Gartner Research

Spring: A Container-Agnostic Java Platform

Published: 10 July 2008

ID: G00203501

Analyst(s): Joe Niski, Kirk Knoernschild

Summary

The open source Spring Framework (Spring) was originally intended to improve enterprise Java development by providing a simplified programming model and high-level abstractions around the Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE). In the five years since its introduction, Spring has grown into a full end-to-end platform poised to seriously disrupt Java EE. In this Application Platform Strategies overview, Senior Analyst Joe Niski describes the Spring ecosystem and SpringSource, the company behind it all, and examines whether Spring's growth is beginning to threaten its initial mission of simplifying enterprise Java.

Table Of Contents

Synopsis

Analysis

  • What Is Spring?
    • The Framework Core
    • An Exception to Java
    • An Embarrassment of Riches
    • SpringSource: A Nascent Juggernaut
    • The Spring Platform
  • What Spring Isn't
    • Too Much of a Good Thing?
    • Impoverished User Interface
  • Recommendations
    • Consider Spring and Spring.NET
    • Consider Spring MVC for Web Applications
    • Adopt Spring IDE
    • Consider Spring-WS
    • Investigate the Spring Projects
    • Adopt Slowly and Carefully

The Details

  • The Spring Framework
    • Motivations and Principles
    • Key Concepts: Inversion of Control and Dependency Injection
    • Framework Modules
    • Other Features
  • Spring Projects
    • Of Interest to Enterprises
    • Other Projects
  • SpringSource Products and Services
    • SpringSource Portfolio
    • Spring Enterprise Edition
    • SpringSource Tool Suite
    • SpringSource Advanced Pack for Oracle
    • SpringSource Application Management Suite
    • SpringSource Application Platform
    • Product Bundles

Conclusion

Notes

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