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Migrating from the Javax to Jakarta Namespace in Spring Boot App
Using IntelliJ IDEA to Streamline the Process
If you’re reading this, it’s likely time to transition your Spring Boot application from Java EE to Jakarta EE.
Let’s take a look at the history behind this change, as well as a step-by-step guide on how to use the IntelliJ Refactor tool to ensure a smooth migration without any fuss.
Behind the scenes, a little bit of history of Java EE
Java EE, one of the most widely recognized frameworks for server-side Java development, has played a foundational role in using Java for enterprise applications.
Its roots trace back to 1996, when early Java-based application servers like Kiva Enterprise Server (later known as GlassFish) and Tengah (an ancestor of Oracle WebLogic Server) emerged. Interestingly, the name “Tengah” refers to a central region in Java, Indonesia, highlighting Java EE’s connection to its origins.
Formerly known as Java 2 Enterprise Edition, or J2EE, Java EE gained significant recognition for its Java Servlet specification, with implementations like Tomcat and Jetty — often called “servlet containers” — widely used to manage HTTP requests. Over time, Java EE expanded its scope beyond servlets to include specifications for other essential components in server-side applications, such as:
- Java Persistence API (JPA): For handling data persistence, often using frameworks like Hibernate.
- JAX-RS: For RESTful web services.
- Java WebSocket: For real-time communication over the WebSocket protocol.
- Java Transaction API (JTA): Facilitating transaction management, commonly underlying JPA operations.
- Bean Validation: Enforcing constraints on object properties.
- JSON Processing (JSON-P) and JSON Binding (JSON-B): For handling JSON data in applications.
This suite of APIs made Java EE a go-to choice for creating scalable, maintainable, and robust enterprise applications. Even applications that might not strictly be considered “Java EE” often make use of these APIs.
Java EE application…
