Lokstra vs Spring Boot - Framework Comparison

Detailed comparison between Lokstra (Go) and Spring Boot (Java)

Both Lokstra and Spring Boot are enterprise-grade frameworks that emphasize dependency injection, convention over configuration, and production-ready applications. Here’s how they compare:

🎯 Quick Overview

Aspect	Lokstra (Go)	Spring Boot (Java)
Language	Go	Java
Architecture	Service-oriented with DI	Bean-based with IoC
DI Pattern	Lazy, type-safe generics	Annotation-based reflection
Router Generation	✅ Auto from service methods	✅ Auto from controller annotations
Configuration	YAML + Code (flexible)	Properties/YAML + Annotations
Deployment	✅ Zero-code topology change	Requires different builds
Performance	Compiled binary, fast startup	JVM, medium startup
Memory Usage	Low (efficient Go GC)	Higher (JVM overhead)

🏗️ Architecture Comparison

Lokstra: Service-Oriented Architecture

// 1. Define Service
type UserService struct {
    userRepo *UserRepository
    emailSvc *EmailService
}

func (s *UserService) GetAll() ([]User, error) {
    return s.userRepo.FindAll()
}

func (s *UserService) Create(p *CreateUserParams) (*User, error) {
    user := &User{Name: p.Name, Email: p.Email}
    savedUser, err := s.userRepo.Save(user)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    // Send welcome email
    go s.emailSvc.SendWelcome(user.Email)
    return savedUser, nil
}

// 2. Register Service Factory
lokstra_registry.RegisterServiceType(
    "user-service-factory",
    NewUserService,
    nil,
    deploy.WithResource("user", "users"),
    deploy.WithConvention("rest"),
)

// 3. Auto-generate Router
userRouter := lokstra_registry.NewRouterFromServiceType("user-service-factory")
// Creates: GET /users, POST /users, GET /users/{id}, etc.

Spring Boot: Bean + Controller Architecture

// 1. Define Service
@Service
@Transactional
public class UserService {
    
    @Autowired
    private UserRepository userRepository;
    
    @Autowired
    private EmailService emailService;
    
    public List<User> getAll() {
        return userRepository.findAll();
    }
    
    public User create(CreateUserRequest request) {
        User user = new User(request.getName(), request.getEmail());
        User savedUser = userRepository.save(user);
        
        // Send welcome email
        emailService.sendWelcomeAsync(user.getEmail());
        return savedUser;
    }
}

// 2. Define Controller
@RestController
@RequestMapping("/users")
public class UserController {
    
    @Autowired
    private UserService userService;
    
    @GetMapping
    public List<User> getAll() {
        return userService.getAll();
    }
    
    @PostMapping
    public User create(@RequestBody @Valid CreateUserRequest request) {
        return userService.create(request);
    }
}

// 3. Application Class
@SpringBootApplication
@EnableJpaRepositories
public class Application {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(Application.class, args);
    }
}

🔌 Dependency Injection Comparison

Lokstra: Lazy Loading with Generics

// Type-safe, lazy loading - no reflection
var userService = service.LazyLoad[*UserService]("user-service")
var userRepo = service.LazyLoad[*UserRepository]("user-repository")
var emailService = service.LazyLoad[*EmailService]("email-service")

func handler() {
    // Service loaded on first access, cached forever, thread-safe
    users := userService.MustGet().GetAll()
}

// Factory with dependencies resolved eagerly when service created
func UserServiceFactory(deps map[string]any, config map[string]any) any {
    return &UserService{
        userRepo: deps["user-repository"].(*UserRepository),
        emailSvc: deps["email-service"].(*EmailService),
    }
}

// Registration with dependency chain
lokstra_registry.RegisterServiceFactory("user-repository", NewUserRepository)
lokstra_registry.RegisterServiceFactory("email-service", NewEmailService)
lokstra_registry.RegisterServiceFactory("user-service", NewUserService)

Lokstra DI Advantages:

✅ Compile-time type safety: Generic-based, no casting
✅ Zero reflection overhead: Direct function calls
✅ Lazy by default: Services created only when needed
✅ Thread-safe: Built-in sync.Once protection
✅ Clear dependencies: Explicit in factory functions

Spring Boot: Annotation-based IoC Container

@Service
public class UserService {
    
    // Constructor injection (recommended)
    private final UserRepository userRepository;
    private final EmailService emailService;
    
    public UserService(UserRepository userRepository, EmailService emailService) {
        this.userRepository = userRepository;
        this.emailService = emailService;
    }
    
