**Title:** Spring Boot in 10 Minutes: A Quick Introduction to the Popular Framework

**SEO Keywords:** Spring Boot, microservices, web development, Java, RESTful APIs

**Intro:**
Are you tired of spending hours setting up and configuring a new Java project? Do you want to focus on building features instead of worrying about boilerplate code? Look no further than Spring Boot! In this brief guide, we'll introduce you to the world of Spring Boot, covering its core concepts, benefits, and how it can help you build robust, scalable applications in just a few minutes.

**Main Blog Content:**

Spring Boot is an open-source framework that enables developers to create web applications quickly and efficiently. It's built on top of the popular Spring Framework, which provides a comprehensive set of libraries for building enterprise-level applications. However, unlike traditional Spring Framework projects, Spring Boot eliminates the need for manual configuration and setup, allowing you to focus on writing code instead.

Here are some key benefits of using Spring Boot:

• **Rapid Application Development**: With Spring Boot, you can create a fully functional web application in just a few minutes. No more tedious setup or configuration!
• **Opinionated Configuration**: Spring Boot provides sensible defaults for common settings, so you don't need to spend hours configuring your project.
• **Production-Ready Features**: Out-of-the-box support for features like security, caching, and metrics means you can focus on building your application instead of worrying about underlying infrastructure.

To get started with Spring Boot, follow these simple steps:

1. **Create a new Maven project**: Using your favorite IDE or command-line tool, create a new Maven project.
2. **Add the Spring Boot dependency**: In your `pom.xml` file, add the following dependency:
```xml
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot-starter</artifactId>
</dependency>
```
3. **Create a Spring Boot application**: Create a new Java class with a `main` method and annotate it with `@SpringBootApplication`. This annotation enables auto-configuration for your Spring Boot application.
```java
@SpringBootApplication
public class MyApplication {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(MyApplication.class, args);
    }
}
```
4. **Write your first REST endpoint**: Create a new Java class with a `@RestController` annotation and define a simple REST endpoint:
```java
@RestController
public class HelloController {
    @GetMapping("/hello")
    public String hello() {
        return "Hello, World!";
    }
}
```
**TL;DR:**
In just 10 minutes, you can get started with Spring Boot and begin building robust, scalable applications. With its rapid application development capabilities, opinionated configuration, and production-ready features, Spring Boot is an ideal choice for developers looking to simplify their Java-based projects.