Developing Spring Boot Application using GitHub Codespaces

This post will walk you through the steps to set up and start developing your first Spring Boot application using Codespaces. As an expert spring developer, I’ll provide you with a comprehensive overview of what you need to get started.

Introduction

GitHub Codespaces is an integrated development environment that allows you to work on your project directly from your browser. It is a cloud-based development environment that provides you with a pre-configured virtual machine (VM) with all the tools you need to develop your code. This makes it a great option for developing Spring Boot applications, as you don’t need to install any software or configure your local machine.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following:

1. GitHub Account: Create an account on GitHub if you don’t have one already. You’ll need it to use Codespaces and to host your code.

2. Basic Knowledge of Spring Boot: Familiarize yourself with the basics of Spring Boot, including creating a simple Spring Boot application.

3. GitHub Repository: Create a GitHub repository where you’ll host your Spring Boot application. You can do this by going to your GitHub account, clicking on the ‘+’ sign, and selecting ‘New Repository.’

4. Familiarity with Git for version control: Git is a version control system that allows you to track changes to your code and revert to previous versions if necessary. GitHub Codespaces provides a built-in Git client that you can use to manage your code changes.

Setting up GitHub Codespaces

1. Access GitHub Codespaces:

Go to your GitHub repository.
— Click on the “Code” button and select “Open with Codespaces”.

2. Creating a Codespace:

Click on the “New Codespace” button.
— Choose the type of environment you want (e.g., Node.js, Java, Python, etc.). Select “Java” for Spring Boot development.

Creating a New codespace

3. Wait for Codespace to Initialize:

— GitHub will set up a virtual development environment for you. Once it’s ready, you’ll be directed to the Codespace environment.

4. Setting Up Your Spring Boot Application:

Cloning Your Repository: In the Codespace environment, open a terminal.

— Use the `git clone` command to clone your GitHub repository.

$ git clone https://github.com/yourusername/your-repository.git

Creating a Spring Boot Project: Inside the Codespace, navigate to the directory where you want to create your Spring Boot application.
— Use the Spring Initializr to generate a new Spring Boot project

You can do this directly from the terminal using `curl` or by visiting the [Spring Initializr website](https://start.spring.io/).

$ curl https://start.spring.io/starter.zip
-d dependencies=web -d bootVersion=2.6.2
-d baseDir=my-spring-boot-app -o my-spring-boot-app.zip

Adding Your Project to Git:

• Move the generated files into your repository directory.

• Add, commit, and push your changes to GitHub.

$ git add .
$ git commit -m "Initial commit"
$ git push origin main

Running Your Application:

• Use the terminal to navigate to your project directory and run your Spring Boot application.

$ ./mvnw spring-boot:run

Open a web browser and go to `http://localhost:8080` to see your application in action.

Developing Your Application

Now that you have your Spring Boot application set up, you can start developing features, adding controllers, services, and repositories as per your requirements. Remember to commit your changes regularly and push them to your GitHub repository.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up and started developing a Spring Boot application using GitHub Codespaces. Keep exploring the capabilities of Codespaces and continue to build awesome applications! If you have any questions, feel free to ask for assistance. Happy coding!