Spring Boot vs Quarkus: Which Should You Use and Why

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October 24, 2023

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We compare Spring Boot vs Quarkus to provide you with comprehensive insights, helping you select the perfect framework for your project.

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In this article, we will compare the features, performance, development cost, market popularity, and other aspects of Spring Boot and Quarkus. By examining these factors, we aim to help you make an informed decision about which framework is best suited for your applications. Let's compare Spring Boot vs Quarkus.


Spring Boot vs Quarkus - Spring Boot logo - Bluebird Blog
Spring Boot vs Quarkus - Quarkus logo - Bluebird Blog

What is Spring Boot?

Spring Boot is an open-source Java-based framework that simplifies the creation, configuration, and running of microservice enterprise web applications. With its extensive feature set and support for Java, Kotlin, and Groovy, it has become a popular choice among developers.

Features Of Spring Boot

Spring Boot offers a comprehensive set of features that leverage the capabilities of the Spring Framework. These features contribute to the framework's popularity among developers for building enterprise-level applications. Let's explore some of the key features of Spring Boot:

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1. Inversion of Control Container

Spring Boot utilizes an inversion of control (IoC) container, which manages the creation and dependency injection of application components. This allows developers to focus on business logic rather than managing object instantiation and dependencies.

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2. Aspect-Oriented Programming Framework

Spring Boot integrates with AspectJ, an open-source aspect-oriented programming (AOP) framework. This feature enables developers to modularize cross-cutting concerns, such as logging, security, and transaction management, reducing code duplication and improving code maintainability.

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3. Model-View-Controller Framework

Spring Boot includes a powerful model-view-controller (MVC) framework for building web applications. This framework provides a structured approach to handling web requests and responses, facilitating the development of RESTful APIs and server-side rendering of web pages.

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4. Data Access Framework

Spring Boot integrates with various data access technologies, including Spring Data JPA, JDBC, and NoSQL databases. This feature simplifies database operations by providing consistent APIs and reducing boilerplate code.

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5. Batch Framework

Spring Boot supports batch processing through the Spring Batch framework. This feature enables developers to efficiently process large volumes of data, such as nightly data synchronization, report generation, and data analysis.

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6. Transactional Management Framework

Spring Boot provides robust support for transactional management, allowing developers to ensure data consistency and integrity across multiple data sources. This feature simplifies the handling of database transactions and improves application reliability.

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7. Remote Access Framework

Spring Boot facilitates the development of remote access capabilities through RESTful web services, messaging systems, and other remote protocols. This feature enables seamless integration with other applications and services.

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8. Authentication and Authorization Framework

Spring Boot includes a flexible and extensible framework for implementing authentication and authorization mechanisms. This feature ensures secure access control to application resources and supports various authentication protocols, such as OAuth2 and JWT.

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9. Integration Framework

Spring Boot provides integration capabilities for connecting with third-party systems, such as enterprise service buses (ESBs), message brokers, and external APIs. This feature simplifies the integration of disparate systems and enables seamless data exchange.

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10. Testing Framework

Spring Boot offers a comprehensive set of testing utilities, including the Spring Test framework, Mockito, and JUnit. This feature supports unit testing, integration testing, and end-to-end testing, ensuring the quality and reliability of Spring Boot applications.

Spring Boot's unique combination of features makes it a powerful and flexible framework for building enterprise-level applications. Its adoption by the developer community is a testament to its effectiveness and popularity in the industry.

Framework

Spring Boot

Language Support

Java, Kotlin, Groovy

Feature Set

Inversion of control, aspect-oriented programming, MVC, data access, batch processing, transactions, remote access, authentication, authorization, integration, testing

Popularity

High

Community Support

Extensive


What is Quarkus?

Quarkus is an open-source Java framework that simplifies the development and deployment of Java applications. It provides a lightweight and efficient platform for building cloud-native applications, leveraging its support for Java, Kotlin, and Scala. One of the key features of Quarkus is its ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation, which optimizes the use of resources and allows for fast startup times. This makes Quarkus an ideal choice for developing applications in containerized environments like Docker and Kubernetes.

