SpringSource, a leading provider of tools for the development of enterprise Java applications, has released version 2.0 of its SpringSource Tool Suite (STS), a comprehensive environment for building Spring-powered Java applications. The Spring Framework is an open source application framework that is used to implement standard application structures for the Java Platform. STS is a complete set of tools for developing Java applications within this framework that run on major application servers such as IBM WebSphere, Apache Tomcat, Oracle WebLogic, JBoss, and SpringSource dm Server. Application developers rely on STS as an Eclipse-based IDE that speeds development, dictates best practices, and assists with solving runtime problems while creating applications.
STS 2.0 introduces new features and enhancements, including Project Creation Wizards, a rich forms-based Spring Configuration Editor, Spring Configuration Auto-Discovery, Quick Fixes and Quick Assists, Bean Creation Wizards, Namespace Configuration Dialog, and many other visual tools. These enhancements create new efficiencies for application development, solidifying STS as a highly effective solution for building enterprise Spring applications in Java.
Also included in STS 2.0 are new tools that help visualize, package, and deploy truly modular OSGi (open source gateway initiative) applications onto SpringSource dm Server--the industry's only application server built from the ground up to support OSGi-based applications. STS 2.0 provides an OSGi console, graphical bundle overview page, visual dependency graph, as well as the ability to test dependencies and specify bundle deployment order.
Adam Fitzgerald, director of developer relations for SpringSource, tells 5 Minute Briefing that the use of OSGi in application development and runtime is important to reducing infrastructure overhead and improving application performance because "OSGi is a standard in Java development that provides rules for software packaging, dependencies, and the loading of individual bundles at runtime. The use of OSGi makes applications more modular and efficient in that only the specific bundles that are needed at any given point in time are loaded for execution. Most application servers typically refresh the entire application when there has been a change, however with STS 2.0 using OSGi and running on the SpringSource dm application server, the system only needs to refresh the specific bundles that have changed. This removes execution overhead and makes applications more lean and effective."
Another innovation in STS 2.0 is the ability to analyze runtime dependencies of various modules with the use of a visual tool called the Dependency Graph. With this graph, application administrators can obtain real-time visibility into the entire dependency structure of an application as it is running, and can navigate back to the source code of bundles/modules to correct potential dependency problems.
STS 2.0 is available for free download as a 90-day evaluation. Unlimited access and use of STS 2.0 is included for every SpringSource Enterprise, SpringSource dm Server, and SpringSource tc Server customer.
For more information about SpringSource and STS 2.0, go here.