Spring Framework 3.2 released

SpringSource has released the final version of Spring Framework 3.2. The open source framework for Java applications is a recommended upgrade for all Spring Framework 3.1 users and features improved Java SE 7 support, refined concurrency, additional meta-annotations (@AutoWired and @Value) and support for custom @Bean definitions.

The framework also now allows for the development of asynchronous MVC applications when using Servlet 3.0; this means that calls to the handler methods will return objects that link to results that are yet to arrive. Testing capabilities have been improved with the inclusion of the former standalone project Spring MVC Test and the ability to load WebApplicationContexts into the test framework. The developers have also incorporated early support for JCache 0.5, aka JSR-107, as a Spring cache back-end; full JCache support will arrive next year along with Java EE 7 support.

A full list of the enhancements is available in the documentation's New Features and Enhancements in Spring Framework 3.2 section. The Apache 2 licensed source is downloadable from GitHub and a new Gradle-based build statement makes it easier to build from source. The Spring Framework 3.2 binary build is available to download from the project's "Community Downloads" page.

(djwm)