The most common Spring questions I get, by far:

• “How do I get started with Spring Boot?”
• “Do I need to learn Spring first, or can I just learn Boot?”
• “How exactly is Boot different than Spring?”

Now, in 2026, yes, most Spring applications use Spring Boot by default, thanks to the huge boost in productivity Boot gets us. 
My intro-level course - “Learn Spring” covers the basics of the Spring core framework and, naturally, Spring Boot.
Naturally we'll develop the application in the course with Boot. 
But, we'll also dive into the behind-the-scenes to understand how this works. Now, working with AI, that understanding is what matterns. 

The course platform is available at a discount during the Summer Sale: 
>> All Baeldung Courses - 30% off!


From there, you can continue with the Spring AI, persistence, REST, or security courses, depending on what your next focus is.
Enjoy the material. Cheers,
Eugen