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Eclipse vs Spring Tools 4: What are the differences?

Key Differences between Eclipse and Spring Tools 4

Eclipse and Spring Tools 4 are two popular tools used by developers for Java development. While both tools have similarities and serve the purpose of Java development, there are key differences that set them apart.

  1. Integration Capabilities: Eclipse, being a general-purpose IDE, supports integration with a wide range of technologies and frameworks. It provides support for Java development as well as other programming languages like C++, Python, and more. On the other hand, Spring Tools 4 focuses specifically on Spring-based development. It provides enhanced support and integration with the Spring framework, making it the go-to choice for developers working exclusively with Spring projects.

  2. Code Navigation and Refactoring: Eclipse offers robust code navigation and refactoring capabilities, allowing developers to easily navigate through their codebase and refactor it as needed. It provides features like code search, code completion, and quick fixes for common coding issues. Spring Tools 4, on the other hand, focuses more on Spring-specific code navigation and refactoring. It provides additional features like Spring-specific content assist, code navigation for Spring components, and refactoring tools tailored for Spring projects.

  3. Dependency Management: Eclipse provides built-in support for managing project dependencies through its Maven and Gradle integration. It allows developers to easily add, remove, and update dependencies through its user-friendly interfaces. Spring Tools 4 takes dependency management a step further by providing advanced features specifically for managing Spring dependencies. It offers tools for managing Spring Boot starters, exploring Spring dependencies, and resolving conflicts between different Spring versions.

  4. Spring Boot Support: While Eclipse has support for Spring development, Spring Tools 4 takes it a step further with its enhanced support for Spring Boot. Spring Tools 4 provides tools and features specifically designed for developing Spring Boot applications. It offers features like auto-configuration assistance, live project templates, and visual editing support for Boot-specific files like application.properties and application.yml files.

  5. Performance and Memory Usage: Eclipse, being a general-purpose IDE, can be resource-intensive and require more memory compared to Spring Tools 4. Spring Tools 4, on the other hand, is built on top of the Eclipse platform but optimized for Spring development. It offers a lightweight and streamlined environment, resulting in improved performance and lower memory usage specifically tailored for Spring projects.

  6. Community and Ecosystem: Eclipse has a large and vibrant community and ecosystem surrounding it. It has been around for a long time and has a wide range of plugins and extensions developed by the community. Spring Tools 4, while newer and more focused on Spring development, also has a growing community and ecosystem. It benefits from the strong Spring community and provides plugins and integrations with other Spring-related tools and frameworks.

In Summary, Eclipse is a versatile IDE with broad language and framework support, while Spring Tools 4 is a specialized IDE specifically designed for Spring development with enhanced Spring-specific features and optimizations.

Advice on Eclipse and Spring Tools 4
christy craemer
Needs advice
on
EclipseEclipseIntelliJ IDEAIntelliJ IDEA
and
PyCharmPyCharm

UPDATE: Thanks for the great response. I am going to start with VSCode based on the open source and free version that will allow me to grow into other languages, but not cost me a license ..yet.

I have been working with software development for 12 years, but I am just beginning my journey to learn to code. I am starting with Python following the suggestion of some of my coworkers. They are split between Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA for IDEs that they use and PyCharm is new to me. Which IDE would you suggest for a beginner that will allow expansion to Java, JavaScript, and eventually AngularJS and possibly mobile applications?

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Replies (12)
Vlad Vetsh
Recommends
on
Visual Studio CodeVisual Studio Code

Pycharm is great for python development, but can feel sometimes slow and community version has Somme very annoying restrictions (like they disabled jupyter notebooks plugin and made it premium feature). I personally started looking into VS Code as an alternative, and it has some very good potential. I suggest you take it into account.

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Recommends
on
PyCharmPyCharm

The Community version of PyCharm is free and should give you what you need to get started with Python. Both PyCharm and IntelliJ are made by JetBrains. IntelliJ is initially focused on Java but you can get plugins for lots of other things. I subscribe to JetBrains' Toolbox: https://www.jetbrains.com/toolbox-app/ and have access to all of their great tools.

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Charles Nelson
Recommends
on
IntelliJ IDEAIntelliJ IDEA

I couldn't imagine using a development tool other than the IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate All Products Pack. A single license allows me to work directly on my server running Ubuntu and/or my workstation running Windows 10 Pro simultaneously. My current project uses HTML, W3CSS, JavaScript, Java, Groovy, Grails, C, GO, Python, Flask, and Rust. For me it's worth every penny of the $150 license fee. And you can try it for free.

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Recommends
on
Visual Studio CodeVisual Studio Code

Hi, I will give my opinion based on my experience. I have used PyCharm, both community and Professional version. The community has limited functions, like you can't use a Jupyter notebook whereas it's available in the Professional version. PyCharm is slower compared to Visual Studio Code. Also Visual Studio Code is an editor which supports various languages. I myself have used both Visual Studio Code and PyCharm. I feel Visual Studio Code would be better choice. You may as well decide based upon your requirements.

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awesomebanana2018
Recommends
on
Visual Studio CodeVisual Studio Code

Visual Studio code is easy to use, has a good UI, and a large community. Python works great with it, but unlike some other editors, it works with most languages either by default or by downloading a plugin. VS Code has built in linting, syntax coloring, autocompletes (IntelliSense), and an api for plugins to do there own tooling.

