Spring Core vs Spring Framework vs Spring Boot
11/04/25
2 mins
Spring Core vs Spring Framework vs Spring Boot – Explained Simply
If you're new to Spring and confused by terms like Spring Core, Spring Framework, and Spring Boot, you're not alone. These terms often get mixed up, especially for beginners. In this post, I’ll break them down in the simplest way possible — with real-world analogies and a clear summary.
1. What is Spring Core?
At the heart of everything is Spring Core.
It’s the foundation of the Spring ecosystem and mainly provides:
- Dependency Injection (DI) — a clean way to manage object creation and dependencies.
- Bean lifecycle and object configuration.
Analogy: Think of Spring Core as the engine of a car. It powers everything, but on its own, it doesn't do much unless it's part of a complete system.
2. What is Spring Framework?
The Spring Framework is a full toolkit built on top of Spring Core.
It includes:
- Spring Core
- Spring MVC (for building web apps)
- Spring JDBC, Spring AOP, Spring Security, etc.
Analogy: If Spring Core is the engine, the Spring Framework is the entire car — engine, wheels, dashboard — but you have to assemble and configure everything yourself.
3. What is Spring Boot?
Spring Boot is a framework built on top of the Spring Framework that removes boilerplate code and simplifies configuration.
It provides:
- Auto-configuration — sets up defaults automatically
- Embedded web server — no need to install Tomcat separately
- Production-ready features — like health checks, metrics, and logging
Analogy: Spring Boot is a ready-to-drive car. You don’t need to build or configure everything from scratch — just start coding.
Summary Table
| Concept | What it is | Analogy |
|---|---|---|
| Spring Core | Base features like Dependency Injection | Engine |
| Spring Framework | Complete set of tools built on Core | Full car (manual setup) |
| Spring Boot | Pre-configured, ready-to-use setup | Ready-to-drive car |
Which One Should You Use?
- If you want to understand Spring from the ground up, start with Spring Core and Spring Framework.
- If you're building real-world projects and want to move fast, go with Spring Boot — it's the most commonly used approach today.