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Hello Java developers, if you want to learn Spring Framework and looking for the best resources like books, online courses, code katas, and tutorials then you have come to the right place.

Earlier, I shared the best Spring Boot courses and today, I Am going to share the best Spring Framework resources for Java developers. This includes to learn Spring, course, code katas and interactive study material.

If you don't know, Spring Framework is one of the world's most popular development frameworks for using enterprise Java.

It is used by millions of developers for creating easily testable, reusable, and high-performance code and it is also one of the essential skills for Java developers.

If you are a Java developer and not familiar with the Spring framework then this should be the first thing you should learn in 2024.

One of the main advantages of the Spring Framework is that it is open-source. It was first created by Rod Johnson in 2003 and released under the Apache 2.0 license.

It is also highly flexible and lightweight when it comes to size. You can install the basic version of the Spring Framework right now and it will only set you back about 2MB in storage.

Spring Framework has a host of amazing features for building Java applications as well as many extensions that can be used for building web applications using the Java EE platform. The USP of Spring Framework is to make J2EE development easier for programmers and enable a POJO-based programming model.

If you use POJOs, it essentially means that you don't need a server for your application. You will be able to use robust servlet containers like Tomcat or other commercial products. Spring has also revolutionized a lot of the existing technologies like ORM frameworks, logging frameworks, JEE, Quartz, and JDK Timers.

Since the Spring Framework also contains environment-dependent code, it is far easier to test your code and debug it. The presence of JavaBeanstyle POJOs also means that you can use dependency injection for injecting test data.

Btw, if you are in hurry and want to learn Spring for fullstack development then I also suggest you to check out Go Java Full Stack with Spring Boot and React course by Ranga Karnam, a fellow blogger and spring instructor.

10 Best Spring Framework Resources for Beginners in 2024

Now, you must be wondering where you can learn more about the Spring Framework, right? Don't worry, we have got you covered. We scoured the far reaches of the internet and came up with a list of the Best Spring Framework Courses available on the web right now. Check out the list below.

1. Spring in Action 5th Edition - Book

This should be one of the first few books to read in 2021, of course, only after you finish the Effective Java 3rd edition if you haven't already.

Though Spring in Action doesn't need any introduction or recommendation and hands down the best book to learn Spring framework now, it is also updated to Spring 5 which means you can use this to learn and discover what's new in Spring Framework 5, like Reactive Spring, WebFlux, etc.

It will also teach you how to use the Spring Framework with Java 9 and aster data access and transactions, work with the new functional web framework and create microservices and other web services using Spring Boot and other cloud technology.

I suggest you follow this book if you are learning the Spring framework in 2021. It's more up-to-date and follows the latest practices for developing a Java application with Spring.

If you want, you can also combine this book with Spring Framework 5: Beginner to Guru course on Udemy, which is also the most up-to-date course to learn Spring framework in 2021.

2. Spring Framework Masterclass: Java Spring the Modern Way [Udemy]

The main highlight of this course is that you will be using real projects to learn the Spring Framework. This means that you will get a more practical and hands-on experience of Spring, enabling you to learn quicker.

This course is perfect for people with some programming experience in Java but is completely new to Spring. You will be introduced to the many features of Spring and Spring Modules like JDBC, AOP, and Data JPA. This course will be your perfect gateway into the amazing world of Spring.'

Course Duration: 12 hours
Course Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Course Instructor: in28Minutes Official
Course Price: $14

Once you purchase this course, you will get lifetime access to 12 hours of on-demand video lectures, 13 articles, and 1 downloadable educational resource. The entire course content is divided into 14 sections and 139 lectures.

3. Web Development with Java Spring Framework [Coursera]

As the title suggests, this course is more focused on the web development side of things using the popular Web Java Framework. You will learn how Spring's libraries can be used for creating technologies like streaming TV, connected cars, and online shopping.

Almost all the developers agree that Spring is the future of app development, and having it in your toolkit can be valuable and may be the difference between losing and landing your dream job.

