This page describes the available support channels for Spring Boot users and contributors, including guidance on when to use each channel, how to report issues effectively, and where to find community and reference resources.
For details about contributing code, including the DCO requirement and code formatting conventions, see page 1.2 For IDE setup instructions, see page 8.1
Spring Boot provides distinct channels for different categories of interaction. Routing requests to the correct channel results in faster responses.
Support Channel Routing
Sources: README.adoc51-60 CONTRIBUTING.adoc14-28 SUPPORT.adoc1-29
GitHub Issues at spring-projects/spring-boot/issues are reserved for bugs and feature enhancement requests. They are explicitly not used for general usage questions.
When to Use GitHub Issues
| Use Case | Appropriate? |
|---|---|
| Bug with a reproducible example | ✅ Yes |
| Feature enhancement request | ✅ Yes |
| Documentation error | ✅ Yes |
| General "how-to" question | ❌ No — use Stack Overflow |
| Security vulnerability | ❌ No — use spring.io/security-policy |
| Dependency upgrade (version-only) | ❌ No — handled by project maintainers |
To speed up diagnosis, include the following when reporting a bug README.adoc74-83:
Check the issue tracker for existing reports before filing a new one.
Sources: README.adoc71-83 CONTRIBUTING.adoc14-22 SUPPORT.adoc5-15
Stack Overflow is the primary channel for general usage questions. Both the Spring Boot team and the broader community monitor the spring-boot tag.
Before posting, review Stack Overflow's guidance on how to ask a good question. Effective posts include:
spring-bootSources: README.adoc59 CONTRIBUTING.adoc16-18 SUPPORT.adoc18-24
Security vulnerabilities must not be disclosed publicly via GitHub Issues or pull requests. The .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md explicitly calls this out .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md9-12
To report a security vulnerability responsibly, follow the disclosure process described at spring.io/security-policy. This allows the team to prepare a fix before public disclosure.
The CONTRIBUTING.adoc states CONTRIBUTING.adoc26-29:
If you think you have found a security vulnerability in Spring Boot please DO NOT disclose it publicly until we've had a chance to fix it. Please don't report security vulnerabilities using GitHub issues, instead head over to
https://spring.io/security-policyand learn how to disclose them responsibly.
Sources: CONTRIBUTING.adoc25-29 .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md8-13
Before asking a question in any channel, consult the official documentation:
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
Reference docs (docs.spring.io/spring-boot) | Full reference documentation including how-to guides |
How-to guides (docs.spring.io/spring-boot/how-to/) | Solutions to the most common questions |
Spring guides (spring.io/guides) | Step-by-step tutorials for building Spring Boot applications |
| Release notes (GitHub wiki) | Upgrade instructions and noteworthy changes per version |
spring.io | Spring platform overview and additional reference documentation |
Notable guides referenced in README.adoc README.adoc108-114:
Building an Application with Spring Boot — introductory guideBuilding a RESTful Web Service with Spring Boot Actuator — server configuration walkthroughSources: README.adoc55-58 README.adoc108-114
The Spring Boot project follows the Contributor Covenant code of conduct. All participants are expected to uphold this code.
Unacceptable behavior should be reported to [email protected].
Sources: CONTRIBUTING.adoc7-10
For organizations needing dedicated commercial support, VMware Tanzu provides enterprise support for Spring Boot at enterprise.spring.io.
Sources: SUPPORT.adoc27-29
| Channel | Typical Response Time | Community Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Issues | 1-7 days | Spring team + contributors |
| Stack Overflow | Hours to 1 day | Global community |
| Gitter | Minutes to hours | Active community members |
| VMware Support | Per SLA | Professional support staff |
The Spring Boot community follows professional standards:
Sources: SUPPORT.adoc1-39
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