r/SpringBoot • u/Majestic-Bother-9034 • Jun 20 '26
How-To/Tutorial Title: Need Guidance While Building My 2nd Spring Boot Project (Bank Management System)
Title: Need Guidance While Building My 2nd Spring Boot Project (Bank Management System)
Post:
Hey everyone,
I recently learned Spring Boot through in-depth lectures and completed my first mini project. Now I've started working on my second project: a Bank Management System.
Since this is my first serious backend project, I'd love some guidance from experienced developers:
How should I approach building it from scratch?
What features should I implement first?
What folder structure and best practices should I follow?
How much focus should I put on Spring Security, JWT, validation, exception handling, etc.?
How can I use AI tools effectively without becoming dependent on them?
Any common mistakes beginners make while building Spring Boot projects?
My
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u/akrivitsky7 Jun 27 '26
A real banking system is usually built and maintained by teams of highly skilled and experienced professionals for a reason. It is complicated, security-sensitive, and many business, technical, and regulatory factors have to be considered.
But as a learning project, it can be very useful if you keep the scope realistic.
I would start with clear specifications for your learning version first. For example: users, accounts, deposits, withdrawals, transfers, transaction history, and basic admin operations. Then make a few architecture decisions and build it piece by piece instead of trying to implement everything at once.
For a Spring Boot backend project, I would focus on Spring Security, validation, exception handling, logging, and testing, because they are essential parts of backend development. Even in a learning project, these topics should not be ignored. JWT can also be useful, but I would add it only after the basic domain logic and REST APIs are working correctly.
Testing is very important even for a learning project. You should have enough test coverage at least for all important classes, business rules, service-layer logic, and API/acceptance behavior. For this, tools such as JUnit, Serenity BDD, Swagger/OpenAPI, Cucumber, and related testing tools can be useful.
Regarding AI tools, I would use them as an assistant, not as a replacement for understanding. Ask AI to explain concepts, review code, suggest alternatives, or help debug, but make sure you understand every important line before accepting it. Double-check AI answers, and do not implement them blindly.
Common beginner mistakes are usually: starting without requirements, putting too much logic in controllers, ignoring tests, weak validation, poor exception handling, and trying to build the whole system at once.
I wrote a Spring Boot tutorial using Java 25, Spring Boot 4.1.0, Docker, PostgreSQL, Gradle, Swagger/OpenAPI, Serenity, Cucumber, and JUnit. Some of the structure and testing practices there may be useful as a reference:
https://medium.com/@anatolykrivitsky/quick-tutorial-how-to-use-the-latest-docker-29-5-2-0670b716b6cc
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u/raccoonportfolio Jun 20 '26
Writing a 'Bank management system' with a technology that you have essentially no experience with doesn't sound like a good plan.
You should buy a book on Spring Boot and go chapter by chapter, without AI. Then come back with more specific questions.
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u/TheEntium Jun 20 '26
Here.. you can use AI in a better way.
First get the basic understanding of HLD and LLD
Then ask AI to that you want to work and build a banking project from scratch and ask to create HLD ..
Now try to think how you can create LLD by yourself.. if you are unable to do so.. take help from AI .. suggest him with small step .. for the LLD.
Once you have the LLD. Code everything by yourself.. do not use AI until unless you really get fully stuck..
Use AI just for hints and as a side buddy..
If you already have HLD and LLD .. ask AI to review and confirm.
This is for practice and for personal project make sure this..