How to Create a Spring Boot Project in IntelliJ IDEA (Free Community Edition)

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Spring Boot makes Java application development simple and efficient. With Spring Initializr, you can quickly set up a project, and using the free IntelliJ IDEA Free Community Edition, you can start coding immediately. In this guide, we’ll show you how to create a Spring Boot project, import it into IntelliJ IDEA, and build a simple REST API.

YouTube Video

We recommend watching the YouTube video below to learn how to create a Spring Boot project in IntelliJ IDEA (Free Community Edition) IDE using Spring Initializr and build Spring Boot REST API:

What You’ll Need

1. Java Development Kit (JDK 23):
   Download and install JDK 23 from Oracle or OpenJDK.

   • Verify the installation:

     java -version
     

2. IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition:
   Download the free version of IntelliJ IDEA from JetBrains.

Step 1: Create a Spring Boot Project with Spring Initializr

1. Visit Spring Initializr:
   Go to Spring Initializr in your web browser.

2. Fill in Project Details:

   • Group: com.example
   • Artifact: spring-boot-rest-api
   • Name: SpringBootRestApi
   • Packaging: Jar
   • Java Version: 23

3. Add Dependencies:

   • Click Add Dependencies and select:
     • Spring Web: To build REST APIs.
     • Spring Boot DevTools: For hot-reloading during development.

4. Download the Project:

   • Click Generate to download the project as a ZIP file.

5. Extract the ZIP File:
   Extract the downloaded project to a folder (e.g., C:\Projects\SpringBootRestApi).

Step 2: Open the Project in IntelliJ IDEA

1. Launch IntelliJ IDEA:

   • Open IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition.

2. Open the Project:

   • From the IntelliJ welcome screen, click Open.
   • Navigate to the folder where you extracted the Spring Boot project and select it.

3. Wait for Dependencies:

   • IntelliJ will automatically detect the pom.xml file (Maven project) and download the necessary dependencies.

Step 3: Explore the Project Structure

Your project will look something like this:

spring-boot-rest-api/
├── src/
│   ├── main/
│   │   ├── java/com/example/springbootrestapi/
│   │   │   └── SpringBootRestApiApplication.java
│   │   └── resources/
│   │       ├── application.properties
├── pom.xml

• SpringBootRestApiApplication.java: The main class for your Spring Boot application.
• application.properties: Configuration file for the application.
• pom.xml: Maven’s configuration file to manage dependencies.

Step 4: Create a Simple REST API

1. Create a Controller:

   • Inside the com.example.springbootrestapi package, right-click and select New > Java Class.
   • Name the class HelloController.

2. Add REST API Code:

   • Open HelloController.java and paste the following code:

     package com.example.springbootrestapi;
     
     import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
     import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;
     
     @RestController
     public class HelloController {
     
         @GetMapping("/")
         public String sayHello() {
             return "Welcome to Spring Boot 3!";
         }
     }

Step 5: Run the Application

1. Run the Application:

   • Open the SpringBootRestApiApplication.java file.
   • Right-click and select Run 'SpringBootRestApiApplication'.

2. Verify the API:

   • Once the application starts, open your browser and go to:

     http://localhost:8080/
     

   • You should see the message:

     Welcome to Spring Boot 3!

Conclusion

You’ve successfully created a Spring Boot project, imported it into IntelliJ IDEA, and built a REST API. This basic setup can now be expanded to include more features, such as additional endpoints, services, or database connections. Happy coding!