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Spring Framework VS Apache FreeMarker

Compare Spring Framework VS Apache FreeMarker and see what are their differences

Spring Framework logo Spring Framework

The Spring Framework provides a comprehensive programming and configuration model for modern Java-based enterprise applications - on any kind of deployment platform.

Apache FreeMarker logo Apache FreeMarker

Java template engine; generates HTML web pages, e-mails, configuration files, source code, etc. from template files and the data your application provides.
  • Spring Framework Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-18
  • Apache FreeMarker Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-21

Spring Framework features and specs

  • Comprehensive Ecosystem
    Spring Framework provides a vast array of tools and modules which address various aspects of application development such as security, data access, and messaging. This helps in building robust enterprise applications.
  • Inversion of Control (IoC) Container
    Spring's IoC container promotes loose coupling by managing object lifecycles and dependencies, making the code more modular and testable.
  • Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP)
    Spring's AOP module allows for separating cross-cutting concerns like logging, transaction management, and security, making the code cleaner and more maintainable.
  • Spring Boot
    Spring Boot streamlines the setup and development of new Spring applications with built-in configurations and convention over configuration, reducing boilerplate code and speeding up development time.
  • Large Community and Support
    Spring has a large and active community, extensive documentation, and a wide selection of online resources which make it easier to find support and solutions to common problems.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Spring Framework offers seamless integration with various other technologies and frameworks, including Hibernate for ORM, Apache Kafka for messaging, and more.

Possible disadvantages of Spring Framework

  • Complexity
    Spring Framework can be complex and have a steep learning curve, especially for newcomers who are not familiar with its extensive set of features and configurations.
  • Configuration Overhead
    Although Spring Boot reduces the configuration burden, traditional Spring applications may still require extensive XML or annotation-based configurations, which can be cumbersome.
  • Performance Overhead
    The flexibility and the modular nature of Spring can introduce some performance overhead compared to more lightweight solutions, which could be a concern in highly performance-sensitive applications.
  • Version Incompatibility
    Upgrading between different versions of the Spring Framework and its associated projects can sometimes lead to compatibility issues and necessitate significant code changes.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies in a large Spring application can become complicated, particularly when dealing with multiple modules and third-party libraries, potentially leading to dependency conflicts.

Apache FreeMarker features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Spring Framework videos

What is the Spring framework really all about?

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Spring Framework Tutorial | Full Course

Apache FreeMarker videos

Apache Freemarker Template Demo with Spring Boot

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Spring Framework and Apache FreeMarker)
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Application And Data
0 0%
100% 100
Web Frameworks
93 93%
7% 7
JavaScript Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Spring Framework and Apache FreeMarker

Spring Framework Reviews

Top 9 best Frameworks for web development
Spring offers a wide range of frameworks, such as an MVC framework, a data access framework and a transaction management framework. With its focus on scalability and security, Spring is an excellent choice.
Source: www.kiwop.com
17 Popular Java Frameworks for 2023: Pros, cons, and more
Therefore, the configuration, setup, build, and deployment processes all require multiple steps you might not want to deal with, especially if you’re working on a smaller project. Spring Boot (a micro framework that runs on top of the Spring Framework) is a solution for this problem, as it allows you to set up your Spring application faster, with much less configuration.
Source: raygun.com
Top 10 Phoenix Framework Alternatives
Spring Framework is an open-source app framework and inversion of control container for the Java platform, providing the infrastructure required to develop Java and web apps on top of the Java EE platform.
10 Best Java Frameworks You Should Know
Spring Framework is one of the most extensively used, top-notch, lightweight software application frameworks built for software design, development, and deployment in Java.

Apache FreeMarker Reviews

We have no reviews of Apache FreeMarker yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Spring Framework should be more popular than Apache FreeMarker. It has been mentiond 13 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Spring Framework mentions (13)

  • March 2025 Java Key Updates in Boot, Security, and More
    The release of Spring Framework 6.2.5 includes:. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Getting Started with Spring Boot 3 for .NET Developers
    Spring Framework 6: https://spring.io/projects/spring-framework. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Want to Get Better at Java? Go Old School.
    We had to write our own frameworks (uphill, both ways) but most current frameworks will have similar documentation pages as well. Both Apache and Spring are especially good at that. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Best Frameworks For Web Development
    Framework link: https://spring.io/projects/spring-framework Github Link: https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • What to you do now?
    A common used Java framework is Spring framework (ie https://spring.io/projects/spring-framework and short tutorials at https://www.baeldung.com/spring-intro). Source: almost 3 years ago
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Apache FreeMarker mentions (8)

  • Using FreeMarker template engine in Sitecore Personalize
    FreeMarker is a template engine, it allows to generate text output based on templates and dynamic data. It is similar to Mustache, Handlebars, Thymeleaf and other template engines. Templates are written in the FreeMarker Template Language (FTL) that supports conditional blocks, iterations, formatting, and many other capabilities. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • m8a scenario #1 - Using Coder to Develop Keycloak Templates Live (almost)...
    Getting back to our two main technologies....we have implemented Keycloak as our Identification and Authorization Management system (IAM). However, as these things go, Keycloak has its own tech stack. One of the technologies, of course, is the language they used, which is Java. And being it is Java, they chose to use a templating engine called Freemarker. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Typescript, Webpack and legacy jquery with plugins
    The project I was working on was a website using Magnolia as their CMS. It uses the Freemarker templating engine under the hood. Essentially these are super-powered HTML files, which give you access to the CMS content. You can still use all of the HTML tags you want, including the. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Can I use Java to build a website?
    You can use Java for Backend and Frontend. A relative new kid on the block for Frontend is Qute. The general keyword you are searching for is Java Templating Engine. Specific examples would be Thymeleaf or FreeMarker. There are some framework, which offer a lot more than templating like Vaadin or Wicket. Some are just specifications like Jakarta Faces with some of their implementations MyFaces or Mojarra. Source: over 2 years ago
  • How to create a Keycloak plugin
    Keycloak uses FreeMaker to store and render templates. Read more about how Keycloak manages its themes in the official documentation. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Spring Framework and Apache FreeMarker, you can also consider the following products

Grails - An Open Source, full stack, web application framework for the JVM

Apache POI - Application and Data, Languages & Frameworks, and Java Tools

Django - The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines

Guava - Google core libraries for Java 6+.

Laravel - A PHP Framework For Web Artisans

RxJava - RxJava – Reactive Extensions for the JVM is a library for composing asynchronous and event-based programs using observable sequences.