10 Spring Framework Programs to Cover the Basics

Last updated: October 12, 2026

The Spring Framework covers significant ground. A collection of 10 basic programs offers a practical map for developers. These examples progress from Hello World through dependency injection, bean scopes, property configuration, MVC, security, AOP, transactions, REST, and finally Spring Boot.

The sequence follows the natural learning path for Spring. Each program builds on the previous one:

• Hello World establishes the basic project setup.
• Dependency injection and bean scopes cover the core container.
• Property files and Spring MVC handle configuration and web layers.
• Security, AOP, transactions, and REST round out additional capabilities.
• Spring Boot creates a self-contained executable JAR.

What each program teaches

The Hello World example pulls in Spring's core libraries, wires a basic application context, and prints a message on the console. It establishes the foundation every subsequent example relies on.

Dependency injection demonstrates moving from manual object creation to receiving services through constructor or setter injection. The program shows Spring's container handling dependency wiring, decoupling consumers from construction logic.

Bean scopes shift focus to lifecycle management. A singleton bean exists once per container; a prototype bean is created fresh on every request. The program covers both and illustrates when each applies.

Property configuration addresses the @Value annotation and PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer, mechanisms for externalizing configuration into property files. Spring MVC sets up the web layer with DispatcherServlet and a basic controller. Spring Security follows by adding authentication and authorization to the web layer.

Spring AOP introduces cross-cutting concerns like logging and caching without cluttering business code. Transaction management handles commit and rollback semantics for database operations. Spring REST builds RESTful services on top of MVC. Spring Boot closes the sequence with auto-configuration and a deployable JAR.

A practical learning sequence

For someone new to Spring, the natural order to work through these programs is: start with Hello World to confirm your environment runs Spring correctly, then move to dependency injection to understand the wiring model that underlies most Spring applications.

Skip ahead to property configuration once you have a real project. Spring MVC follows—you'll likely spend significant time within an MVC or WebFlux stack. Security, AOP, and transactions are concerns you'll eventually need but not on day one. REST and Spring Boot round out the picture; Boot makes the rest feel manageable.

Who should care

Beginners**: Start with Hello World. Confirm everything compiles before adding complexity.

Web developers**: Sequence through dependency injection, property configuration, then MVC. Security comes after you understand the web layer.

Backend developers**: Focus on transaction management and REST. These address the data layer directly.

Architects**: Scan all ten programs. The sequence shows how Spring layers its capabilities—and where seams between those layers exist.

Our analysis

The "10 basic programs" framing reflects Spring's actual structure: a core container with multiple capability layers stacked on top. The learning path matters. Attempting to absorb Spring web + Spring Security + Spring Data simultaneously typically ends in confusion.

The sequence the list implies works: core first, then layers. Each step is small enough to run and understand before moving forward.

The trade-off is that configuration conventions shift over time. PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer was the approach for property externalization; @ConfigurationProperties now handles similar needs differently. Dependency injection and bean scope concepts persist; the syntax around them evolves.

What to watch**: The framework's center of gravity has shifted toward Spring Boot and auto-configuration. The core concepts—dependency injection, beans, scopes—remain foundational. The surface conventions around them continue changing. When choosing tutorials, prefer ones that start with Boot rather than raw XML configuration.

Key takeaways

• The 10 programs span Hello World, dependency injection, bean scopes, property configuration, MVC, security, AOP, transactions, REST, and Spring Boot.
• Core concepts first, web layer second, cross-cutting concerns last—that's the natural learning order.
• Spring Boot is the meta-framework that wraps the other capabilities together.
• Modern tutorials typically use Boot from the start rather than XML configuration.