Migrating a Spring Boot application is not just about changing a version number in pom.xml. 😅
Dependencies move.
APIs evolve.
Defaults change.
And small refactors can become risky when done manually.
That is where OpenRewrite by Moderne becomes interesting. 🚀
In my video, I demonstrate how to migrate a Spring Boot 3.1 application to Spring Boot 4 using OpenRewrite recipes.
🔸 TLDR
▪️ OpenRewrite applies migration recipes directly to your codebase
▪️ It can update Maven configuration and refactor code automatically
▪️ You still need to review the Git diff carefully
▪️ You still need to rebuild and test the application
▪️ It is not magic, but it is a serious productivity accelerator 🔁
🔸 WHAT THE DEMO SHOWS
▪️ Starting from a working Spring Boot app
▪️ Using H2 and a REST endpoint
▪️ Adding the OpenRewrite Maven plugin
▪️ Running the Spring Boot 4 migration recipe
▪️ Reviewing the generated Git diff
▪️ Rebuilding the app
▪️ Testing that the endpoint still works ✅
🔸 WHY IT MATTERS
Framework migrations are often postponed because they look risky, boring, or too expensive.
OpenRewrite changes the discussion.
Instead of asking:
“Who wants to manually upgrade all of this?” 😬
You can ask:
“What can be automated, reviewed, tested, and industrialized?” ✅
That is a much better engineering mindset.
🔸 TAKEAWAYS
▪️ OpenRewrite is recipe-driven refactoring
▪️ Moderne helps bring this approach to large-scale code modernization
▪️ Git diff review remains mandatory
▪️ Tests are still your safety net
▪️ Automation does not replace engineering judgment — it amplifies it 🧠
This is the kind of tooling Java and Spring developers should know when working on long-lived applications.
Not because it removes complexity.
Because it helps you face complexity with better tools. ⚙️
#SpringBoot #OpenRewrite #Moderne #Java #SpringFramework #Migration #Refactoring #Maven #IntelliJ #BackendDevelopment #SoftwareEngineering #TechnicalDebt
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