This course will cover the main parts of Spring and enable you to develop RESTFUL Web Services using Spring MVC and Hibernate CRUD.

Course Duration: 19 hours
Course Rating: 3.7 stars out of 5
Course Instructor: Martyshkin Alexey Ivanovich
Course Price: $15

When you complete the course, you will have a firm grasp of things like Dependency Injection, Inversion of Control, and accessing data using Hibernate.

By the way, if you find Coursera courses useful, which they are because they are created by reputed companies and universities around the world, I suggest you join the Coursera Plus, a subscription plan from Coursera which gives you unlimited access to their most popular courses, specialization, professional certificate, and guided projects.

It cost around $59/year but it's definitely worth it. They also provide 7 days free trial At the moment, you can also get Coursera Plus for just $1 for one month.

4. Code katas for learning Spring® and Spring Boot.

The Spring course consists of two related tutorials that teach developers about Spring Framework and then Spring Boot by solving code katas.

This whole course is on github and you can access it for free. The courses lay out examples that are discussed via documentation, located under the assets\docs directory.

The best way to take this course is to checkout the entire project locally, then view:

Spring Framework Docs: for the Spring Framework tutorial
Spring Boot Docs: for a Spring Boot tutorial.

The courses are fairly independent, someone who knows Spring framework well, need only visit the Spring Boot tutorial to get up to speed.

However, it is worth hitting a refresher and going through the Spring Framework content (even if solving the exercises is not attempted).

They also cover most of the important Spring topics like core Spring, Spring Boot, Spring Data JPA, Spring REST, Hibernate and much more

I found them very good in learning Spring framework in depth and practice writing Java code using spring framework.

5. Spring: The Big Picture [Pluralsight]

This course will take you into the amazing world of Spring Framework, Spring Boot, and other Spring-related projects, and has an astounding 5-star rating on the Pluralsight platform.

All the people who have even a basic understanding of enterprise Java development will agree that it is quite useless without a thorough understanding of Spring Framework.

Course Duration: 2 hours
Course Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Course Instructor: Dustin Schultz
Course Price: $149 for an annual subscription

In this course, you will receive a broad, high-level overview of all the aspects of Spring Framework. You will start off by learning what Spring is, before exploring Spring Boot and Spring Framework.

Once you are finished with this course, you will have a foundational understanding of Spring Framework that will enable you to become a successful enterprise Java developer.

By the way, you would need a Pluralsight membership to join this course which costs around $29 per month or $299 per year (14% discount). They are also offering a 40% discount now on their annual plan which means you can get it for just $149.

I highly recommend this subscription to all programmers as it provides instant access to more than 7000+ online courses to learn any tech skill. Alternatively, you can also use their 10-day-free-pass to watch this course for FREE.

6. Spring Framework 5: Beginner to Guru [Udemy]

The main USP of this course is that it has been designed by John Thompson, who is a best-selling instructor and has also worked as a Spring Framework Consultant for huge companies like Visa, Kohls, Federal Home Loan Bank, and Belk Department Stores. What this means is that you get to pick the mind of one of the leading experts in the field.

As the title suggests, this course is completely focused on Spring Framework 5, which is the latest version of Spring. You will start the course by seeing how to start a Spring Boot project and then create a simple Book/Author application.

Course Duration: 57 hours
Course Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Course Instructor: John Thompson
*Course Price: $14 *

The entire course content is divided into 35 sections and 526 lectures. It's also one of my favorite courses to learn Spring framework because it covers almost all the important spring modules like Spring Boot, Spring Security, Spring Boot, Spring Data JPA, and Reactive Spring, etc.

7. Spring: Framework in Depth [LinkedIn Learning]

This is an intermediate-level course that will provide you with a comprehensive overview of Spring Framework. The course has been designed by Frank Moley, who is an expert software architect.

This course will enable you to develop applications and web services with Spring, and you will also learn how to configure the ApplicationContext, which is the interface for accessing components and loading files. You will also get a practical understanding of the Java workflow and the Spring lifecycle.