Spring Boot vs Quarkus - Quarkus logo - Bluebird Blog

With Quarkus, developers can benefit from the productivity of Java while taking advantage of the flexibility and scalability offered by containerization. The framework offers a streamlined development experience, enabling rapid iteration through features like live reload and hot reloading. Quarkus also provides native support for Kubernetes, making it a Kubernetes-native framework that can seamlessly integrate with the distributed ecosystem.

Overall, Quarkus is a powerful open-source Java framework that provides developers with the tools and capabilities to build efficient and scalable Java applications. Its focus on resource optimization, fast startup times, and cloud-native development make it a popular choice for modern application development.

Framework

Key Features

Performance

Development Mode

Support and Community

Quarkus

AOT compilation, Kubernetes-native support

Fast startup time, optimized resource usage

Live reload, hot reloading

Active and growing community


Features of Quarkus

In this section, we will explore the key features of Quarkus, highlighting why it is a preferred choice for building cloud-native applications.

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1. Kubernetes Native Framework

Quarkus is designed to be a Kubernetes-native framework, providing seamless integration and optimized performance in containerized environments. Its lightweight nature and efficient resource utilization make it an excellent option for deploying applications in Kubernetes clusters.

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2. Performance Optimization

One of Quarkus' standout features is its focus on performance optimization. By leveraging ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation, Quarkus significantly reduces startup time and memory footprint. This enables faster response times, lower resource consumption, and improved scalability.

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3. Smaller Framework Size

Quarkus offers a smaller framework size compared to other Java frameworks. This compactness helps reduce the overall size of your applications, resulting in faster deployment times and reduced disk space requirements.

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4. Faster Startup Time

With its AOT compilation and lightweight design, Quarkus boasts impressive startup times. The framework excels in scenarios where fast boot times are critical, such as serverless architectures or auto-scaled environments.

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5. Development Mode and Experience

Quarkus provides a development mode that enhances coding productivity. It offers features like hot reloading and live reload, enabling developers to make changes to the code and instantly see the updates without restarting the application. This iterative development process improves efficiency and accelerates time-to-market.

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6. Support and Community

While Quarkus is a relatively newer framework, it has a growing and active community. Developers using Quarkus can access online resources, tutorials, and guides to help them get started and overcome any challenges they may encounter. The support and response from the Quarkus community further contribute to the framework's adoption and success.


Spring Boot vs Quarkus: Feature Comparison

Feature

Spring Boot vs Quarkus - Quarkus logo - Bluebird Blog
Spring Boot vs Quarkus - Spring Boot logo - Bluebird Blog

Kubernetes Native

+

-

Framework Size

Smaller

Larger

Startup Time

Faster

Slower

Development Mode

+

+

Support and Community

Active

Extensive

The table above provides a quick comparison between Quarkus and Spring Boot in terms of key features. While Quarkus excels in areas such as Kubernetes integration, performance optimization, smaller framework size, and faster startup time, Spring Boot benefits from a more mature ecosystem and extensive community support. The choice between the two frameworks ultimately depends on the specific needs and priorities of your project.


Spring Boot Vs Quarkus: Comparing Performance

When it comes to comparing the performance of Spring Boot and Quarkus, there are several key metrics to consider. These include startup time, build artifact time, artifact size, loaded classes, CPU usage, heap size, used heap, RSS memory, max threads, and requests per second. By analyzing these benchmarks, we can gain valuable insights into the efficiency and resource utilization of each framework.

