Hilla , a new web framework from Vaadin for Java developers, combines the backend with Spring Boot and the frontend with a mix of TypeScript and Lit.
Hilla , formerly Vaadin Fusion, has a number of features that make business application development easier, such as a single project setup for Java and TypeScript that stays in sync. It includes a large number of UI components, such as Vaadin components. It also includes support for single-page apps, as well as Spring Security for application security.
Hilla includes all of the required assets for a web application, such as routing, forms, security, and build tooling. Furthermore, the framework supports automated TypeScript code creation, which maintains the frontend and backend in sync. Two things are connected if a developer adds the following endpoint in Spring Boot:
| A developer codes Java | Hilla automatically generates TypeScript |
| @Endpoint@AnynonousAllowedpublic class HelloEndpoint { public String greet(String name) { return “Hello ” + name; } } | const greeting = await HelloEndpoint.greet(‘Hilla’);console.log(greeting); |
Hilla needs Node 16.14 or above, as well as JDK 11 or higher, and the Getting Started guide has instructions.
Vaadin created and maintains Hilla, although it does not contain the Vaadin Flow. Instead, it builds native web Development with Lit, a lightweight toolkit comparable to ReactJs. Hilla also contains both the frontend and the backend in the same project. In this regard, Vaadin’s product management lead, Leif strand, stated:
“We’re looking for possibilities to optimize based on putting server-side Java and client-side TypeScript closer together, which goes against common thinking about separating the frontend and the backend.”
Only Spring Boot is presently supported by the Hilla framework. Other frameworks, such as Quarkus or Jakarta EE, are not currently supported. strand continues on Spring Boot:
“Spring Boot now brings most aspects of the Java ecosystem together in a way that relies on standards and requires minimum setup.”
Although Java is supported in the first major version of Hilla, according to a Vaadin webinar, other JVM languages, such as Kotlin, may be added in the future. Additionally, because it is an open-source project under the Apache 2.0 license, anybody may examine, expand, and alter the source code, as well as report bugs.
Vaadin’s first assets, which include documentation, a webinar, and a Spring Tips blog post, may be used by developers who want to assess Hilla.
