Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

1
Search Write

Member-only story

Advanced Spring Boot Concepts

that Every Java Developer Should
Know
Ramesh Fadatare · Follow
5 min read · Jan 26, 2025

66 1

Spring Boot is a favorite among Java developers because it makes building

applications so much easier. But once you’ve got the basics down, it’s time to
dive deeper. Learning advanced concepts can help you write better code,
solve complex problems, and make your applications more efficient and
reliable.

1 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

I am a bestseller Udemy Instructor. Check out my top 10 Udemy courses

with discounts: My Udemy Courses — Ramesh Fadatare.

This guide will walk you through some of the most important advanced
Spring Boot and Microservices concepts. We’ll use simple language and
examples to make these topics easy to understand. Let’s get started!

Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know

2 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

1. Understanding Spring Boot Starters

Starters are pre-configured dependencies that make it easy to add a specific
feature to your project. For example, if you want to work with a database,
you just add the spring-boot-starter-data-jpa starter, and all the required
libraries are included automatically.

They save you from manually finding and adding individual dependencies,
which can be time-consuming and error-prone.

Example:
Here’s how you add a starter for web development in your pom.xml :

<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-boot-starter-web</artifactId>
</dependency>

With just this dependency, you get a complete setup for building REST APIs,
including libraries like Spring MVC and Tomcat.

3 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

2. Working with Profiles

Profiles allow you to define different configurations for different
environments, such as development, testing, and production. This way, you
don’t have to hard-code environment-specific values.

Profiles make it easy to switch between environments without changing your

code.

Example:
application-dev.properties

spring.datasource.url=jdbc:h2:mem:dev-db
spring.datasource.username=dev
spring.datasource.password=devpass

application-prod.properties

spring.datasource.url=jdbc:mysql://prod-db:3306/mydb

4 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

spring.datasource.username=prod
spring.datasource.password=securepass

You can activate a profile by setting the spring.profiles.active property:

spring.profiles.active=prod

3. Using Actuator for Monitoring

Actuator adds endpoints to your application that provide details about its
health, metrics, and environment. It’s like a dashboard for your app, but you
access it through URLs.

Actuator helps you monitor and troubleshoot your application easily,

especially in production.

Example:
Add the Actuator dependency to your pom.xml :

5 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-boot-starter-actuator</artifactId>
</dependency>

Then access endpoints like these:

• /actuator/health : Shows if the app is up and running.

• /actuator/metrics : Displays metrics like memory usage and active

threads.

To secure these endpoints, add basic authentication in your

application.properties :

management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=health,metrics
management.endpoint.health.probes.enabled=true

6 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

4. Customizing the Error Pages

Default error pages can be confusing for users. Customizing them improves
the user experience.

Example:
Create an error.html file in the src/main/resources/templates folder:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Error</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Oops! Something went wrong.</h1>
<p>Please try again later.</p>
</body>
</html>

Spring Boot will automatically use this page for errors.

5. Using Custom Annotations

7 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

Custom annotations can simplify your code by removing repetitive tasks. You
can group multiple annotations into one and use it across your project.

Example:
Here’s how to create a custom annotation:

@Target({ElementType.TYPE})
@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
@Documented
@RestController
@RequestMapping("/api")
public @interface ApiController {
}

Now you can use @ApiController instead of adding @RestController and

@RequestMapping("/api") every time.

6. Implementing Caching
Caching improves performance by storing frequently accessed data so you
don’t have to fetch it repeatedly from the database.

8 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

Example:
Add the caching dependency:

<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-boot-starter-cache</artifactId>
</dependency>

Enable caching in your application:

@SpringBootApplication
@EnableCaching
public class Application {
}

Use @Cacheable to cache a method’s result:

@Cacheable("products")

9 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

public Product getProductById(Long id) {

return productRepository.findById(id).orElseThrow();
}

7. Securing Your Application

Security is crucial for any application. Spring Security makes it easy to add
authentication and authorization to your app.