Performance Metrics Comparison Table

Metric

Spring Boot vs Quarkus - Spring Boot logo - Bluebird Blog
Spring Boot vs Quarkus - Quarkus logo - Bluebird Blog

Startup Time

Higher

Lower

Build Artifact Time

Higher

Lower

Artifact Size

Larger

Smaller

Loaded Classes

More

Fewer

CPU Usage

Higher

Lower

Heap Size

Larger

Smaller

Used Heap

More

Less

RSS Memory

Higher

Lower

Max Threads

More

Fewer

Requests per Second

Lower

Higher

Starting with startup time, Quarkus demonstrates a clear advantage over Spring Boot. Quarkus boasts faster startup times, enabling applications to be up and running more quickly. This can be especially beneficial for applications that require rapid scaling or have strict latency requirements.

In terms of build artifact time and artifact size, Quarkus also shines. The framework's ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation allows for faster build times and smaller artifact sizes compared to Spring Boot. This can contribute to improved developer productivity and reduced resource consumption during deployment.

Furthermore, Quarkus exhibits lower CPU usage, smaller heap size, and reduced memory footprint (both used heap and RSS memory) compared to Spring Boot. These performance optimizations can result in more efficient resource utilization and improved scalability, enabling applications to handle higher loads and perform better under demanding conditions.

Finally, when it comes to requests per second, Quarkus again demonstrates its prowess. The framework is designed to handle high volumes of requests efficiently, ensuring optimal performance even under heavy traffic. This is particularly valuable for applications that require high throughput or real-time data processing.

The performance comparison between Spring Boot and Quarkus highlights the strengths of each framework. While Spring Boot benefits from its established ecosystem and extensive community support, Quarkus excels in terms of startup time, build efficiency, resource utilization, and handling high volumes of requests. Ultimately, the choice between the two will depend on the specific requirements and priorities of your application.


Spring Boot Vs Quarkus: Development Mode and Experience

Both Spring Boot and Quarkus offer development modes that greatly enhance coding productivity. These development modes provide features such as hot reloading and live reload, which allow developers to make changes to the code and instantly see the updates without having to rebuild the entire application. This significantly speeds up the development process and improves the overall development experience.

With Spring Boot's development mode, developers can take advantage of automatic restart, which detects changes in the code and automatically restarts the application. This saves time and eliminates the need for manual restarts after making changes. Additionally, Spring Boot supports hot reloading, enabling developers to modify the code while the application is running, and see the changes immediately in the browser. This feature promotes a seamless and efficient development workflow.

Similarly, Quarkus provides a powerful development mode with live coding and hot reloading capabilities. Quarkus' live coding feature allows developers to write code and immediately observe the changes in real-time without restarting the application. This feature accelerates the development process by providing instant feedback and eliminating the need for repetitive build and deployment cycles. Additionally, Quarkus supports hot reloading, enabling developers to modify the code while the application is running, and see the changes immediately.

Coding Productivity

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    Spring Boot's development mode offers automatic restart and hot reloading, enhancing coding productivity.
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    Quarkus provides live coding and hot reloading capabilities, allowing developers to make changes and instantly see the updates without restarting the application.

In summary, both Spring Boot and Quarkus offer development modes that significantly improve coding productivity. They provide features like hot reloading and live reload, enabling developers to make changes to the code and see the updates in real-time without the need for manual restarts or repetitive build cycles. These development modes enhance the overall development experience and accelerate the iteration process.


Spring Boot Vs Quarkus: Support and Community

In terms of support and community, Spring Boot has a larger and more established presence compared to Quarkus. The Spring Boot community offers a vast amount of resources, tutorials, guides, and sample code to assist developers in their projects. This extensive support network enables developers to quickly find solutions and leverage best practices when working with Spring Boot.

On the other hand, Quarkus is a newer framework that is rapidly growing its community. While resources may be relatively fewer compared to Spring Boot, the Quarkus community is active and responsive. They provide support and assistance to users through forums, mailing lists, and online communities.

When it comes to finding answers to technical questions or seeking guidance, both Spring Boot and Quarkus provide valuable resources. However, developers considering these frameworks may find that the larger Spring Boot community has more readily available materials to support their development process.