    // Or field injection
    // @Autowired
    // private UserRepository userRepository;
}

// Configuration
@Configuration
public class AppConfig {
    
    @Bean
    @Primary
    public UserRepository userRepository() {
        return new JpaUserRepository();
    }
    
    @Bean
    @ConditionalOnProperty(name = "email.provider", havingValue = "smtp")
    public EmailService emailService() {
        return new SmtpEmailService();
    }
}

Spring Boot DI Advantages:

✅ Mature ecosystem: Extensive integration options
✅ Automatic configuration: Auto-configuration based on classpath
✅ Conditional beans: Complex conditional logic for beans
✅ Profiles: Environment-based bean activation
⚠️ Reflection overhead: Runtime dependency resolution
⚠️ Startup time: Container initialization can be slow

🚦 Router Generation Comparison

Lokstra: Convention-based from Service Methods

// Service method signatures determine routes
func (s *UserService) GetAll(p *GetAllParams) ([]User, error)       // GET /users
func (s *UserService) GetByID(p *GetByIDParams) (*User, error)      // GET /users/{id}
func (s *UserService) Create(p *CreateParams) (*User, error)        // POST /users
func (s *UserService) Update(p *UpdateParams) (*User, error)        // PUT /users/{id}
func (s *UserService) Delete(p *DeleteParams) error                // DELETE /users/{id}

// Advanced routing with custom names
func (s *UserService) SearchUsers(p *SearchParams) ([]User, error)  // GET /users/search
func (s *UserService) GetUserOrders(p *GetUserOrdersParams) ([]Order, error) // GET /users/{id}/orders

// Auto-router registration
lokstra_registry.RegisterServiceType("user-service-factory", NewUserService, nil,
    deploy.WithResource("user", "users"),
    deploy.WithConvention("rest"))

// Generated routes with parameter binding:
// GET    /users              → GetAll()
// GET    /users/{id}         → GetByID()  
// POST   /users              → Create()
// PUT    /users/{id}         → Update()
// DELETE /users/{id}         → Delete()
// GET    /users/search       → SearchUsers()
// GET    /users/{id}/orders  → GetUserOrders()

Lokstra Approach:

✅ Zero boilerplate: No controller layer needed
✅ Convention over configuration: Method names → HTTP routes
✅ Type-safe parameters: Struct-based parameter binding with validation
✅ Flexible: Can override routes via YAML if needed

Spring Boot: Annotation-driven Routes

@RestController
@RequestMapping("/users")
@Validated
public class UserController {
    
    @Autowired
    private UserService userService;
    
    @GetMapping                                          // GET /users
    public List<User> getAll(
        @RequestParam(defaultValue = "0") int page,
        @RequestParam(defaultValue = "10") int size) {
        return userService.getAll(page, size);
    }
    
    @GetMapping("/{id}")                                 // GET /users/{id}
    public ResponseEntity<User> getById(@PathVariable Long id) {
        return userService.getById(id)
            .map(ResponseEntity::ok)
            .orElse(ResponseEntity.notFound().build());
    }
    
    @PostMapping                                         // POST /users
    public ResponseEntity<User> create(@RequestBody @Valid CreateUserRequest request) {
        User user = userService.create(request);
        return ResponseEntity.status(HttpStatus.CREATED).body(user);
    }
    
    @PutMapping("/{id}")                                 // PUT /users/{id}
    public ResponseEntity<User> update(@PathVariable Long id, 
                                     @RequestBody @Valid UpdateUserRequest request) {
        return userService.update(id, request)
            .map(ResponseEntity::ok)
            .orElse(ResponseEntity.notFound().build());
    }
    
    @DeleteMapping("/{id}")                              // DELETE /users/{id}
    @ResponseStatus(HttpStatus.NO_CONTENT)
    public void delete(@PathVariable Long id) {
        userService.delete(id);
    }
    
    @GetMapping("/search")                               // GET /users/search
    public List<User> search(@RequestParam String query) {
        return userService.search(query);
    }
}

Spring Boot Approach:

✅ Explicit control: Clear route definitions with full HTTP control
✅ Rich annotations: Comprehensive parameter binding options
✅ Exception handling: Built-in error handling with @ControllerAdvice
✅ Validation: Integrated with Bean Validation (JSR-303)
⚠️ Boilerplate: Need controller + service layers
⚠️ Manual work: Must define each endpoint explicitly

