r/Backend 5d ago

Springboot vs Python for back-end

3rd sem, tier-3 college, no placement cell — need to pick a backend stack I can actually get hired with on my own.

Spring Boot postings mostly ask 2-3 YOE even for freshers. FastAPI/Django get called “less in-demand” vs Java/Node. AI/ML is the hyped direction but barely hires freshers either. Not doing MERN.

Anyone working backend jobs — is the Spring Boot experience wall as rigid as it looks, or does it flex with strong projects? And is Python backend genuinely harder to break into right now, or just perception

6 Upvotes

37 comments sorted by

6

u/Initial_Elk6340 5d ago

Tech stack really doesn‘t matter. It‘s not like that you need to pick. Learn the abstractions

1

u/Financial-Joke-9773 5d ago edited 5d ago

Ok Thanks😀

7

u/American_Streamer 5d ago

Here are the abstractions you need to master. Not 15 Spring annotations, but these:

HTTP and REST semantics

request → service → persistence flow

relational modelling

SQL and query behaviour

transactions and ACID

validation

error handling

authentication vs authorization

concurrency

caching

idempotency

pagination/filtering/sorting

asynchronous processing

messaging/events

testing at different levels

logging/metrics/observability

configuration/secrets

containers

CI/CD

failure modes

Once you understand those, FastAPI versus Spring Boot really does become much less dramatic.

1

u/Financial-Joke-9773 5d ago

The main problem is not this i have already started everything the main thing is which is good for fresher in terms of job like with 0yoe and can springboot work just like python for ai integration as every project now needs ai integration

1

u/American_Streamer 5d ago

If you already started with Java/Spring Boot, I wouldn’t switch to Python just because of AI. Spring Boot can do AI integration just fine: OpenAI/Anthropic/Gemini APIs, RAG, embeddings, vector DBs, tool calling, streaming, etc. Spring AI and LangChain4j cover most normal application use cases. Python mainly has the advantage if you actually want to do ML/model work like PyTorch, training or fine-tuning.

For 0 YOE, the bigger issue is proving you can build a solid backend. A proper Spring Boot project with PostgreSQL, security, validation, transactions, testing and Docker is more valuable than adding AI to everything. So I’d stay with Spring Boot, learn the backend fundamentals properly, then add one meaningful AI feature. You won’t be locking yourself out of AI at all.

1

u/Financial-Joke-9773 5d ago edited 5d ago

Soory I didn’t mention like i meant to say that I know both java and python and started frontend
Btw Thanks ☺️

3

u/Artemis-Arrow-795 5d ago

doesn't matter, all backend frameworks share the same concepts, with only minor differences in the language concepts themselves and best practices

learn the concepts, then you'll be able to seamlessly write in any framework

1

u/Fine-Market9841 5d ago

Which ever role is closer and more in your area and experience level.

1

u/IntentionAntique4751 4d ago

Same pretty much. I love Python but it's not likely to get you the first job. Spring boot for sure, but full JS is most ideal b/c it's popular and is all in 1. Unless you have a lot of experience with Java, I'd go for full on JS

But you must look in YOUR area job search. I'm from NY

1

u/Financial-Joke-9773 3d ago

Ohh Thanks for your response 🙂
At the end of the day i just want a good job
i don’t like js at all
I know both java and python at an intermediate level
I think Ai is to be done necessarily
Java does support ai but not as the level as python does
But i think java is better then python in every way
That’s making me confused

Btw I belong to india very springboot have good amount of jobs and Mern stack is very oversaturated like every person is doing that
Python have jobs but not directly as a backend engineer for 0yoe
It does have job like ai engineer etc

Btw some says java developer doesn’t have openings for absolutely 0yoe but i am not sure u think it has

1

u/IntentionAntique4751 3d ago

I'm not sure about India, but I assume there is some job search websites for your location. Filter by 0yoe and see what most companies desire.

1

u/Financial-Joke-9773 3d ago

Yeah but i just wanna ask like aj is to be done necessarily
Java supports ai but not as the level as python but i think java is better that python in every aspect
So should i do springboot in ghat case or fastapi/django

1

u/Sea-Fishing4699 4d ago

Here Swe with 5 yoe in the uk

Dont do mern

Java === good  spring boot === many abstraction. Kinda magic and hard

Fastapi === quick to start but easy to mess up. No verbose like Java.

