Building a Struts Application with Spring Boot: Can and Should You?

When discussing modern web application development, Spring Boot and Struts often cross paths. While Spring Boot has been the go-to choice for many developers due to its simplicity and powerful features, Struts is sometimes seen as an alternative, especially in situations where a more traditional MVC (Model-View-Controller) stack is preferred. This article explores the feasibility and practicality of integrating Struts into a Spring Boot application.

Can You Do It?

While the official documentation and community support for integrating Struts into Spring Boot are minimal, it is indeed possible to build a Struts application using Spring Boot. This can be achieved through a variety of approaches, with the most common being the use of the Spring Boot embedded servlet container and the Struts framework's lightweight servlet container.

Why Use Struts with Spring Boot?

There are several reasons why you might consider using Struts with Spring Boot. Firstly, Struts is well-suited for extensive web applications and has a mature ecosystem. Its focus on providing a simple and scalable framework for developing web applications makes it an attractive choice for those who value stability and robustness. Additionally, the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture of Struts can be combined with the powerful features of Spring Boot, such as dependency injection and auto-configuration, to create a highly maintainable and flexible application.

Challenges and Solutions

While integrating Struts with Spring Boot can be beneficial, it does come with its challenges. One of the primary issues is the lack of direct support, which means you will need to seek out third-party libraries and plugins to bridge the gap. Here are some strategies to help overcome these challenges:

1. Use the Spring Boot Admin for Monitoring and Management

Spring Boot Admin is a monitoring and management tool for Spring Boot applications. By integrating Struts with Spring Boot Admin, you can get detailed performance insights and manage your application more effectively. This tool can help you monitor the health and performance of your combined Struts and Spring Boot application seamlessly.

2. Leverage Integration Libraries and Plugins

Several third-party libraries and plugins are available to help with the integration process. For example, the Spring Boot Starter and Spring Boot Immersion Guide can provide a solid foundation for your Struts application. Additionally, the Struts2 Spring Plugin can simplify the integration between Struts and Spring Boot.

3. Optimize Dependency Management

Effective dependency management is crucial when integrating frameworks. By carefully managing your dependencies, you can prevent conflicts and ensure smooth integration. Use Maven or Gradle to manage your project dependencies and ensure that both Struts and Spring Boot are compatible with each other.

Practical Example

To illustrate the integration process, consider a basic example where you create a Struts-based web application within a Spring Boot environment. Here are the high-level steps you would take:

Step 1: Set Up Your Spring Boot Application

Start by creating a new Spring Boot project. You can use Spring Initializr () to generate a basic project structure. Ensure that necessary dependencies such as Spring Web and Spring Boot Admin are included.

Step 2: Add Struts Dependencies

Add the required Struts dependencies to your project. For Maven, you can include the following in your POM file:

    
    struts2-core
    2.5.23

This will allow you to use Struts features within your Spring Boot application.

Step 3: Configure Struts in Spring Boot

Configure Struts to work within the Spring Boot environment. You can create a Struts configuration file (struts.xml) and integrate it with Spring Boot's web configuration. Here is an example of a simple struts.xml configuration:

struts
    constant name"" value"false" /
    package name"default" namespace"/" extends"struts-default"
        action name"helloWorldAction" class"" /
    /package
/struts

This example defines a simple action that will be part of your Spring Boot application.

Step 4: Create Struts Actions

Implement the Struts actions within your Spring Boot application. For instance, in the example above, the `HelloWorldAction` class should implement the logic for handling the `helloWorldAction` request:

package ;
import ;
public class HelloWorldAction extends ActionSupport {
    private String result;
    public String execute() {
        result  "Hello, World!";
        return SUCCESS;
    }
}

This action will return a simple message when accessed.

Conclusion

While integrating Struts into a Spring Boot application may not be the most straightforward or commonly chosen approach, it is certainly possible. By leveraging the strengths of both frameworks, you can create highly flexible and maintainable web applications. However, it is important to carefully consider your specific needs and weigh the benefits against the potential complexities involved in integration.