Spring Boot Devtools

Skill: spring-boot-devtools

Type

core

Purpose

Ensure every Spring Boot project includes Developer Tools for faster local development feedback.

When to Use

Use in all Spring Boot-based projects unless explicitly disabled by product requirements.

Rules

• Add org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-devtools to pom.xml.
• For Maven, set <optional>true</optional> so devtools is not transitively inherited.
• Keep devtools as development-only behavior by default.
• Do not enable packaging behavior that forces devtools into production artifacts unless explicitly requested.

Maven Example

<dependency>
  <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
  <artifactId>spring-boot-devtools</artifactId>
  <optional>true</optional>
</dependency>

Packaging Guidance

• Default Spring Boot repackaging excludes devtools for production archives.
• Only configure plugin flags to include devtools when remote devtools behavior is explicitly required.

Anti-Patterns

• Do NOT add devtools as a required runtime dependency for production.
• Do NOT omit <optional>true</optional> in Maven projects.