Top 10 Courses to Learn Spring Boot in 2024 for Java Developers - Best of Lot

Hello guys, if you are interested in learning Spring Boot and looking for some excellent resources, e.g. books, tutorials, and online courses to start with, then you have come to the right place. Earlier I have shared some great books to learn Spring Framework, including Spring Boot (see), and today, I'll share some of the best online Spring Boot courses you can join to learn Spring Boot by yourself. In the past, I was a big fan of learning from a book, but online courses have changed that completely. Now I prefer to start with an online course, like Spring Boot 3, Spring 6 & Hibernate for Beginners, and then move on to a book like Spring Boot in Action for more comprehensive learning. Anyway, before going through those Spring Boot courses, let's first revise what Spring Boot is, and its benefits, and why you should learn it.

Spring Boot is one of the best frameworks for Java developers, and if you don't know yet, probably 2024 is the best time to learn Spring Boot. Just like Spring makes Java development more manageable, Spring Boot makes Spring development easier by taking out all pains related to dependency management, configuration, and bean declaration, etc.

It seriously makes Java development fun, particularly web development ridiculously easy by providing features like starter dependency, Auto-configuration, Spring Boot CLI, Spring Initializer, and Spring Boot Actuator, but, the best thing you would love about Spring Boot is how it allows you to run your Java application. Can you guess?

Yup, you guessed it right, now with Spring Boot, you can run your Spring application just like a core Java application by using the classic primary method.

No need to set up a web server, build a war file, and deploy that into a servlet container. Just create a Spring boot jar for your project and run it as a core java application using the jar command as we run any core Java application from the command prompt.

You might be wondering, then how you would deploy that JAR into a traditional web server like Tomcat, which your company is using in production? Well, not to worry. Spring Boot gives you options to create a JAR or WAR file, and the best thing is that you can even run the WAR file from the command prompt because Spring Boot has an embedded tomcat server in it.

So, learning Spring Boot will help you to develop Java development quickly because you can now focus on the application logic more rather than worrying about configuration and dependency management.

It's also now becoming a standard way to use the Spring framework in many companies, and they are looking for Java developers with some Spring Boot experience. So, if you are looking for your next Job in Java and Spring development, learning Spring Boot can seriously boost your chance.

10 Courses to learn Spring Boot for Java Developers in 2024

Here is my list of some of the best online courses to learn Spring Boot for Java and Spring developers. It's good to have some Spring experience when you start with Spring Boot, but that's not mandatory.

In fact, I suggest all first-timers start with Spring Boot, it's better to start with the latest and accessible technology than traditional ones, btw, if you still want to start with Spring first, then you should first check out Spring Framework 6: Beginner to Guru before going through any of these Spring Boot courses.

In this list, I have included courses for both beginners as well as intermediate and experienced developers.

Most of these courses will help you to learn all-important Spring Boot features, like auto-configuration, starter dependency, Spring Initializer, Spring Actuator, and Spring CLI, but some classes are goal-oriented, and they will also teach you how to develop Microservices and Cloud-based applications using Spring Boot and Spring Cloud.

1. NEW] Spring Boot 3, Spring 6 & Hibernate for Beginners (includes Spring Boot) [Udemy Best Course]

More often than not you not just want to learn Spring Boot but also Spring, Hibernate and Spring Boot together as they are the essential Java framework for application development. Spring manages presentation and service layer and Hibernate takes care of persistence layer. 

And, when it comes to learn Spring, Hibernate, and Spring Boot together  Spring & Hibernate for Beginners (includes Spring Boot) course on Udemy by Chad Darby is the best online course I have come across.

It's not just up-to-date (covers spring 6), comprehensive (covers spring mvc, spring core, spring security, spring REST, spring boot, and Hibernate), as well as very engaging. Chad has in-depth knowledge of Spring and Hibernate and it shows in his lecture. They are clear, focuses and big enough to cover the topic in depth but still small enough to not get you bored. 

Talking about social proof, this is one of the best selling Spring framework course on Udemy and more than 346,000 students have already joined this course. It has on average 4.6 rating from close to 62K participants which is phenomenal and shows a lout about the quality of the course. 

If you want to learn Spring, Hibernate, and Spring Boot in depth, I highly recommend you to join this course. 

Here is the link to join this course - Spring Boot 3, Spring 6 & Hibernate for Beginners

2. Learn Spring: The Certification Class by Baeldung

This is another awesome course form well known Spring Framework expert and Java blogger Eugen Paraschiv of Baeldung. I have known Eugen since early days of Baeldung around 10 years back and he was also one of the first few expert who created online course to learn Spring in depth.

This is one of such course where you will learn Spring 6 and Spring Boot 3 from scratch, in a guided, code-focused way by watching practical step by step lesson and coding. The course have very convenient structure which allows you to learn at your own pace. It also have multiple quizzes and question to test your learning and reinforce them. 

