Spring 5: What It Was, What Changed, and What to Do Now

Spring 5 was a major inflection point in the Spring Framework’s evolution. It modernized the platform, set a new technical baseline, and introduced patterns that still shape Spring applications today.

But Spring 5 is no longer supported by the open-source community.

If you’re still running Spring 5 in production, the important question isn’t what was Spring 5—it’s what happens now.

This guide covers:

• What Spring 5 actually introduced
• Why Spring 5 matters historically
• What Spring 5 end of support means in practice
• Your realistic options if you’re still on Spring 5
  
  

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What Was Spring 5?

Spring Framework 5 was released in 2017 and marked a foundational modernization of the framework.

It wasn’t about flashy features—it was about resetting assumptions.

Core Themes of Spring 5

Java 8 Baseline
Spring 5 required Java 8 or newer, enabling:

• Lambda expressions
• Method references
• Functional-style APIs

This reduced boilerplate and pushed Spring toward more declarative patterns.

Reactive Programming (Spring WebFlux)

Spring 5 introduced WebFlux, a fully non-blocking, reactive web stack built on Project Reactor.

This enabled:

• Event-driven request handling
• Better resource utilization under load
• Native reactive streams support
  
  

Functional Configuration Model

Spring 5 added functional alternatives to annotation-heavy configuration:

• Functional bean registration
• Functional web endpoint definitions

This was an early move toward lighter, more explicit application wiring.

Kotlin First-Class Support‍

Kotlin became a first-class JVM language in the Spring ecosystem, with:

• Kotlin extensions
• Improved null-safety
• More concise configuration models
  
  

Java EE 7 / 8 Alignment

Spring 5 required Java EE 7 APIs while supporting newer Java EE 8 APIs at runtime:

• Servlet 3.1+ baseline
• Optional Servlet 4.0, Bean Validation 2.0, and more
  
  

JDK 9+ Compatibility‍

Spring 5 aligned with Java’s module system and newer JDK releases, smoothing long-term JVM upgrades.

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Why Spring 5 Still Shows Up Everywhere

Spring 5 became the backbone for:

• Spring Boot 2.x
• Large enterprise Java applications
• Long-lived internal platforms
  
  

Many organizations standardized on Spring 5 and never moved—not because it was “old,” but because it was stable.

That stability is exactly why Spring 5 persists in production today.

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Spring 5 End of Support: What Changed

Spring Framework 5 reached end of open-source support on August 31, 2024.

That means:

• No free security patches
• No bug fixes
• No upstream CVE remediation
• No community maintenance
  
  

The code didn’t suddenly break—but the safety net disappeared.

For regulated environments, this introduces real risk:

• Security findings with no upstream fix
• Audit failures tied to unsupported components
• Increasing exposure as new vulnerabilities are discovered
  
  

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Your Options If You’re Still on Spring 5

Option 1: Move to the Latest Version of Spring

Moving to the latest version of Spring is the official recommendation, but for Spring 5 applications this usually involves a full migration to Spring 7, including Java 17 adoption, Jakarta EE changes, and broad dependency and infrastructure updates.

Moving from Spring 5 to the latest version of Spring (Spring 7) typically requires:

• Java 17 or newer
• Jakarta EE namespace changes
• Significant dependency upgrades
• Application and infrastructure changes
  
  

For many teams, this turns into a long, high-risk migration rather than a simple version update.

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Option 2: Rewrite or Replatform

Sometimes necessary. Often expensive. Almost always disruptive.

This option makes sense only when:

• You’re already planning a major rewrite
• You can tolerate extended timelines
• You have budget and staffing to spare
  
  

Option 3: Stay on Spring 5 with Security Coverage

If migration isn’t immediate—or even possible—your real need is continued security support.

This is where extended support becomes critical:

• Ongoing vulnerability patching
• CVE remediation after end of open-source support
• Compliance alignment without forced upgrades
  
  

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Why “Spring 5” Is Still a Live Risk Topic

Spring 5 isn’t fading quietly.

It’s becoming more dangerous over time because:

• New vulnerabilities are still being found
• Attackers target widely deployed, unpatched frameworks
• Auditors increasingly flag unsupported components
  
  

Spring 5 didn’t stop mattering when support ended.

It started mattering more.

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FAQ: Spring 5

What is Spring 5?

Spring 5 is a major release of the Spring Framework that introduced a Java 8 baseline, reactive programming via WebFlux, functional configuration models, Kotlin support, and alignment with Java EE 7/8 APIs.

Is Spring 5 still supported?

Spring 5 is no longer supported by the open-source community as of August 31, 2024. It does not receive free security patches or bug fixes.

Is Spring 5 end of life?

Yes. Spring Framework 5 has reached end of open-source support, meaning upstream maintenance has stopped.

Can I still run Spring 5 in production?

Technically yes—but doing so without security coverage introduces growing security and compliance risk.

What if I can’t migrate off Spring 5 yet?

If migration isn’t feasible, continued security support is the safest path to reduce risk while maintaining operational stability. HeroDevs offers Never-Ending Support (NES) for Spring, which delivers post–end-of-support security fixes, CVE remediation, and maintenance without requiring an immediate upgrade.

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Bottom Line

Spring 5 was a pivotal release.
It modernized Spring and powered a generation of Java applications.

But today, Spring 5 is no longer just a framework choice—it’s a security decision.

If your stack still ends with Spring 5, the next step matters more than the history.