Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Spring Framework VS MyBATIS

Compare Spring Framework VS MyBATIS 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.

MyBATIS logo MyBATIS

MyBatis is a top-rated SQL-based data mapping solution used by Programmers, Software Engineers, and Database Architects for developing object-oriented software applications.
  • Spring Framework Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-18
  • MyBATIS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-18

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.

MyBATIS features and specs

  • Simplicity
    MyBatis is easier to use compared to other ORM tools because it provides a simple and direct approach to database interaction using XML or annotations, making it accessible for developers familiar with SQL.
  • Flexibility in SQL
    It allows for complete control over SQL queries, enabling developers to write complex queries and use full SQL syntax without constraints, unlike automated ORM solutions.
  • Performance
    Since developers have direct control over SQL statements, the performance can be optimized for specific use cases, potentially reducing the overhead that automated ORM solutions might introduce.
  • Mapping
    Offers robust and customizable mapping capabilities between database tables and Java classes, helping in clearly defining how data should be transformed between the system and the data layer.
  • Lazy Loading
    Supports lazy loading of related objects, which can improve performance by delaying the fetching of data until it is specifically needed.

Possible disadvantages of MyBATIS

  • Manual SQL Management
    The need to manually write and maintain SQL can be cumbersome and error-prone, especially for complex applications with large numbers of queries.
  • Lack of Automated Associations
    MyBatis does not inherently manage relationships between entities like some other ORM tools, which requires developers to handle association mappings themselves.
  • Limited Abstraction
    Compared to full ORM frameworks, MyBatis offers less abstraction over the database layer, which means developers must handle more of the database logic manually.
  • Learning Curve for XML
    While not steep, there is a learning curve involved in configuring MyBatis using XML for those who are more accustomed to purely annotation-driven configuration or other ORM tools.
  • Reduced Portability
    Because SQL is database-specific, MyBatis applications might become less portable across different database platforms when relying extensively on custom SQL.

Spring Framework videos

What is the Spring framework really all about?

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Spring Framework Tutorial | Full Course

MyBATIS videos

Screencast #18: Introduction to mybatis

More videos:

  • Demo - MyBatis Intro & Demo

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Spring Framework and MyBATIS)
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Web Frameworks
82 82%
18% 18
Development
0 0%
100% 100
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 MyBATIS

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.

MyBATIS Reviews

17 Popular Java Frameworks for 2023: Pros, cons, and more
MyBatis is somewhat similar to the Hibernate framework, as both facilitate communication between the application layer and the database. However, MyBatis doesn’t map Java objects to database tables like Hibernate does — instead, it links Java methods to SQL statements. As a result, SQL is visible when you’re working with the MyBatis framework, and you still have control over...
Source: raygun.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Spring Framework should be more popular than MyBATIS. 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 1 month 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: over 2 years ago
View more

MyBATIS mentions (2)

  • How do you guys go about the persistence layer?
    Other tools you can look at for the data layer are MyBatis (https://mybatis.org/mybatis-3/) and JOOQ (https://www.jooq.org) they put you a little closer to the database than JPA/Hibernate. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Do most established companies use ORMs?
    While its not as well known, have you ever glanced at mybatis? https://mybatis.org/mybatis-3/. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

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

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

Hibernate - Hibernate an open source Java persistence framework project.

Django - The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines

Entity Framework - See Comparison of Entity Framework vs NHibernate.

Laravel - A PHP Framework For Web Artisans

Dapper - Dapper is a user-friendly object mapper for the .NET framework.