Course Duration: 2 hours
Course Instructor: Frank Moley
*Course Price: $12 per month for an annual subscription *

By the way, you would need a LinkedIn Learning membership to watch this course which costs around $19.99 per month but you can also watch this course for FREE by taking their 1-month-free-trail which is a great way to explore their 16000+ online courses on the latest technology.

9. Getting Started Guide on Spring.io[Official]

Spring Framework's official website Spring.io also has many getting-started guides that you can use to learn a specific task on Spring Framework.

These guides provide a step-by-step process to accomplish a common development task in a Spring application for example how to upload a file or how to consume RESTful web services using Spring.

If you want to learn the Spring framework in depth then these guides can help, the whole page is worth bookmarking and revisiting again and again to become a better Java developer

10. Learn Spring: The Certification Class [Baeldung]

This is another high-quality spring framework course Java developers can join to learn both Spring and Spring Boot in 2024. Eugen doesn't need any introduction as he has been teaching and practicing spring for the last 9 years and this course is the best resource to learn Spring 5 and Spring Boot 2 from scratch, in a guided, code-focused way.

This Spring course starts from very basic and you learn both Spring and Spring boot from scratch. They provide step-by-step videos and practical lessons to guide you along the way.

This is also a very hands-on course and you will be building a full-fledged project along the course.

This is also the most up-to-date course and Eugen has updated it recently and added several new modules covering the latest changes to make the course even better. For example, he has added a lesson to learn how to use Spring Boot with Docker and how to implement Spring Security Authorization

Here is a full list of new changes in the course

In Module 2 - Dependency Injection and the Spring Context:

Lesson 9: Spring Wiring - @resource and @Inject
Lesson 10: Debugging and Solving Wiring Exceptions

In Module 3 - Project Configuration:

Lesson 7: Spring Boot Default Properties
Lesson 8: Deploying the Boot 2 Application - Other Options

In Module 5: Persistence and Data Access:

Lesson 6: Introduction to the JdbcTemplate - theory
Lesson 7: Introduction to the JdbcTemplate - implementation

In Module 6: Web Basics and Spring MVC:

Lesson 6: Servlets and the DispatcherServlet

In Module 8: Building a REST API:

Lesson 7: Intro to the HTTP Message Converters in Spring MVC

In Module 9: Advanced Features in Spring:

Lesson 7: Spring Security Authorization
Lesson 9: Spring Boot with Docker

Because of these recent updates, he is also increasing the price of the course by $40 on top of the current price of $297 but you can still grab the course for the original price. Yes, the course may look a bit expensive if you compare this with Udemy and Coursera's spring course but it's worth it.

They also have different options, for example, if the price is a concern then you can also go for Learn Spring Masterclass which is less costly.

Frequently Asked Questions about Learning Spring Framework

Now, let me answer a few questions that often come as a doubt to Java developer who wants to learn the Spring framework for Java development.

1. What is Spring Framework?
Spring Framework is one of the world's most popular development frameworks for using enterprise Java. Spring is used by millions of developers to create easily testable, reusable, and high-performance code.

2. What are the different Spring Frameworks?
The Spring Framework is divided into seven different modules. These are Spring Core, Spring AOP, Spring Web MVC, Spring DAO, ORM, Context, and Web Flow.

3. Is Spring easy to learn?
Since the Spring Framework is designed to work around POJOs, it is quite simple and easy to learn.

Conclusion

That's all about the best Spring Framework resources for Java developers. As I said, these courses are the best option if you are looking to master the Spring Framework in 2024. You will transform from a complete beginner to a Spring expert within a matter of weeks and your skills will be in huge demand in the job market.

Other Spring MVC articles you may like to explore

If you liked this list of the Best Spring Framework Resources and Online Courses, books, and katas then feel free to share it with your friends and family. Also, drop a comment if you have any doubts or questions.

P. S. - If you are keen to learn the Spring framework and become a full-stack Java developer but are looking for a free online course, you can check this Angular and Spring MVC course on Udemy. It's complete, and all you need is a free Udemy account to join this course.

10 Best Spring Framework Books and Courses for Beginners in 2024