Example:
Add Spring Security to your project:

<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-boot-starter-security</artifactId>
</dependency>

Secure an endpoint using annotations:

@GetMapping("/admin")
@PreAuthorize("hasRole('ADMIN')")

10 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

public String adminAccess() {

return "Welcome Admin!";
}

Use application.properties to define a simple username and password:

spring.security.user.name=admin
spring.security.user.password=secret

8. Understanding Async Programming

Sometimes, you need to run tasks in the background without blocking the
main thread. Spring Boot makes this easy with asynchronous programming.

Example:
Enable async support in your app:

11 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

@EnableAsync
@SpringBootApplication
public class Application {
}

Annotate methods with @Async :

@Async
public void sendEmail(String email) {
// Simulate email sending
System.out.println("Sending email to: " + email);
}

9. Managing Microservices Communication

If you’re working with microservices, you need a way for them to talk to each
other. Spring Boot provides tools for REST and message-based
communication.

Example:

12 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

Use WebClient for REST communication instead of RestTemplate

(deprecated):

@Autowired
private WebClient.Builder webClientBuilder;

public String getUserInfo(String userId) {

return webClientBuilder.build()
.get()
.uri("http://user-service/users/" + userId)
.retrieve()
.bodyToMono(String.class)
.block();
}

You can also use the Open Feign module for REST API communication.

Use RabbitMQ or Kafka for messaging between services.

10. Testing with Spring Boot

Testing ensures your application works as expected. Spring Boot provides
great tools to make testing easy.

13 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

Example:
Use @SpringBootTest for integration testing:

@SpringBootTest
public class ProductServiceTest {

@Autowired
private ProductService productService;

@Test
void testGetProductById() {
Product product = productService.getProductById(1L);
assertNotNull(product);
}
}

11. Service Discovery with Eureka

In microservices, you need a way to dynamically discover and connect
services without hardcoding their locations.

Example:
Add the Eureka Server dependency:

14 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework.cloud</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-cloud-starter-netflix-eureka-server</artifactId>
</dependency>

Set up a Eureka server in the main application:

@EnableEurekaServer
@SpringBootApplication
public class EurekaServerApplication {
public static void main(String[] args) {
SpringApplication.run(EurekaServerApplication.class, args);
}
}

12. Load Balancing with Spring Cloud LoadBalancer

With Ribbon being deprecated, Spring Cloud LoadBalancer is the
recommended way to implement client-side load balancing. It helps
distribute traffic evenly among your microservices to avoid overloading any

15 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

single instance.

Example:
Add Spring Cloud LoadBalancer to your project:

<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework.cloud</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-cloud-starter-loadbalancer</artifactId>
</dependency>

Configure LoadBalancer in your application properties:

spring.cloud.loadbalancer.hint.user-service.instances=localhost:8081,localhost:8082

Use it in your code with WebClient :

@Bean
public WebClient.Builder webClientBuilder() {

16 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

return WebClient.builder();
}

public String getUserInfo(String userId) {

return webClientBuilder.build()
.get()
.uri("http://user-service/users/" + userId)
.retrieve()
.bodyToMono(String.class)
.block();
}

Spring Cloud LoadBalancer integrates seamlessly with other Spring Cloud

components and provides more flexibility compared to Ribbon.

13. API Gateway with Spring Cloud Gateway

An API Gateway acts as a single entry point for client requests, making it
easier to manage microservices.

Example:
Add Spring Cloud Gateway:

<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework.cloud</groupId>

17 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

<artifactId>spring-cloud-starter-gateway</artifactId>
</dependency>

Set up routing:

spring:
cloud:
gateway:
routes:
- id: user-service
uri: http://localhost:8081
predicates:
- Path=/users/**

14. Distributed Tracing with Sleuth

When debugging microservices, it’s important to trace requests as they flow
through multiple services.