The 9 in-depth modules focus on the core aspects of the framework today, in 2024, with Spring 6 and Boot 3, not looking back at the XML days of Spring framework. You will also get a certificate of completion after completing this course. 

In short, one of the up-to-date and comprehensive course to learn not just Spring Boot 3 but also Spring framework 6 and become a better Java developer. 

Here is the link to join this course - Learn Spring: The Certification Class by Baeldung

3. The Complete Spring Boot Development Bootcamp on Udemy

If you are looking for a bootcamp style course to learn Spring Boot 3 in depth then you will love this Spring Boot development course on Udemy. This course is created by none other than Jose Portiall one of the most popular Udemy instructor along with Rayan Slim and Jad Slim, Java and Spring Boot experts. 

This 18 hours on-demand video course is designing to teach you all the skills you need to become a professional Spring Boot developer like Spring Boot basics, writing unit tests for spring boot application, exposing and consuming REST API using Spring Boot, Exception handling, security your application and much more. 

It also touch base on Spring Security, particularly how to handle JSON web tokens (JWT) and Spring Data JPA for communicating with SQL database. You will also learn about Integration testing the request response cycle.  It also comes with 78 articles and 13 downloadable resources. 

Talking about the social proof, more than 15,033 students have joined this course and it has on average 4.7 rating form close to 2000 candidates which is amazing. If you like bootcamp style course this is the one course you can join to learn Spring boot 3 on Udemy. 

4. Spring Boot for Beginners

This is a short and straightforward course to start with Spring Boot. I pick this course for its clarity. The instructor is very focused and has good voice and explanation skills, which makes it easy to digest new Spring Boot concepts.

The instructor, Nelson Djalo, explains Spring Boot concepts by developing a RESTful web service, which will also spark your interest in this field.

You should take this course if you are in a real hurry to learn Spring Boot. By following this course, you can learn Spring Boot in just a couple of days.

Btw, if you are very new to the Spring world and don't know about dependency injection, Spring container, and other basic concepts, I won't recommend you to join this course. You better start with other Spring boot courses on this list, which explains the Spring framework along the way, like Spring Framework MasterClass - Beginner to Expert.

5. Learn Spring Boot - Rapid Spring Application Development

This is another excellent course for learning Spring Boot for beginners, i.e. someone with no prior experience with Spring Boot. It will not only teach you Spring Boot basics but also basics of the Spring framework, e.g. dependency injection, inversion of control, application context, etc.

In this course, instructor Dan Vega, a popular Spring framework instructor on Udemy, will teach you how to develop a web application using Spring Boot. You will create a Spring MVC application end-to-end.

You will build REST services using Spring Boot, connect to the database using Spring Data, and secure your application using Spring Security. You will also learn how to create and an executable JAR of your application.

The course also explains key Spring Boot concepts like Spring Initializer to automatically create the project structure, Starter POMs or starter dependencies, and auto-configuration.

In short, a comprehensive course to learn Java application development using Spring Framework. You will learn Spring MVC, REST, Spring Data JPA, Spring Security, and all other related libraries in just one course.

6. Learn Spring Boot 3 in 100 Steps - Beginner to Expert

This is another comprehensive course to learn Spring Boot and related libraries for beginners. Ranga is also another popular Spring framework instructor in Udemy and has a lot of experience in teaching Spring.

In this course, you will not only learn all key Spring Boot concepts, e.g. auto-configuration, Starter dependencies, Spring Initializer but also explore more advanced concepts like Spring Boot Actuator and other Spring Boot dev tools.

The course also covers Spring MVC and teaches you to create a web application using Spring MVC and Hibernate/JPA. If you don't know anything about Spring MVC, don't worry.

You will learn enough in this course to create your own web application, like DispatcherServlet, View Resolvers, Model, Controllers, etc.

Another good thing about this course is that it will teach you to write great Unit and Integration testing using Spring Boot. You will also learn JUnit 5 and Mockito, two of the leading testing frameworks for Java application development.

In short, an excellent course for beginners to start learning Java development with Spring Boot and related technology.

7. Creating Your First Spring Boot Application

This is a great introductory course on Spring Boot Framework, and you will learn what Spring Boot is, How it works, and how it works with other Spring modules, like Spring MVC, REST, etc.

In this course, you will learn Spring Boot by creating a demo application. You will explore different Spring Boot features along the way, e.g. Spring Initializers, Spring Boot Dependency management, i.e. starter POMs, which allows you to just declare one starter package instead of several individual libraries.

You will also learn to develop a modern Java web application using Spring Boot, a RESTful web service, and integrating a JavaScript-based UI. Most importantly, the Spring MVC Integration.

You will also learn how to externalize properties and take full advantage of Spring Boot auto-configuration to reduce configuration in your project.

In short, one of the best courses to learn Spring Boot for beginners. After completing this course you should have a good idea about Spring Boot architecture and how it works together with Core Spring.

8. Spring 6 & Spring Boot 3 for Beginners (Includes 5 Projects)

If you are looking for a project based course to learn Spring Boot 3 in 2024 then you will love this online course by Ramesh Fadatare of JavaGuides.net. He is also a fellow blogger who has been teaching Java and Spring Boot quite some time now. 