Spring Boot Community Resources:

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    Official documentation
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    Tutorials and guides
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    Sample code repositories
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    Online forums and discussion boards

Quarkus Community Resources:

  1. 1
    Official documentation
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    Community forums and mailing lists
  3. 3
    Online communities and chat groups
  4. 4
    Open-source project repositories

Spring Boot Vs Quarkus: Comparison Table

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the key features, performance metrics, development mode, and support and community aspects of Spring Boot and Quarkus:

Spring Boot vs Quarkus - Spring Boot Sheet - Bluebird Blog

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Spring Boot vs Quarkus - Quarkus Sheet - Bluebird Blog

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This comparison table provides an overview of the features, performance, development mode, and support and community aspects of Spring Boot and Quarkus. Spring Boot offers a comprehensive set of features and has a mature and extensive community. It provides a moderate level of performance and is well-suited for enterprise-level applications. On the other hand, Quarkus is a lightweight framework optimized for cloud-native applications. It offers superior performance, faster startup time, and efficient resource usage. Although it has a smaller community compared to Spring Boot, the Quarkus community is active and responsive, providing support to its users.

When choosing between Spring Boot and Quarkus, it is important to consider your specific project requirements and the skills of your development team. If you require a robust framework with extensive community support and resources, Spring Boot may be the better choice. However, if you value performance, efficiency, and a fast development iteration process, Quarkus offers compelling advantages. Ultimately, the choice between the two frameworks will depend on your specific needs and preferences.


Other framework comparisons from Bluebird:


FAQ

What is Spring Boot?

Spring Boot is an open-source Java-based framework that simplifies the creation, configuration, and running of microservices enterprise web applications.

What are the features of Spring Boot?

Spring Boot offers features such as an inversion of control container, aspect-oriented programming framework, model-view-controller framework, data access framework, batch framework, transactional management framework, remote access framework, authentication and authorization framework, integration framework, and testing framework.

Spring Boot vs Quarkus - FAQ - Bluebird Blog

What is Quarkus?

Quarkus is an open-source Java framework that simplifies the development and deployment of Java applications. It supports Java, Kotlin, and Scala and provides ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation.

What are the features of Quarkus?

Quarkus offers features such as native support for Kubernetes, performance optimization through AOT compilation, smaller framework size, faster startup time, development mode for fast iteration and hot reloading, rich development experience, and active support and community.

How does Quarkus compare to Spring Boot in terms of performance?

Quarkus outperforms Spring Boot in metrics such as startup time, build artifact time, memory usage, CPU usage, and requests per second. It is optimized for fast and efficient execution, making it suitable for resource-constrained environments.

What are the development modes and experiences offered by Spring Boot and Quarkus?

Both Spring Boot and Quarkus offer features like hot reloading and live reload, allowing developers to make changes to the code and see the updates in real-time without rebuilding the entire application. These development modes enhance coding productivity.

How do the support and communities of Spring Boot and Quarkus differ?

Spring Boot has a larger and more established community compared to Quarkus, with a vast amount of resources, tutorials, guides, and sample code available. Quarkus, on the other hand, is rapidly growing its community and has an active and responsive support base.

What are the key differences between Spring Boot and Quarkus?

The key differences between Spring Boot and Quarkus are their performance metrics, development modes, and community support. Quarkus offers superior performance and a unique live reload feature, while Spring Boot benefits from its mature ecosystem and extensive community resources.

Which framework should I choose for my project?

The choice between Spring Boot and Quarkus depends on specific project requirements and the skills of the development team. Quarkus is favorable for performance optimization and resource usage, while Spring Boot has a larger community and a wide range of resources. Consider your specific needs and preferences when making a decision.

Where can I find additional resources and references for Quarkus and Spring Boot?

For more information and resources on Quarkus and Spring Boot, refer to the official documentation and websites of both frameworks. Additionally, learn about GraalVM native features and the experimental Spring Native project for Spring Boot 2.


Thank you for reading our comparative analysis. We hope that this article has helped you make an informed decision about Spring Boot vs Quarkus frameworks. 

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