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Ivan Martinez Morales
Software Engineer Intern · | 4 upvotes · 657.8K views
Recommends
on
Visual Studio CodeVisual Studio Code

I'd personally recommend Visual Studio Code as it gives you the flexibility of working in any language, so long as there are extensions to support it. It gives you the flexibility to learn Python, venture into Java, Javascript, and eventually AngularJS, and potentially mobile applications. It's also free and you can install it on your personal computer. I think Visual Studio Code would serve your intended use case best.

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Isaac Povey
Casual Software Engineer at Skedulo · | 3 upvotes · 657.9K views
Recommends
on
IntelliJ IDEAIntelliJ IDEA

IntelliJ really is the best for Java, I switched from eclipse years ago and never looked back. As for javascript, python and angular either using the standalone products from jetbrains (pycharm for python, webstorm for js) or installing the relevant plugins for InteliJ will be your best bet. Pycharm etc. are really just InteliJ with some additional plugins installed.

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Pranshu Verma
Engineer at Cisco Systems · | 3 upvotes · 657.8K views
Recommends
on
PyCharmPyCharm

If you starting with Python then PyCharm is better. For Java I would suggest to go with IntelliJ IDEA but people also prefer eclipse so I would say try both and then decide. For JS/Angular/React I would suggest go with VSCode. I personally use it and prefer as its light weight and have good integration with chrome for frontend development.

PyCharm, IntelliJ IDEA are both products of JetBrains. They have a free (limited feature) and paid edition. Eclipse is free. VSCode is also free.

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Pritam Nandy
Engineering Manager at Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited · | 1 upvotes · 605.3K views
Recommends
on
PyCharmPyCharm

This is a very easy to use tool and gives you the opportunity to start coding right after the installation with almost everything setup automatically by the tool.

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Recommends
on
PyCharmPyCharm

Pycharm is all you need to get start coding in python or any of its framework. Its an awesome tool you should give it a try :)

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Brian Turner
System Architect at Mary's Watch, Inc. · | 1 upvotes · 657.7K views
Recommends
on
IntelliJ IDEAIntelliJ IDEA

Easy to learn and everything you need

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Recommends
on
PyCharmPyCharm

All three are great, however, I believe that IntelliJ IDEA's multiple IDE's are slightly more straight-forward and more up-to date than Eclipse. If I had to choose one specifically for Python projects I would go with PyCharm.

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Decisions about Eclipse and Spring Tools 4
Manabu Tokunaga
CEO, Co-Founder at WinguMD · | 10 upvotes · 500.7K views

I originally chose IntelliJ over Eclipse, as it was close enough to the look and feel of Visual Studio and we do go back and forth between the two. We really begin to love IntelliJ and their suite of IDEs so we are now using AppCode for the IOS development because the workflow is identical with the IntelliJ. IntelliJ is super complex and intimidating at first but it does afford a lot of nice utilities to get us produce clean code.

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Pros of Eclipse
Pros of Spring Tools 4
  • 131
    Does it all
  • 76
    Integrates with most of tools
  • 64
    Easy to use
  • 63
    Java IDE
  • 32
    Best Java IDE
  • 9
    Open source
  • 3
    Hard for newbews
  • 2
    Great gdb integration
  • 2
    Professional
  • 2
    Good Git client allowing direct stage area edit
  • 2
    True open source with huge contribution
  • 2
    Great code suggestions
  • 2
    Extensible
  • 2
    Lightweight
  • 0
    Works with php
    Be the first to leave a pro

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    Cons of Eclipse
    Cons of Spring Tools 4
    • 14
      2000 Design
    • 9
      Bad performance
    • 4
      Hard to use
      Be the first to leave a con

      Sign up to add or upvote consMake informed product decisions

      - No public GitHub repository available -

      What is Eclipse?

      Standard Eclipse package suited for Java and plug-in development plus adding new plugins; already includes Git, Marketplace Client, source code and developer documentation. Click here to file a bug against Eclipse Platform.

      What is Spring Tools 4?

      It is tailored for developing enterprise applications. It is largely rebuilt from scratch, it provides world-class support for developing Spring-based enterprise applications, whether you prefer Eclipse, Visual Studio Code, or Atom IDE.

      Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!

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      What companies use Spring Tools 4?
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      What tools integrate with Eclipse?
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      What are some alternatives to Eclipse and Spring Tools 4?
      Android Studio
      Android Studio is a new Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA. It provides new features and improvements over Eclipse ADT and will be the official Android IDE once it's ready.
      Visual Studio
      Visual Studio is a suite of component-based software development tools and other technologies for building powerful, high-performance applications.
      IntelliJ IDEA
      Out of the box, IntelliJ IDEA provides a comprehensive feature set including tools and integrations with the most important modern technologies and frameworks for enterprise and web development with Java, Scala, Groovy and other languages.
      NetBeans IDE
      NetBeans IDE is FREE, open source, and has a worldwide community of users and developers.
      PyCharm
      PyCharm’s smart code editor provides first-class support for Python, JavaScript, CoffeeScript, TypeScript, CSS, popular template languages and more. Take advantage of language-aware code completion, error detection, and on-the-fly code fixes!
      See all alternatives