Jakarta EE vs Spring Boot: A Practical Guide for Java Developers

What is Spring Boot?

Spring Boot

Spring Boot is another open-sourced java framework that simplifies enterprise app development. Built on top of the traditional Spring ecosystem, it embraces convention over configuration, which allows developers to built apps faster and in more efficient way.

At its core, Spring Boot aims to reduce boilerplate code and streamline setup. It comes with embedded servers like Tomcat or Jetty, auto-configuration features, and an opinionated project structure.

The standout feature of Spring Boot is its seamless support for microservices architecture. In fact, organizations that are looking to adopt cloud-native practices are more preferable to choose Spring Boot microservices. Combined with Spring Cloud, it provides tools for service discovery, configuration management, circuit breakers, distributed tracing, and more.

Key Features of Spring Boot:

1. Auto-configuration and embedded servers (Tomcat, Jetty)

2. Minimal setup for production-ready applications

3. First-class support for microservices and cloud-native development

4. Rich ecosystem (Spring Security, Spring Data, Spring Cloud)

5. Actuator endpoints for monitoring and health checks

Here’s a simple example of a REST controller in Spring Boot:

import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;

import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;

@RestController

public class HelloController {

 

    @GetMapping("/hello")

    public String sayHello() {

        return "Hello from Spring Boot!";

    }

}

Spring Boot also boasts a massive ecosystem, active community, and excellent integration with modern tools like Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD pipelines. Which makes it a good choice for a lightweight API and even a complex enterprise platform.

While Jakarta EE focuses on standards and interoperability, Spring Boot emphasizes developer productivity and rapid delivery, and that difference is at the heart of the ongoing Jakarta EE vs Spring Boot discussion.

Jakarta EE vs Spring Boot: At a Glance

Let’s take a look at a quick overview of Jakarta EE and Spring Boot.

Deep Comparison: Spring Boot vs Jakarta EE

1. Architecture and Design Philosophy

Jakarta EE is built around a specification-driven model where the core architecture relies on standardized APIs and centralized application servers. It promotes a traditional layered structure, with clear separation of concerns and container-managed services like transactions and security. The focus is on consistency, portability, and enterprise-grade robustness across different vendor implementations.

Spring Boot, on the other hand, follows a developer-friendly, opinionated design. It favors standalone applications with embedded servers, reducing the need for external configurations. Its architecture simplifies setup through auto-configuration and modular components, making it ideal for rapid development and cloud-native microservices.

2. Ease of Development and Productivity

Jakarta EE has improved over the years, but it still involves more manual setup and boilerplate compared to modern frameworks. Developers need to configure deployment descriptors, manage dependencies explicitly, and often rely on external application servers, which can slow down the app development timeline, especially for small or fast-paced projects.

Spring Boot is designed with productivity in mind. It eliminates boilerplate through auto-configuration, starter dependencies, and built-in tools like Actuator. With minimal setup, developers can get a project running quickly, making it a popular choice for teams that opt for agile methodology and rapid prototyping.

3. Microservices and Cloud-Native Support

Jakarta EE supports microservices primarily through MicroProfile, an extension that adds features like configuration, metrics, and fault tolerance. While this improves its capabilities, it still lacks the same level of out-of-the-box tooling and cloud-native focus compared to more modern frameworks. You can also check our blog for guidance on building microservices in Java.

Spring Boot excels at microservices development. With seamless integration into Spring Cloud, it offers built-in support for service discovery, distributed configuration, load balancing, and resilience patterns, making it a top choice for building cloud-native, containerized systems. To see how Spring Boot’s cloud-native features compare to another popular runtime, check out our Spring Boot vs. Node.js for cloud-native development analysis.

4. Performance and Scalability

Jakarta EE offers solid performance and is well-suited for high enterprise applications, especially when deployed on optimized runtimes like Open Liberty or Payara. Its container-managed model can scale efficiently in large, centralized systems but may require more tuning for cloud environments.

Spring Boot is lightweight and performs well for modern distributed systems. With support for reactive programming, native image compilation, and easy containerization, it scales effectively in microservice architectures and cloud platforms like Kubernetes.

5. Ecosystem and Community Support

Jakarta EE has a strong, standards-driven ecosystem backed by the Eclipse Foundation and major vendors. While its pace of evolution is slower, it offers long-term stability and a mature set of tools and libraries for enterprise level applications.

Spring Boot benefits from a vast and vibrant open-source community. Backed by VMware and widely adopted in the industry, it has a rich ecosystem of extensions like Spring Security, Spring Data, and Spring Cloud, with frequent updates and excellent documentation.

6. Learning Curve and Developer Experience

Jakarta EE has a steeper learning curve, especially for newcomers, due to its reliance on specifications, deployment complexities, and application server setups. While it's well-documented, getting started can be slower without prior enterprise Java experience.

Spring Boot offers a smoother onboarding experience. With opinionated defaults, auto-configuration, and extensive community resources, developers can get up and running quickly. It's more approachable for beginners and highly productive for experienced teams.

7. Migration and Interoperability

Jakarta EE offers good backward compatibility with older Java EE applications, making migration smoother for legacy systems. However, moving to newer cloud-native architectures may require additional effort, especially when adapting to MicroProfile or modular deployment models.

Spring Boot is flexible when it comes to integrating with other technologies and migrating from older Spring or Java EE projects. Its broad support for REST APIs, messaging systems, and databases makes it easier to modernize monolithic apps into microservices.

Which One Is Right for Your Project?

Both frameworks are powerful in their own right, but they shine in different contexts. Let’s break down when each might be the right fit for your project.

When to Choose Jakarta EE

1. When you are modernizing a legacy Java EE application and want to maintain compatibility with minimal changes.

2. When your organization uses traditional application servers like Payara, WildFly, or Open Liberty, and you want to keep your infrastructure consistent.

3. When standards compliance and vendor neutrality are priorities, especially in heavily regulated industries like banking or government.

4. When your team has deep experience with enterprise Java and prefers the predictability of specification-driven development.

5. When long-term stability and portability across vendors are more important than rapid iteration or bleeding-edge features.

When to Choose Spring Boot

1. When you are building new applications from scratch, especially APIs, microservices, or event-driven systems.

2. When you want to move fast, with minimal configuration, auto-wiring, and opinionated defaults that reduce boilerplate.

3. When cloud-native architecture is your goal, with integration into Spring Cloud, Kubernetes, and modern CI/CD pipelines.

4. When you need a vibrant ecosystem with access to robust tools like Spring Security, Spring Data, and Actuator.

5. When your team prefers flexibility and modularity, with less reliance on centralized servers and more emphasis on lightweight, decoupled services.

Final Thoughts

Jakarta EE and Spring Boot solve different problems, and pretending they are direct competitors misses the point.

Jakarta EE shines when you are building enterprise systems that need to run reliably for years. It's standardized, predictable, and your ops team won't hate you for choosing it.

Spring Boot, on the other hand, gets you from idea to production fast. It is perfect for microservices, cloud deployments, and teams that want to focus on business logic instead of configuration files. The auto-configuration alone saves weeks of setup time.

The choice isn't about which framework is "better," it's about matching your tool to your situation. Building a monolith that needs to last a decade? Jakarta EE makes sense. Shipping microservices to AWS next month? Spring Boot will get you there faster.

Ready to make the call? Let our Java Development experts help you evaluate your options and build a solution that lasts.