📝 Configuration & Deployment

Lokstra: YAML + Code Configuration

# config.yaml - Single configuration for all deployments
service-definitions:
  user-service:
    type: user-service-factory
    depends-on: [user-repository, email-service]
  
  user-repository:
    type: user-repository-factory
    depends-on: [database]
  
  email-service:
    type: email-service-factory

deployments:
  # Single monolith
  monolith:
    servers:
      api-server:
        addr: ":8080"
        published-services: [user-service, order-service, payment-service]
  
  # Microservices architecture
  microservices:
    servers:
      user-service:
        addr: ":8001" 
        published-services: [user-service]
      order-service:
        addr: ":8002"
        published-services: [order-service]
      payment-service:
        addr: ":8003"
        published-services: [payment-service]

# Environment overrides
environment:
  DATABASE_URL: ${DB_URL:postgresql://localhost/myapp}
  EMAIL_PROVIDER: ${EMAIL_PROVIDER:smtp}

# Same binary, different topologies!
./myapp -server=monolith.api-server           # All services in one process
./myapp -server=microservices.user-service   # User service only
./myapp -server=microservices.order-service  # Order service only

Lokstra Deployment:

✅ Zero-code deployment changes: Same binary, different config
✅ Topology flexibility: Switch between monolith ↔ microservices instantly
✅ Environment overrides: CLI params > ENV vars > YAML defaults
✅ Single artifact: One binary for all deployment patterns

Spring Boot: Profile-based Configuration

# application.yml
spring:
  profiles:
    active: monolith

---
# application-monolith.yml  
spring:
  config:
    activate:
      on-profile: monolith
  datasource:
    url: jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5432/myapp_monolith
    
management:
  endpoints:
    web:
      exposure:
        include: "*"

---
# application-microservice-user.yml
spring:
  config:
    activate:
      on-profile: microservice-user
  application:
    name: user-service
  datasource:
    url: jdbc:postgresql://user-db:5432/users
    
eureka:
  client:
    serviceUrl:
      defaultZone: http://eureka:8761/eureka/

---
# application-microservice-order.yml  
spring:
  config:
    activate:
      on-profile: microservice-order
  application:
    name: order-service

// Different main classes or conditional beans
@SpringBootApplication
@ConditionalOnProperty(name = "deployment.type", havingValue = "monolith")
public class MonolithApplication {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(MonolithApplication.class, args);
    }
}

@SpringBootApplication  
@ConditionalOnProperty(name = "deployment.type", havingValue = "microservice-user")
@EnableEurekaClient
public class UserMicroserviceApplication {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(UserMicroserviceApplication.class, args);
    }
}

# Different JARs or profiles for different deployments
java -jar myapp.jar --spring.profiles.active=monolith
java -jar user-service.jar --spring.profiles.active=microservice-user  
java -jar order-service.jar --spring.profiles.active=microservice-order

Spring Boot Deployment:

⚠️ Different artifacts: Need separate JAR builds or complex profiles
✅ Rich configuration: Extensive configuration options
✅ Profile management: Good environment separation
✅ Auto-configuration: Smart defaults based on dependencies
⚠️ Complexity: More complex for microservices topology changes

⚡ Performance Comparison

Lokstra (Go)

✅ Fast startup: ~10-50ms cold start (compiled binary)
✅ Low memory: ~10-50MB base memory usage
✅ High throughput: Efficient goroutines for concurrency
✅ Predictable GC: Low-pause garbage collection
✅ Small footprint: Single executable, ~10-50MB binary
✅ No warmup needed: Peak performance from first request

Spring Boot (Java)

⚠️ Slower startup: ~3-10s startup (JVM + container initialization)
⚠️ Higher memory: ~200-500MB+ base memory (JVM overhead)
✅ Good throughput: Mature JVM optimizations after warmup
⚠️ GC pauses: Can have noticeable garbage collection pauses
⚠️ Larger footprint: JAR + JVM, ~50-200MB+ artifacts
⚠️ Warmup period: Needs time to reach peak performance (JIT)

Benchmark Example (Simple REST API):

Lokstra:     15,000 req/s, 5ms p99, 25MB memory
Spring Boot: 12,000 req/s, 15ms p99, 350MB memory (after warmup)

🧪 Testing Comparison

Lokstra Testing

func TestUserService(t *testing.T) {
    // Mock dependencies
    mockRepo := &MockUserRepository{
        users: []User,
    }
    
    // Create service with mocked deps  
    service := &UserService{
        userRepo: &service.Cached[*UserRepository]{Value: mockRepo},
    }
    
    // Test service method
    users, err := service.GetAll(&GetAllParams{})
    assert.NoError(t, err)
    assert.Len(t, users, 1)
    assert.Equal(t, "John", users[0].Name)
}

