The Spring Framework provides a comprehensive programming and configuration model for modern Java-based enterprise applications - on any kind of deployment platform. A key element of Spring is infrastructural support at the application level: Spring focuses on the "plumbing" of enterprise applications so that teams can focus on application-level business logic, without unnecessary ties to specific deployment environments.
The Spring Framework is an open-source application framework for the Java platform.
Spring is a non-invasive, versatile, powerful framework.
Spring framework complements the Java EE APIs but is not a replacement for Java EE. It reduces most boilerplate code, reducing the burden on developers.
Spring provides services and functionalities across the application domain, including a core Inversion of Control container, technology-agnostic data-access and MVC layers, extensive AOP support, task scheduling, and various integration patterns designed to make distributed system development simpler and clearer. While some Spring modules are simple wrappers and helpers over the Java EE specifications, the majority of them go far beyond the Java EE specification.
The latest Spring Framework Reference Documentation can be found here.
