Spring Boot REST API Development: Build an Expense Tracker

Building robust, secure backend services is a core requirement for modern software development. If you want to transition from basic Java programming to creating enterprise-grade web services, mastering the Spring Boot ecosystem is your next step. In this written course, you will learn how to design, build, secure, and deploy a production-ready REST API for an expense management application. You will progress from understanding foundational web architecture to implementing complex relational database mappings, securing endpoints with modern authentication standards, and preparing your application for the cloud. What you'll learn: - Understand the core concepts of RESTful architecture, HTTP methods, and Spring Boot project setup. - Build robust database models using JPA and Hibernate to handle relationships between expenses and categories. - Secure your application using Spring Security and JSON Web Tokens (JWT) for stateless authentication. - Apply modern Java features such as Record classes for data transfer objects (DTOs) and MapStruct for clean object mapping. - Configure database connections with MySQL and write custom query methods using Spring Data repositories. - Containerize your application using Docker to ensure consistent development and deployment environments. You will start with the absolute fundamentals of HTTP and Spring Boot configuration before moving on to data modeling, security, and containerization. Each concept is explained through clear text explanations and structured code snippets that you can read, analyze, and implement at your own pace. This course is designed for beginner backend developers and Java programmers who want to learn enterprise API development. No prior experience with Spring Boot or database administration is required. Start reading today to build your first production-ready backend application.