// Integration testing with registry
func TestUserServiceIntegration(t *testing.T) {
    // Setup test registry
    lokstra_registry.RegisterServiceFactory("user-repository", NewMockUserRepository)
    lokstra_registry.RegisterServiceFactory("user-service", NewUserService)
    
    // Get service from registry
    userService := lokstra_registry.GetService[*UserService]("user-service")
    
    // Test with real DI resolution
    users, err := userService.GetAll(&GetAllParams{})
    assert.NoError(t, err)
}

Spring Boot Testing

@ExtendWith(SpringExtension.class)
@SpringBootTest
class UserServiceTest {
    
    @MockBean
    private UserRepository userRepository;
    
    @Autowired
    private UserService userService;
    
    @Test
    void shouldGetAllUsers() {
        // Given
        List<User> mockUsers = Arrays.asList(
            new User(1L, "John", "john@example.com")
        );
        when(userRepository.findAll()).thenReturn(mockUsers);
        
        // When  
        List<User> users = userService.getAll();
        
        // Then
        assertThat(users).hasSize(1);
        assertThat(users.get(0).getName()).isEqualTo("John");
    }
}

@ExtendWith(SpringExtension.class)
@SpringBootTest(webEnvironment = SpringBootTest.WebEnvironment.RANDOM_PORT)
@Testcontainers
class UserControllerIntegrationTest {
    
    @Autowired
    private TestRestTemplate restTemplate;
    
    @Container
    static PostgreSQLContainer<?> postgres = new PostgreSQLContainer<>("postgres:13")
            .withDatabaseName("testdb")
            .withUsername("test")
            .withPassword("test");
    
    @Test
    void shouldCreateUser() {
        CreateUserRequest request = new CreateUserRequest("John", "john@example.com");
        
        ResponseEntity<User> response = restTemplate.postForEntity(
            "/users", request, User.class);
            
        assertThat(response.getStatusCode()).isEqualTo(HttpStatus.CREATED);
        assertThat(response.getBody().getName()).isEqualTo("John");
    }
}

🔍 Data Access Comparison

Lokstra: Repository Pattern

type UserRepository interface {
    FindAll() ([]User, error)
    FindByID(id string) (*User, error)
    Save(user *User) (*User, error)
    Delete(id string) error
}

type PostgresUserRepository struct {
    db *sql.DB
}

func (r *PostgresUserRepository) FindAll() ([]User, error) {
    rows, err := r.db.Query("SELECT id, name, email FROM users")
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    defer rows.Close()
    
    var users []User
    for rows.Next() {
        var user User
        err := rows.Scan(&user.ID, &user.Name, &user.Email)
        if err != nil {
            return nil, err
        }
        users = append(users, user)
    }
    return users, nil
}

// Factory registration
lokstra_registry.RegisterServiceFactory("user-repository", func() *UserRepository {
    db := lokstra_registry.GetService[*sql.DB]("database")
    return &PostgresUserRepository{db: db}
})

Spring Boot: JPA + Repository

@Entity
@Table(name = "users")
public class User {
    @Id
    @GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.IDENTITY)
    private Long id;
    
    @Column(nullable = false)
    private String name;
    
    @Column(nullable = false, unique = true)
    private String email;
    
    // constructors, getters, setters
}

@Repository
public interface UserRepository extends JpaRepository<User, Long> {
    List<User> findByNameContaining(String name);
    Optional<User> findByEmail(String email);
    
    @Query("SELECT u FROM User u WHERE u.email LIKE %:domain")
    List<User> findByEmailDomain(@Param("domain") String domain);
}

@Service
@Transactional
public class UserService {
    private final UserRepository userRepository;
    
    public UserService(UserRepository userRepository) {
        this.userRepository = userRepository;
    }
    
    public List<User> getAll() {
        return userRepository.findAll();
    }
    
    @Transactional(readOnly = true)
    public Optional<User> getByEmail(String email) {
        return userRepository.findByEmail(email);
    }
}

🎯 When to Choose Which?