This 35.5 hour long course is one of the most comprehensive Spring boot course you will find on internet as it covers quite a wide range of topics. For example, you will learn Spring Framework Core 6, Spring Boot 3, Spring Security 6, REST API, Spring MVC, Spring WebFlux, JPA, Thymeleaf, Docker and what not. 

The key thing is that you will build 5 projects which are:

1. User Management Project using Spring Boot, Spring Data JPA, and MySQL database

2. Build Todo Management Project using Spring Boot 3, Spring Data JPA, IntelliJ IDEA, Maven and MySQL Database

3. Build a REALTIME web application (Student Management System) using Spring MVC, Spring boot, Spring Data JPA, Thymeleaf and MySQL database.

4. Build Registration and Login System Web Application using Spring MVC, Spring boot, Spring Data JPA, Thymeleaf and MySQL database.

5. Build a Reactive CRUD API for Employee management using Spring Web Flux

After you go through this course and build all these projects, you will surely have a solid knowledge of Spring Boot and its ecosystem. No matter which course you join from this list, I suggest you to attest do these projects to learn better. 

9. Master Microservices with Spring Boot and Spring Cloud

This is a task-based course and a little bit different from other courses. It's also a more advanced course and more suited for experienced Java programmers who have good knowledge of the Spring framework and some basic understanding of Spring Boot and Spring Cloud, two leading frameworks from the Spring umbrella to build modern-day Java applications for the cloud.

In this course, you will first start with developing RESTful web service using Spring Boot and then slowly move towards Spring Cloud and Microservice pattern.

You will learn about crucial Microservice and cloud concepts, like client-side load balancing using Ribbon, Dynamic Scaling using Eureka Naming Server, Fault tolerance for microservices with Hystrix, etc. 

And, if you are new to Spring Boot and Spring Framework, Ranga also launched a brand new course to learn Spring Boot 3 and Spring Framework 6 called [NEW] Master Spring Boot 3 & Spring Framework 6 with Java, I suggest you to first go through that course before learning Microservices, particularly if you are new to Spring ecosystem. This 34-hour long course is a great resource to learn Spring Boot in depth. 

 

You will also learn some advanced REST concepts e.g. how to version your RESTful Web service and document them using Swagger. Overall an excellent course for Java developers moving towards cloud and microservices by using Spring Boot and Spring Cloud.

10. Developing Microservices with Spring Boot by Educative.io

This is an interactive, text based and an AI Powered course to learn how to create Microservices using Spring Boot and Java Programming language. Created by Spring boot experts at Educative.io this mini course is good starting point for anyone learning Microservices. 

In this mini-course, you'll learn fundamental concepts such as Model-View-Controller (MVC), microservices architecture, and Spring Boot framework. By understanding these basics, you'll be able to configure and develop production-grade Spring applications. 

From configuring Spring Boot to integrating with databases and developing web UIs using Thymeleaf, you'll gain hands-on experience in various aspects of application development. Additionally, you'll learn essential error handling techniques and get the opportunity to apply your newfound knowledge by developing your first application. 

By the end of the course, you'll have the skills to create robust Spring Boot applications and confidently navigate through the development process.

By the way, you would need an Educative subscription to join this course, which cost around $14.99 but also provide access to more than 1000+ courses, projects, and cloud labs to learn in-demand tech skills including web development. You can also use 7 days free trial to get this course for FREE. They also have a whole learning path for spring boot and Spring framework. 

Some of my readers also ask me what the best way to learn a new framework is? Online courses are more interactive, and you learn a lot of things in very little time. They are also very cheap nowadays, for another important reason.

Some of these Spring Boot courses on Udemy cost less money than just taking a taxi to go to a supermarket, btw, if you still like to start with books, Spring Boot in Action by Craig Walls, author of Spring in Action is the best book, to begin with.

Spring Boot Cheat Sheet

And, here is a nice Spring Boot Cheat sheet which you can look to quickly revise essential Spring Boot concepts. This cheat sheet covers the most commonly used annotations, properties, and concepts in Spring Boot development, making it a handy reference for both beginners and experienced developers

That's all about some of the best courses to learn Spring boot in 2024. Spring Boot is an immensely useful framework, it gives you all the power of the Spring framework without all of its complexity which really boosts productivity. 

If you happen to use Groovy then you can further reduce the development time of Java web applications using Spring CLI.

If you ask me one thing to learn in 2024, I would suggest Spring Boot. It will not only help you to write Spring-based Java application quickly but also gives your career a boost.


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Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these best Spring Boot Courses and then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.

P. S. - If you are interested in learning the Spring Boot framework online but looking for a free online training course to start with then I also suggest you take a look at this  Spring Boot 3 Restful Web Services Tutorial free course by Javaguides and Ramesh Fadatare on Udemy. It's completely free and you just need a Udemy account to access this course.