How to Create a Package in a Spring Boot Project in VS Code
Tags: webdev, beginners, programming, tutorial
Published: 2024-06-22 11:46:44



Spring Boot is a popular framework for building Java-based applications, and Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a powerful, lightweight code editor that supports Java development. In this blog, we'll walk you through creating a Spring Boot project in VS Code, setting up a package structure, and running your application.

#### Prerequisites

Before we start, make sure you have the following installed:

- **Java Development Kit (JDK)**: You can download it from [Oracle's official site](https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase-downloads.html) or use OpenJDK.
- **Maven**: You can download it from [Maven's official site](https://maven.apache.org/download.cgi).
- **Visual Studio Code**: Download it from [here](https://code.visualstudio.com/).
- **VS Code Extensions**: Install the following extensions:
  - [Java Extension Pack](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=vscjava.vscode-java-pack)
  - [Spring Boot Extension Pack](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Pivotal.vscode-spring-boot)

#### Step 1: Create a Spring Boot Project

1. **Open VS Code** and open the integrated terminal by pressing `Ctrl + `` (backtick).

2. **Generate a Spring Boot project** using Maven with the following command:
   ```sh
   mvn archetype:generate -DgroupId=com.example -DartifactId=myproject -DarchetypeArtifactId=maven-archetype-quickstart -DinteractiveMode=false
   ```
   Alternatively, you can use the [Spring Initializr](https://start.spring.io/) website to generate a project. Download the project as a ZIP file, extract it, and open the folder in VS Code.

#### Step 2: Open the Project in VS Code

1. **Open the project folder** in VS Code. You can do this by navigating to `File > Open Folder` and selecting the project directory.
   
2. **Open the terminal** in VS Code (if it’s not already open) by pressing `Ctrl + ` (backtick).

#### Step 3: Create Packages

1. **Navigate to the `src/main/java` directory** in your project explorer.
   
2. **Create new packages** by right-clicking on the `java` directory, selecting `New Folder`, and naming it according to your package structure (e.g., `com/example/myproject`).

#### Step 4: Add Classes to Your Package

1. **Right-click on the package** you just created (e.g., `com/example/myproject`) and select `New File`.

2. **Name the file** (e.g., `MyClass.java`) and press Enter.

3. **Define your class** within this file. For example:
   ```java
   package com.example.myproject;

   public class MyClass {
       public static void main(String[] args) {
           System.out.println("Hello, Spring Boot!");
       }
   }
   ```

#### Step 5: Configure Spring Boot

Ensure you have a main application class to run your Spring Boot application. It should be in the root package or a subpackage of it.

Example `Application.java` in the root package `com.example.myproject`:
```java
package com.example.myproject;

import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;

@SpringBootApplication
public class Application {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(Application.class, args);
    }
}
```

#### Step 6: Run Your Spring Boot Application

1. **Open the integrated terminal** in VS Code by pressing `Ctrl + ` (backtick).

2. **Navigate to the project directory** if not already there.

3. **Use Maven to run your application**:
   ```sh
   mvn spring-boot:run
   ```
   Alternatively, you can build your project and run the jar file:
   ```sh
   mvn package
   java -jar target/myproject-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT.jar
   ```

### Summary

By following these steps, you can create a package structure in your Spring Boot project using VS Code, add classes, configure your application, and run it successfully. This setup allows you to organize your project code logically and maintainably.