Choose Lokstra When:

✅ Performance is critical: Need fast startup and low latency
✅ Resource efficiency: Memory and CPU constraints
✅ Deployment flexibility: Want easy monolith ↔ microservices switching
✅ Simpler stack: Prefer fewer moving parts
✅ Type safety: Want compile-time guarantees
✅ Cloud-native: Building for containers/serverless
✅ Team knows Go: Team comfortable with Go ecosystem

Choose Spring Boot When:

✅ Java ecosystem: Need extensive Java library ecosystem
✅ Team expertise: Team highly skilled in Java/Spring
✅ Enterprise features: Need advanced features like Spring Security, Spring Data
✅ Mature tooling: Want extensive IDE support and tooling
✅ Complex integrations: Need many third-party integrations
✅ JVM benefits: Want JVM ecosystem (Kotlin, Scala compatibility)
✅ Established patterns: Organization standardized on Spring

🏆 Summary Comparison

Criteria	Lokstra	Spring Boot	Winner
Startup Time	~50ms	~5s	🏆 Lokstra
Memory Usage	~25MB	~350MB	🏆 Lokstra
Throughput	High	High (after warmup)	🤝 Tie
Ecosystem	Growing	Very mature	🏆 Spring Boot
Learning Curve	Moderate	Steep	🏆 Lokstra
Deployment Flexibility	Topology changes without code	Profile/build changes needed	🏆 Lokstra
Development Speed	Fast (auto-router)	Fast (mature tooling)	🤝 Tie
Enterprise Features	Growing	Comprehensive	🏆 Spring Boot
Type Safety	Compile-time	Runtime (reflection)	🏆 Lokstra
Community	Growing	Very large	🏆 Spring Boot

🚀 Migration Examples

From Spring Boot to Lokstra:

Spring Boot Service:

@Service
@Transactional
public class UserService {
    @Autowired
    private UserRepository userRepository;
    
    public List<User> getAll() {
        return userRepository.findAll();
    }
    
    public User create(CreateUserRequest request) {
        User user = new User(request.getName(), request.getEmail());
        return userRepository.save(user);
    }
}

@RestController
@RequestMapping("/users")
public class UserController {
    @Autowired
    private UserService userService;
    
    @GetMapping
    public List<User> getAll() {
        return userService.getAll();
    }
    
    @PostMapping
    public User create(@RequestBody @Valid CreateUserRequest request) {
        return userService.create(request);
    }
}

Equivalent Lokstra Service:

type UserService struct {
    userRepo *UserRepository
}

// No controller needed - auto-generates REST API!
func (s *UserService) GetAll(p *GetAllParams) ([]User, error) {
    return s.userRepo.FindAll()
}

func (s *UserService) Create(p *CreateParams) (*User, error) {
    user := &User{Name: p.Name, Email: p.Email}
    return s.userRepo.Save(user)
}

// Register with auto-router
lokstra_registry.RegisterServiceType("user-service-factory", NewUserService, nil,
    deploy.WithResource("user", "users"))

Migration benefits:

✅ Remove controller layer: Direct service → HTTP mapping
✅ Better performance: 10x faster startup, 10x less memory
✅ Flexible deployment: Zero-code topology changes
✅ Type safety: Compile-time vs runtime errors

📊 Real-world Example: E-commerce API

Spring Boot Implementation:

// Multiple files needed: Entity, Repository, Service, Controller, Config...

@Entity
public class Product { /* ... */ }

@Repository
public interface ProductRepository extends JpaRepository<Product, Long> { /* ... */ }

@Service
@Transactional
public class ProductService { /* ... */ }

@RestController
@RequestMapping("/products")
public class ProductController { /* ... */ }

@RestController  
@RequestMapping("/orders")
public class OrderController { /* ... */ }

// 5+ files per domain, complex configuration

Lokstra Implementation:

// Single service file with auto-generated REST API

type ProductService struct {
    repo *ProductRepository
}

func (s *ProductService) GetAll(p *GetAllParams) ([]Product, error) { /* ... */ }
func (s *ProductService) Create(p *CreateParams) (*Product, error) { /* ... */ }

type OrderService struct {
    productSvc *ProductService
    repo       *OrderRepository
}

func (s *OrderService) GetAll(p *GetAllParams) ([]Order, error) { /* ... */ }
func (s *OrderService) Create(p *CreateParams) (*Order, error) { /* ... */ }

// Registration + Auto-router
lokstra_registry.RegisterServiceType("product-service", NewProductService, nil,
    deploy.WithResource("product", "products"))
lokstra_registry.RegisterServiceType("order-service", NewOrderService, nil, 
    deploy.WithResource("order", "orders"))

// Auto-generates full REST API for both services!

Result comparison:

Spring Boot: ~15 files, 500+ lines, complex configuration
Lokstra: ~3 files, 200 lines, simple YAML config
Same functionality: Full REST API with validation and DI

Both frameworks excel in enterprise environments. Choose based on your team’s expertise, performance requirements, and ecosystem preferences!