Scalable Human Blog

When working on larger projects, it’s common to divide your application into multiple modules for better maintainability and organization. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the process of setting up a multi-module Spring Boot Java project in Visual Studio Code, with emphasis on configuring launch.json to handle multiple modules.

Step 1: Install VSCode and Java Extensions

If not already installed, download and install Visual Studio Code. Then, install the following extensions for Java development:

1. Java Extension Pack
2. Spring Boot Extension Pack

You can find these extensions in the Extensions view (Ctrl + Shift + X) in VSCode.

Step 2: Create or Open a Multi-Module Spring Boot Project

If you have an existing multi-module Spring Boot project, open the root folder in VSCode. If you’re starting from scratch, you can use Spring Initializer to create a new project with the desired modules.

Step 3: Build Your Project

Before proceeding, make sure that your project is successfully built. Run the following command from the root of your project:

mvn clean install

This command will compile your project and create the necessary /target directories.

Step 4: Configure launch.json

launch.json is the configuration file that tells VSCode how to launch your application. Create a .vscode folder in your project root, if not already present, and create a launch.json file with the following content:

{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "type": "java",
      "name": "Launch MySpringBootApplication",
      "request": "launch",
      "mainClass": "com.example.MySpringBootApplication",
      "projectName": "my-spring-boot-project",
      "args": "",
      "classPaths": [
        "path/to/module1/target/classes",
        "path/to/module2/target/classes",
        // Add paths to other modules as necessary
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Replace com.example.MySpringBootApplication with the fully qualified name of your main application class, and my-spring-boot-project with the name of your project. For the classPaths field, list the paths to the /target/classes directories for each module.

To find the correct paths for classPaths, you can use the following Maven command:

mvn dependency:build-classpath

Step 5: Run Your Project

With launch.json configured, you can now run your Spring Boot project by pressing F5 or clicking the green play button in the debug view.

Conclusion

Setting up a multi-module Spring Boot project in Visual Studio Code requires a few extra steps, but with the right configuration, you can have a seamless development experience. By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to successfully running and debugging your multi-module Spring Boot project in VSCode.

📚 Further Reading & Related Topics

If you’re exploring multi-module Spring Boot projects in Visual Studio Code, these related articles will provide deeper insights:

• Navigating Java Version Upgrades for Your Spring Boot Application – Learn best practices for upgrading Java versions in multi-module Spring Boot projects and ensuring compatibility.

• Mastering Dependency Management with Maven – Understand how to effectively manage dependencies across multiple modules in a Spring Boot project using Maven.