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OpenRewrite can automate supported Java and Spring Boot migration edits, but there is no single recipe for every upgrade. Start with your project’s current versions, choose a recipe for the specific source-to-target change, then review and test every generated edit before merging it.
Choose a recipe for the exact versions you are migrating
OpenRewrite’s migration catalog is organized around specific frameworks and targets. Confirm the project’s current Java, Spring Boot, build-tool and related framework versions before selecting a recipe; a recipe for a different starting version may chain different updates or leave gaps.
Spring Boot 3
The Spring Boot 3.x catalog lists migrations through Boot 3.5, including broader version-specific recipes and focused property migrations. Examples include renaming server.max-http-header-size to server.max-http-request-header-size, SpringDoc-related changes, and alternatives for deprecated RestTemplateBuilder methods. These are catalogued transformations, not a guarantee that every change applies to every application. Some entries are labeled “Community Edition”; check the live entry and its access requirements rather than assuming all recipes are available on the same terms.
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Spring Boot 4
The Spring Boot 4.x catalog includes a composite migration for Boot 4.0 and a separate modular-starters migration. Listed work includes modular starter dependencies and package migration, Boot properties, web-server class relocation, starter renames, and replacements for @MockBean and @SpyBean. It also lists focused changes involving Flyway, OpenAPI Generator, Jackson BOM overrides, jsonschema2pojo and test configuration. Some entries carry the “Community Edition” label, so verify the specific recipe’s availability before building a workflow around it.
Java upgrades
Java upgrades use their own recipe modules and guides. The Java 17 migration guide documents selected deprecated-API remediation, Java EE dependency migration and upgrades of certain widely used third-party libraries where module-system-compatible releases exist. Its stated Java EE dependency migration support is limited to Maven build files; that limitation should not be generalized to every Java migration recipe or to OpenRewrite as a whole.
Understand what a composite recipe can change
A composite migration may run multiple related recipes in sequence and can affect more than application source code. For example, OpenRewrite’s documented Boot 2.6 composite chains a previous Boot migration with updates to Spring Boot dependency, plugin and parent versions, property changes, and steps related to Spring Framework, Spring Data, SpringDoc and MyBatis. This illustrates why you should check the recipe’s source and target versions and inspect its component steps. It is not a recommendation to target Boot 2.6 for a current project.
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Depending on the selected recipe, changes may span build files, dependencies, plugins, APIs and configuration. The catalog describes supported rule-based transformations; it does not establish that a recipe covers every project-specific change or that the resulting build will succeed without further work.
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Prepare the build and artifact access
The Java 17 and Spring Boot guides document Maven and Gradle approaches, and some workflows include command-line options. Plugin versions, recipe coordinates and execution details can change, so use the current guide for the exact recipe rather than copying an old command. Start from the recipe’s documentation for your build tool and target.
Check artifact access before attempting a run. The Java 17 guide says OpenRewrite artifacts, including Maven and Gradle plugins, are distributed through the Code Genome Project repository and require authentication. It describes source-available recipe modules, compiled binaries for Moderne customers, and local compilation and publication for non-commercial use. These access and distribution details can change; follow the guide’s current instructions for your situation. For work across many repositories, the Boot 4 documentation describes Moderne as a hosted option, but it is not a prerequisite for running an ordinary local recipe.
Run the migration as a reviewable change
- Record the baseline. Identify the project’s current Java, Spring Boot, build-tool and related framework versions, and preserve a clean, reviewable working state.
- Select the matching recipe. Confirm that its documented source and target versions fit the project and read the recipe’s component steps and availability labels.
- Configure the plugin and recipe module. Follow the current Maven or Gradle instructions for that recipe, including any required artifact authentication.
- Run the recipe on a branch. Keep the transformation isolated so the generated edits can be reviewed against the preserved baseline.
- Inspect the diff. Check application code, configuration, dependencies, plugins and build metadata. OpenRewrite’s Spring Boot migration guide instructs users to inspect the diff and manually fix changes that were not migrated automatically.
- Build and test. Run the project’s tests and relevant compatibility checks; investigate failures and manually handle uncovered migration issues.
- Commit only after review. Once the edits and validation results are acceptable, commit the migration as a deliberate change.
Set expectations for automated migration
OpenRewrite is a way to automate transformations that its selected recipes support. A recipe may make a broad set of mechanical edits, but project-specific code, unsupported changes and behavior that tests do not cover still require engineering review. Do not treat a completed recipe run as proof that the upgrade is complete or the application is compatible.
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Evaluate a migration approach before choosing it
- Version coverage: Does the recipe explicitly match the project’s source and intended target versions?
- Transformation scope: Does it cover the dependencies, configuration, APIs and framework integrations your project uses?
- Build and access: Are Maven or Gradle instructions available, and can your environment access the required artifacts?
- Recipe availability: Is the selected catalog entry marked Community Edition or subject to another access condition?
- Remaining validation: What diff review, manual remediation, build checks and tests will your team need?
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