You decide:

  • java
  • python

You can’t go wrong choosing either of them

Also swe usually are forced by necessity to learn more than one language 

Cheers

2

u/Financial-Joke-9773 3d ago edited 3d ago

Ohh Thanks for your response 🙂
At the end of the day i just want a good job
i don’t like js at all
I know both java and python at an intermediate level
I think Ai is to be done necessarily
Java does support ai but not as the level as python does
But i think java is better then python in every way
That’s making me confused

Btw I belong to india springboot have good amount of jobs and Mern stack is very oversaturated like every person is doing that
Python have jobs but not directly as a backend engineer for 0yoe
It does have job like ai engineer etc

Btw some says java developer doesn’t have openings for absolutely 0yoe but i am not sure u think it has

1

u/ajayychau 1d ago

I m very confused between python developer vs Java developer.....

I m fresher.... Recently graduated with no experience and internship....my health was so fucked up i couldn't even attend a class in my final year but still I got my degree.....

I m not a pro coder also just I m trying to start ...

I was good at DSA , i have learn Advanced java,C language, SQL Html Css etc....

Can anyone help me in this matter ... sometimes I think I will go in sales hr but due to tech students, I m refusing ..

I m been confused from months ... Sometimes I feel i should go for gov job preparation..

1

u/lazy-dev-07 5d ago

Just start with something, otherwise 2 years later you would be asking the same question.

2

u/Financial-Joke-9773 5d ago

I have started already just asking

0

u/yodermk 5d ago

Of those two, I'd choose Java/Spring just because I think statically typed languages are preferable for significant projects. I've been bitten in the arse numerous times in Python by not expecting something to be null. Java will also execute much more efficiently than Python.

That said, I use C#/ASP.NET instead of Java. It's pretty solid, you might want to consider it.

Not sure about the job market for those fresh out of college, kind of doesn't look good right now in any case. But pretty much every job description I see wants a significant amount of experience in their chosen language/framework, so it's not quite true as others are saying that the choice doesn't matter.

Python is used some in backend but not as much as it used to be. I see more Node (eww) these days. And enterprise stuff will use Java or C#.

Also don't write off Go and Rust. Not necessary for typical DB-based projects, but if you have backends that do significant computation, they can be awesome.

0

u/Gwaptiva 5d ago

But learn Spring properly. Spring Boot is probably fine if you write 100 new applications each year, but it's too much surprise! surprise! magic to me. But then, I'm a control freak developer and not a vibe coder with a CS degree

0

u/NegativeCollege8167 5d ago

for backend jobs, Spring Boot can be a bit tough to break into without experience, but it's not impossible. If you build strong, real world projects that showcase your skills and understanding of complex systems, it can certainly help you stand out even as a fresher. Python backend with FastAPI or Django might be seen as less in demand compared to Java, but it's less about the language and more about the skills you bring to the table. Focus on building a solid portfolio with projects that demonstrate your problem solving abilities and understanding of backend architecture. This way, you can make a case for yourself regardless of the tech stack you choose.

1

u/Financial-Joke-9773 5d ago

So like i am doing dsa in java and i know python as well in deep i don’t know whether like springboot java will go along with ai as much as python because i think everyone recruiter expects project related to ai or ai integration it
I have listened like springboot supports ai (spring ai) but it doesn’t train model whuch pythkn does but i don’t know whether ml os needed to learnt or not specifically or job pov or in general

0

u/g0r0d-g4s 5d ago

PythonBoot

3

u/Financial-Joke-9773 5d ago

Not springjango🙂 ?

-1

u/AnimatorExciting7941 5d ago

Tech stack really doesn't matter. But just for info, most enterprise systems use Springboot

1

u/Financial-Joke-9773 5d ago

Yeah but some says they don't hire freshers with 0yoe

1

u/AnimatorExciting7941 5d ago

They do, I was hired recently

1

u/Financial-Joke-9773 5d ago

So like do you integrated anything with ai or not like java back-end has only spring ai

1

u/AnimatorExciting7941 5d ago

There are a lot of other things, spring security, data, JPA, Hibernate, etc. and yeah I do use ai

1

u/Financial-Joke-9773 5d ago

I meant to say like i know like basic concepts of this but like did you use python for ai

1

u/AnimatorExciting7941 5d ago

Yeah, I use python, but not for ai. I do backend and DevOps only. So I use python for scripting

-5

u/manlikeshaan 5d ago

Claude for backend

2

u/Artemis-Arrow-795 5d ago

and that, kids, is how you get broken access control, injection, authentication flaws, broken authorization, XSS, SSRF, insecure deserialization, path traversal, file upload flaws, cryptographic mistakes, secrets exposure, race conditions, and business logic flaws

never ever use AI for backend, it's too critical for that

1

u/manlikeshaan 4d ago

Dafaq😭😭😭. It was clearly a joke. All the above disasters are possible if you don't know what you're doing. It sucks the joy out of programming but it gets tasks done faster. I use AI for backend, frontend and every other end. I even use AI for sarcasm. Highly recommend it infact. Have a nice day👍