When I first started Java web development as a software engineering undergraduate, I jumped into Servlets, writing long classes, handling requests manually, configuring web.xml, and basically doing everything the hard way. At one point, I felt like I was coding with stone tools.
But honestly, Servlets taught me the fundamentals. And fundamentals matter.
Later, when I moved to Spring Boot, I finally understood why the entire world said,
“We want speed, not boilerplate!”
So… Why Did the World Move from Servlets to Spring?
1. The world needed speed, not boilerplate
Servlets make you type enough code to question all your life choices. Spring Boot makes things happen with just one annotation. @RestController basically said:
“Stop suffering. Let me help.”
2. Big applications needed structure
- Servlets = everything everywhere all at once.
- Spring = Controller -> Service -> Repository.
- A clean setup that even future-you will thank you for.
3. Dependency Injection = goodbye new keyword abuse
Spring handles object creation so smoothly that you start wondering:
“Was I really creating objects manually all this time?”
4. Power of Spring Boot
Spring Boot is like a Swiss Army knife for Java developers: built-in servers, security, database integration, monitoring, and more. It’s fast, scalable, and makes building production-ready apps feel… almost magical.
- Built-in servers -> You don’t need to configure Tomcat separately
- Security -> Spring Security integration out-of-the-box
- Database integration -> Spring Data JPA and easy DB connections
- Monitoring -> Actuator for metrics, health checks, etc.
- Other tools -> Validation, logging, JSON handling, REST APIs
5. Built-in power
Security, validation, JPA, JSON, logging… Spring Boot is that friend who shows up with everything when you bring nothing to the party.
But… I Still Believe Every Beginner Should Start With Servlets
Why? Because understanding Servlets gives you superpowers:
- You understand how the web actually works
- You appreciate Spring Boot way more
- You don’t become a “framework-only” developer
- Debugging becomes easier because you know what’s behind the curtain
Skipping Servlets is like trying to drive an automatic car without knowing what a clutch even is. Sure, you’ll move… but you won’t understand the machine.
Learning Servlets felt like building a house brick by brick. Learning Spring Boot felt like suddenly discovering power tools—fast, scalable, and ready for the real world.
Together, they made me a better developer.
So if you’re an undergraduate or beginner like me:
Learn Servlets for the pain—Learn Spring Boot for the gain
And trust me, once you switch to Spring Boot, you’ll never look back… unless you enjoy writing 100 lines of code to print one message.
~Sisuru’s Lens 🤓–Thoughts on Coding, Learning & Tech | #01
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