Spring Boot is a popular Java framework used for building standalone and production-ready applications. It provides a faster and easier way to set up and develop web applications using a range of pre-built modules. In this article, we will discuss how to get started with Spring Boot.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following installed in your system:

• Java Development Kit (JDK) 8 or above

• Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

• Maven or Gradle installed

Step 1: Setting up the Environment

The first step is to ensure that the development environment is correctly set up on your computer. Install the JDK, IDE, and build tools as necessary. Verify that you can create and run a basic Java program.

Step 2: Creating a New Spring Boot Project

The second step is to create a new Spring Boot project. You can choose to create a project using either a Maven or Gradle build system.

Creating a Spring Boot project using Maven

1. Open your preferred IDE and select File -> New Project.

2. Select Maven Project and click Next.

3. For the Group Id and Artifact Id, provide a unique name for your project, for example, com.example.myapp.

4. Choose an appropriate version number for your project, and select the appropriate packaging type.

5. Next, select the Spring Boot Starter Parent as the parent of our new project. This provides the core configuration and dependencies required for Spring Boot applications.

6. In the next dialog box, select the required modules for your application. If you are uncertain of the required modules, simply leave this section blank as we can add dependencies as we go.

7. Finally, specify the name of the project and click Finish.

Creating a Spring Boot project using Gradle

1. Open your preferred IDE and select File -> New Project.

2. Select Gradle Project and click Next.

3. Provide a unique name for your project and click Next.

4. In the next dialog box, select the required modules for your application. If you are uncertain of the required modules, simply leave this section blank as we can add dependencies as we go.

5. Finally, specify the name of the project and click Finish.

Step 3: Adding Dependencies

The next step is to add dependencies to your project. In the case of Spring Boot, dependency management is a vital process, and it's important to select dependencies that complement the framework.

In Maven, you can add dependencies to your pom.xml file. For example, to add the Spring Boot Web dependency, add the following to your pom.xml:

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

In Gradle, you can add dependencies to your build.gradle file. For example, to add the Spring Boot Web dependency, add the following to your build.gradle:

dependencies {
     implementation 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-web'
}

Step 4: Creating a Hello World Application

The next step is to create a Hello World application to simply demonstrate how Spring Boot works. Add a new class called HelloWorldController in your src/main/java/<package> directory, as shown below:

@RestController
public class HelloWorldController {
     @GetMapping("/")
     public String helloWorld() {
         return "Hello, World!";
     }
}

In the above code, the @RestController annotation indicates that this class is a controller, and @GetMapping("/") maps the helloWorld() method to the root URL ("/"). When a user opens the home page of your application, the helloWorld() method is called, and the string "Hello, World!" is returned and displayed on the page.

Step 5: Running the Application

Finally, we can run the application using the command line or IDE. If you are using Maven, run the following command:

$ mvn spring-boot:run

If you are using Gradle, run the following command:

$ ./gradlew bootRun

You can also run the application using your IDE by executing the main() method of the Application class.

Once the application starts up successfully, open your favorite web browser, and navigate to http://localhost:8080. You will see the string "Hello, World!" displayed on your screen.

Step 6: Adding the Selenium Dependency

Once you have created a new Spring Boot project, you can add the Selenium dependency to your project. In Maven, you can add the Selenium dependency to your pom.xml file as shown below:

<dependency>
     <groupId>org.seleniumhq.selenium</groupId>
     <artifactId>selenium-java</artifactId>
     <version>3.141.59</version>
</dependency>

In Gradle, you can add the Selenium dependency to your build.gradle file as shown below:

dependencies {
     implementation 'org.seleniumhq.selenium:selenium-java:3.141.59'
}

Conclusion

By completing the above steps, you have successfully set up your first Spring Boot application. Spring Boot offers a wide range of functionalities that can be added by simply including pre-built modules as dependencies. We hope this article has given you a good understanding of how to get started with Spring Boot.