Learn how Thymeleaf integrates with Spring Boot for building dynamic web applications
In today’s development landscape, frontend and backend technologies are often decoupled into separate applications. However, there are still scenarios where combining both into one cohesive system makes sense. In this blog post, we’ll explore how Thymeleaf integrates with Spring Boot to build dynamic web applications, explain its role in Spring MVC, and discuss the scenarios where this architecture shines.
What is Thymeleaf?
Thymeleaf is a modern server-side Java template engine for web and standalone environments. It allows developers to dynamically generate HTML, XHTML, and XML content from the server side and integrates seamlessly with Spring Boot. Thymeleaf's syntax makes it easy to embed dynamic data into HTML templates, and its natural templating system ensures that templates are fully functional as static files as well.
This makes Thymeleaf an excellent choice for building dynamic web pages where you need server-side rendering and data manipulation directly embedded into the view.
Thymeleaf and Spring Boot Integration
Spring Boot simplifies the integration of Thymeleaf into your project. By default, Spring Boot automatically configures Thymeleaf as the template engine if it is on the classpath. This tight integration allows you to build MVC (Model-View-Controller) applications without extensive setup.
Here’s a quick example of how Thymeleaf works with Spring Boot:
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Add Thymeleaf Dependency
First, you need to add the Thymeleaf dependency to your
pom.xml(for Maven) orbuild.gradle(for Gradle).
<dependency> <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId> <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-thymeleaf</artifactId> </dependency> -
Controller and View
A typical Spring MVC controller uses Thymeleaf to render HTML templates. Let’s see how this works in practice:
import org.springframework.stereotype.Controller; import org.springframework.ui.Model; import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping; @Controller public class WebController { @GetMapping("/hello") public String hello(Model model) { model.addAttribute("message", "Hello, Thymeleaf!"); return "hello"; } }In this example, the controller maps the
/helloroute to thehello.htmlThymeleaf template located in thesrc/main/resources/templates/directory.The
hello.htmlfile:
<!DOCTYPE html> <html xmlns:th="https://www.thymeleaf.org"> <head> <title>Hello Page</title> </head> <body> <h1 th:text="${message}">Placeholder Text</h1> </body> </html>The
th:textattribute dynamically injects the message from the model into the HTML, demonstrating how Thymeleaf allows easy server-side rendering of HTML pages.
Spring MVC Overview
Spring MVC is a framework within Spring for building web applications. It follows the Model-View-Controller design pattern, separating concerns between data (Model), user interface (View), and application logic (Controller). Thymeleaf serves as the "View" component in Spring MVC, handling the rendering of HTML views with dynamic data provided by the controller.
Spring MVC makes Thymeleaf a powerful tool by providing flexible URL routing, form handling, and session management. When combined, Spring MVC and Thymeleaf enable developers to create dynamic web applications with ease.
The Shift to Decoupled Frontend and Backend
In recent years, the trend in web development has moved towards decoupling frontend and backend development. Many modern web applications use frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js on the frontend, communicating with the backend via REST APIs. This approach offers greater flexibility, scalability, and specialization between frontend and backend teams.
However, while this decoupling is prevalent, there are still cases where having a tightly integrated frontend and backend makes more sense, especially for smaller teams or projects where simplicity and ease of deployment are paramount.
When Using Thymeleaf with Spring Boot is a Good Choice
Although the industry gravitates towards separated applications, the integration of Thymeleaf in Spring Boot remains a solid choice in certain scenarios:
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Simple Applications
When building smaller or simpler applications, combining the frontend and backend in one system reduces complexity. Thymeleaf allows you to handle everything from a single codebase, making it easier to manage.
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Internal Tools or Admin Panels
Applications that are internal to an organization, like dashboards or administrative panels, are often best served by a fully integrated solution. Thymeleaf provides the necessary tools to create dynamic, server-rendered pages with minimal effort.
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Prototyping
For quickly prototyping ideas, having an all-in-one solution can save valuable development time. Thymeleaf, combined with Spring Boot, is a great tool for quickly building proof-of-concept web applications.
Conclusion
Thymeleaf remains an invaluable tool in the Spring Boot ecosystem, particularly in scenarios where simplicity and speed of development are crucial. While many modern web applications follow a decoupled architecture, there are valid use cases for keeping the frontend and backend together in one application.
Whether you’re building simple applications, internal tools, or need server-side rendering for SEO purposes, Spring Boot and Thymeleaf offer a powerful and flexible combination. By leveraging Thymeleaf's natural templating system with Spring Boot's robust MVC framework, developers can easily build dynamic, server-rendered web applications.
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