Spring Boot has revolutionized Java development by simplifying the setup and configuration of Spring applications. It eliminates boilerplate code, reduces configuration overhead, and lets you focus on building features. If youâre a beginner eager to try Spring Boot but donât have access to IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate Edition (which includes built-in Spring tools), donât worry!

IntelliJ Community Edition (a free, open-source IDE) works perfectly for Spring Boot developmentâyou just need a few extra steps. In this guide, weâll walk through creating a fully functional Spring Boot project from scratch using IntelliJ Community Edition. Weâll use the web-based Spring Initializr (start.spring.io) to generate the project skeleton, import it into IntelliJ, and build a simple REST API to test it. By the end, youâll have a running Spring Boot app and the confidence to explore more advanced features.

Table of Contents# - Prerequisites - Step 1: Install IntelliJ Community Edition - Step 2: Use Spring Initializr to Generate the Project - Step 3: Extract and Open the Project in IntelliJ - Step 4: Explore the Project Structure - Step 5: Create a Simple REST Controller - Step 6: Run the Spring Boot Application - Step 7: Test the Application - Troubleshooting Common Issues - Conclusion - References Prerequisites# Before we start, ensure you have the following installed: - Java Development Kit (JDK): Spring Boot 3.x requires Java 17 or later.

Download the latest JDK from Adoptium (recommended for free, open-source Java) or Oracle. - Verify installation: Open a terminal and run java -version . You should see output likeopenjdk 17.0.9 2023-10-17 . - Verify installation: Open a terminal and run - IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition: Download from the JetBrains website (available for Windows, macOS, and Linux). Step 1: Install IntelliJ Community Edition# If you havenât installed IntelliJ yet: - Go to the IntelliJ Community download page. - Select your OS (Windows, macOS, or Linux) and download the installer.

Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions (accept the license agreement, choose installation directory, etc.). - Launch IntelliJ after installation. On first launch, you may be prompted to configure settings like theme (light/dark) or pluginsâfeel free to skip these for now. Step 2: Use Spring Initializr to Generate the Project# IntelliJ Community Edition doesnât include the built-in Spring Initializr plugin (a feature of the Ultimate Edition), so weâll use the web-based Spring Initializr (start.spring.io) to generate our project skeleton. - Open your browser and go to start.spring.io.

This is the official Spring Boot project generator. - Fill in the project details (see the table below for explanations): Example setup: - Project: Maven - Language: Java - Spring Boot: 3.2.2 - Group: com.example - Artifact: demo-app - Name: demo-app - Package name: com.example.demoapp - Packaging: Jar - Java: 17 - Add Dependencies: For a simple REST API, weâll add the Spring Web dependency (enables web features like controllers and HTTP endpoints). - Click the "Add Dependencies" button (or search in the "Search for dependencies" bar).

Type Spring Web and select it from the results. Why Spring Web? It includes Spring MVC and an embedded Tomcat server, letting us build web apps and REST APIs without extra setup. - Review your configuration, then click the Generate button (blue button at the bottom). This will download a ZIP file containing your project. Step 3: Extract and Open the Project in IntelliJ# Now weâll import the generated project into IntelliJ.

Extract the ZIP file: Locate the downloaded ZIP (usually in your "Downloads" folder, named demo-app.zip or similar). Right-click it and select "Extract All" (Windows) or use a tool like 7-Zip to unzip it to a folder (e.g.,C:\projects\demo-app or~/projects/demo-app on Linux/macOS). - Open the project in IntelliJ: - Launch IntelliJ. On the welcome screen, click Open (or if youâre already in a project, go to File > Open ). - Navigate to the folder where you extracted the ZIP (e.g., C:\projects\demo-app ). Select the folder and click OK.

Launch IntelliJ. On the welcome screen, click Open (or if youâre already in a project, go to - Import the project: IntelliJ will detect itâs a Maven/Gradle project and prompt you to "Import Maven/Gradle project." Click Trust Project (if prompted) and wait for IntelliJ to index the files and download dependencies. This may take 1â2 minutes (especially on first run) as it fetches Spring Boot libraries from the internet.