Example:
Add Sleuth to your project:

18 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework.cloud</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-cloud-starter-sleuth</artifactId>
</dependency>

Sleuth automatically adds trace IDs to logs for easy debugging.

15. Centralized Configuration with Spring Cloud Config

Managing configuration across multiple microservices can be messy. Spring
Cloud Config centralizes configurations in one place.

Example:
Add the Config Server dependency:

<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework.cloud</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-cloud-config-server</artifactId>
</dependency>

19 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

Enable the Config Server:

@EnableConfigServer
@SpringBootApplication
public class ConfigServerApplication {
public static void main(String[] args) {
SpringApplication.run(ConfigServerApplication.class, args);
}
}

Conclusion
Mastering these advanced Spring Boot and microservices concepts will
prepare you to build scalable, reliable, and modern applications. From
caching and async programming to service discovery and distributed
tracing, these tools and patterns are essential for developers working on
complex systems.

Which concept are you excited to try next? Share your thoughts below!

20 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

Spring Boot

Written by Ramesh Fadatare Follow

492 Followers · 2 Following

Founder: https://www.javaguides.net YouTuber: https://www.youtube.com/c/

javaguides (165K) Udemy Bestseller Instructor:https://www.udemy.com/user/
ramesh-fadatare

Responses (1)

Jay Simonini
Jan 29

Outstanding article on advanced cloud features within Spring. Any chance i could convince you to write a

21 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

series of articles? Perhaps diving a little deeper into each of these essential and cool Spring features?

Security

Service Discovery

Load Balancing

A… more

Reply

More from Ramesh Fadatare

22 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

Ramesh Fadatare Ramesh Fadatare

Exception Handling in Spring Boot 5 Microservices Design Patterns

Application [2025 Edition] You Must Know in 2025
Exception Handling in Spring Boot Here are five important microservices design
Application [2025 Edition]. Exception… patterns you should know in 2025, explaine…

Feb 2 42 2 Jan 24 79 2

Ramesh Fadatare Ramesh Fadatare

Top 10 Mistakes in Spring Boot Spring Boot React CRUD Full Stack
Microservices and How to Avoid… Application
In this article, we will explore the top 10 most In this tutorial, we will create a full-stack
common mistakes in Spring Boot… application using Spring Boot for the backe…

Jan 31 29 Sep 21, 2024 207 1

See all from Ramesh Fadatare

23 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

Recommended from Medium

Mammad Yahyayev Uma Charan Gorai

12 Amazing IntelliJ IDEA Features Spring Boot Architecture: Request

You Never Knew Existed and Response Processing in Detail
Amazing Intellij IDEA features for maximum Spring Boot is a popular framework for
productivity and convenient coding… building microservices and web application…

Aug 25, 2024 258 5 Dec 12, 2024 1

Lists

24 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

Staff picks Stories to Help You Level-Up

811 stories · 1618 saves at Work
19 stories · 934 saves

Self-Improvement 101 Productivity 101

20 stories · 3290 saves 20 stories · 2773 saves

Gaddam.Naveen In AWS Tip by Rishi

SpringBoot3+ Lifecycle: Replace End-to-End System Design in

@PostConstruct and @PreDestro… Spring Boot with an Efficient…
“Spring Boot 3+: Streamline Lifecycle Introduction
Management with @EventListener &…

4d ago 241 6d ago 4 1

25 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM
Advanced Spring Boot Concepts that Every Java Developer Should Know | by Ramesh Fadatar... https://rameshfadatare.medium.com/advanced-spring-boot-concepts-that-every-java-developer...

In Stackademic by Abhishektiwari Kunal Bhangale

Deep Dive: Spring Boot with Externalizing

Apache Tomcat—Architecture an… application.properties in Spring…
Table of Contents 1. Introduction

Jan 16 7 Jan 30

See more recommendations

Help Status About Careers Press Blog Privacy Terms Text to speech Teams

26 of 26 2/12/25, 9:08 PM