For years, Java development has been dominated by a few heavyweight IDEs like Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, and NetBeans. These platforms have long been the go-to for Java developers due to their robust features and deep support for Java-specific tools. However, in recent years, a new contender has emerged in the development landscape: Visual Studio Code (VS Code). Known for its lightweight nature and vast array of extensions, VS Code has quickly become a popular choice for many developers, including those working with Java. Despite its primary role as a general-purpose code editor, VS Code has grown to offer impressive Java development capabilities, making it a viable option for building everything from small projects to complex enterprise applications.
So, why consider Visual Studio Code for Java development? The answer lies in its versatility. Not only does it provide first-class support for Java, but it also excels in handling a wide range of other technologies, including JavaScript, Node.js, and Python. This makes it an excellent choice for full-stack development, where developers often work across multiple languages and technologies. In this article, we’ll focus on building an enterprise-grade Java backend with Spring Boot, a popular framework for creating Java applications, and connecting it to a modern Svelte JavaScript frontend.
Before we dive into the development process, there are a few prerequisites. You’ll need to have Java and Maven installed on your system, as well as the latest version of Visual Studio Code. If you don’t already have these installed, the process is straightforward. Simply download and install them from their respective websites. Once your environment is set up, you’re ready to start building your Java application in VS Code.
To get started with a new Spring Boot project, we’ll use Spring Initializr, an online tool that generates the necessary boilerplate for a Spring application. In Visual Studio Code, you’ll first need to install the “Spring Initializr Java Support” extension. Once installed, you can easily create a new Spring Boot Web application by simply launching the Spring Initializr from within VS Code. This integration streamlines the setup process, so you can focus on writing business logic rather than configuring the project manually. Let’s walk through the steps to create your first Spring Boot app in Visual Studio Code and get it connected to a Svelte frontend.