The modularity of Spring Framework is one of the most important reasons for its widespread used. Spring Framework is highly modular with more than 20 different modules--having clearly defined boundaries.
The following figure shows different Spring modules--organized by the layer of application they are typically used in:
We will start with discussing the Spring Core Container before moving on to other modules grouped by the application layer they are typically used in.
Spring Core Container provides the core features of Spring Framework--dependency injection, IoC (Inversion of Control) container, and the application context. We will learn more about DI and IoC Container in Chapter 2, Dependency Injection.
Important core Spring modules are listed in the following table:
Module/Artifact | Use |
spring-core | Utilities used by other Spring modules. |
spring-beans | Support for Spring beans. In combination with spring-core provides the core feature of Spring Framework--dependency... |