Step 4: Explore the Project Structure# Once the project is imported, letâs familiarize ourselves with the key directories and files: demo-app/ âââ src/ â âââ main/ â â âââ java/ â â â âââ com/ â â â âââ example/ â â â âââ demoapp/ â â â âââ DemoAppApplication.java // Main class (entry point) â â âââ resources/ â â âââ application.properties // Configuration file (empty by default) â â âââ static/ // Static files (CSS, JS, images) â â âââ templates/ // HTML templates (for Spring MVC) â âââ test/ â âââ java/ â âââ com/ â âââ example/ â âââ demoapp/ â âââ DemoAppApplicationTests.java // Unit tests âââ pom.xml // Maven configuration (dependencies, build settings) âââ README.md // Auto-generated project description DemoAppApplication.java : The main class with themain() method.

Itâs annotated with@SpringBootApplication , which triggers Spring Bootâs auto-configuration.application.properties : A blank file where youâll add custom configuration (e.g., changing the server port).pom.xml : Mavenâs Project Object Model file. It lists dependencies (likespring-boot-starter-web ) and manages the build process. Step 5: Create a Simple REST Controller# To test our app, letâs build a basic REST endpoint that returns a "Hello, World!" message. Weâll create a controller class (responsible for handling HTTP requests). - Create a new package (optional but recommended): Right-click com.example.demoapp in thesrc/main/java folder âNew âPackage .

Name itcontroller (to organize code by feature). - Create the controller class: Right-click the controller package âNew âJava Class . Name itHelloController . - Add the following code to HelloController.java : What do these annotations do?# @RestController : Combines@Controller (marks the class as a request handler) and@ResponseBody (automatically converts return values to JSON/XML).@GetMapping("/hello") : Tells Spring to invokesayHello() when aGET request is sent tohttp://localhost:8080/hello . Step 6: Run the Spring Boot Application# Now letâs run our app! - Locate the main class: Open DemoAppApplication.java (insrc/main/java/com/example/demoapp ).

It contains: - Run the app: Right-click anywhere in the DemoAppApplication class âRun 'DemoAppApplication' . - Check the console: IntelliJ will launch the app and display logs in the console. Youâll see output like this when the app is ready: ...

2024-03-15 10:30:00.123 INFO 12345 --- [main] o.s.b.w.embedded.tomcat.TomcatWebServer : Tomcat started on port 8080 (http) with context path '' 2024-03-15 10:30:00.135 INFO 12345 --- [main] c.e.demoapp.DemoAppApplication : Started DemoAppApplication in 2.345 seconds (process running for 2.890) The key line is Tomcat started on port 8080 âthis means the app is running on http://localhost:8080 . Step 7: Test the Application# Letâs test our /hello endpoint using a browser, terminal (curl), or Postman. Option 1: Use a Web Browser# Open your browser and go to http://localhost:8080/hello . You should see: Hello, Spring Boot!

ð Option 2: Use curl (Terminal)# Open a terminal and run: Youâll get the same response: Hello, Spring Boot! ð . Option 3: Use Postman (Advanced)# If you have Postman installed: - Create a new GET request. - Enter http://localhost:8080/hello as the URL. - Click "Send"âthe response will appear in the "Body" tab. Troubleshooting Common Issues# Issue 1: "No SDK selected" Error# If IntelliJ complains about "No SDK selected" when opening the project: - Go to File > Project Structure (or pressCtrl+Alt+Shift+S on Windows/Linux,Cmd+; on macOS).

Under Project Settings > Project , click the "SDK" dropdown and select your installed JDK (e.g., "OpenJDK 17"). - If no JDK is listed, click "Add SDK > Download JDK" and select a version (17 or 21). Issue 2: "Port 8080 is already in use"# If the app fails to start with an error like Address already in use: bind , another app is using port 8080. To fix this: - Open src/main/resources/application.properties . - Add: - Restart the app. It will now run on http://localhost:8081 .

Issue 3: Dependencies Not Downloading# If IntelliJ shows errors like "Cannot resolve symbol 'SpringBootApplication'", it may not have downloaded Maven dependencies: - Right-click the pom.xml file âMaven > Reload Project . - Wait for IntelliJ to download dependencies (check the "Maven" tab at the bottom for progress). Conclusion# Congratulations! Youâve created and run your first Spring Boot project using IntelliJ Community Editionâno Ultimate required. You now know how to: - Generate a Spring Boot project with Spring Initializr. - Import the project into IntelliJ. - Build a simple REST controller.

Run and test the application. From here, you can explore more Spring Boot features: - Add databases with Spring Data JPA (dependency:Spring Data JPA +H2 Database ). - Build a frontend with Thymeleaf (dependency: Thymeleaf ). - Secure your app with Spring Security (dependency: Spring Security ).

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