3 quick steps

Install CrudCraft

Add the dependencies, annotate an entity, and compile. You’ll get controllers, services, repositories and DTOs at build time—no runtime magic.

1Add dependencies

2Annotate an entity

3Compile & verify

Prerequisites

Java 21+
Spring Boot 3+
Maven or Gradle
JPA provider (Hibernate/EclipseLink)

1) Add dependencies

Add the annotations, starter and code generator. Replace ${crudcraft.version} with the latest version.

pom.xml

<properties>
  <crudcraft.version>0.1.0</crudcraft.version>
</properties>

<dependencies>
  <!-- Compile-time annotations -->
  <dependency>
    <groupId>nl.datasteel.crudcraft</groupId>
    <artifactId>crudcraft-annotations</artifactId>
    <version>${crudcraft.version}</version>
    <scope>provided</scope>
  </dependency>

  <!-- Runtime starter -->
  <dependency>
    <groupId>nl.datasteel.crudcraft</groupId>
    <artifactId>crudcraft-starter</artifactId>
    <version>${crudcraft.version}</version>
  </dependency>
</dependencies>

<build>
  <plugins>
    <plugin>
      <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
      <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
      <version>3.11.0</version>
      <configuration>
        <annotationProcessorPaths>
          <path>
            <groupId>nl.datasteel.crudcraft</groupId>
            <artifactId>crudcraft-codegen</artifactId>
            <version>${crudcraft.version}</version>
          </path>
        </annotationProcessorPaths>
      </configuration>
    </plugin>
  </plugins>
</build>

build.gradle

dependencies {
  compileOnly "nl.datasteel.crudcraft:crudcraft-annotations:${crudcraftVersion}"
  implementation "nl.datasteel.crudcraft:crudcraft-starter:${crudcraftVersion}"
  annotationProcessor "nl.datasteel.crudcraft:crudcraft-codegen:${crudcraftVersion}"

  // MapStruct (typical setup)
  implementation "org.mapstruct:mapstruct:1.5.5.Final"
  annotationProcessor "org.mapstruct:mapstruct-processor:1.5.5.Final"
}

tasks.withType(JavaCompile).configureEach {
  options.compilerArgs += ["-parameters"]
  options.release = 21
}

build.gradle.kts

dependencies {
  compileOnly("nl.datasteel.crudcraft:crudcraft-annotations:$crudcraftVersion")
  implementation("nl.datasteel.crudcraft:crudcraft-starter:$crudcraftVersion")
  annotationProcessor("nl.datasteel.crudcraft:crudcraft-codegen:$crudcraftVersion")

  implementation("org.mapstruct:mapstruct:1.5.5.Final")
  annotationProcessor("org.mapstruct:mapstruct-processor:1.5.5.Final")
}

tasks.withType<JavaCompile>().configureEach {
  options.compilerArgs.add("-parameters")
  options.release.set(21)
}

2) Annotate an entity

Mark fields for request/response DTOs and search, and optionally enable security.

Customer.java

@CrudCrafted(editable = true, secure = true /* policy configurable */)
@Entity
class Customer {
  @Id UUID id;

  @Dto @Request @Searchable
  String name;

  @Dto(simplified = true)
  Integer priority;
}

3) Build & verify

Terminal

mvn clean compile

Verify outputs

Generated Java under target/generated-sources/…
CustomerController, CustomerService, CustomerRepository
DTOs + MapStruct mapper

IDE tips

Enable annotation processing (IntelliJ/Eclipse)
Reload / reimport project after first build
Target JDK 21 and Boot 3+

Troubleshooting

Generated sources don’t show up in IDE

Make sure annotation processing is enabled.
Run a full build once (mvn clean compile), then reload the project.
Confirm all CrudCraft artifacts use the same version.

Compilation errors on MapStruct

Ensure both mapstruct and mapstruct-processor are present.
Use matching versions; clear the IDE build cache if needed.

Wrong Java / Boot version

Use Java 21+ and Spring Boot 3+.
In Maven: set <release>21</release> on maven-compiler-plugin (or use toolchains).

Need help?

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