Why Haft?

The Problem

Spring Initializr is great for bootstrapping a new project. You visit the website, select your dependencies, download a ZIP, and you're ready to go.

But then what?

Every time you need to add a new entity, you manually create:

1. User.java — Entity class
2. UserRepository.java — JPA repository
3. UserService.java — Service interface
4. UserServiceImpl.java — Service implementation
5. UserController.java — REST controller
6. UserRequest.java — Request DTO
7. UserResponse.java — Response DTO
8. UserMapper.java — MapStruct mapper

That's 8 files. Every. Single. Time.

And you need to:

• Remember the correct package structure
• Copy-paste from existing files
• Update imports
• Wire up dependencies
• Hope you didn't make a typo

The Solution

Haft is your lifecycle companion. It doesn't just bootstrap — it stays with you.

# Instead of creating 8 files manually...
haft generate resource User

# Done. All files generated with proper architecture.

What Makes Haft Different

1. Interactive TUI Wizard

Not a web form. A beautiful terminal interface with:

• Real-time search across 230+ dependency shortcuts
• Category filtering (Web, SQL, Security, etc.)
• Keyboard navigation
• Back button support (press Esc)

2. Spring Initializr Integration

Haft uses the same dependency metadata as Spring Initializr. You get access to all official Spring starters with their descriptions.

3. Smart Detection

When generating code, Haft reads your build file (pom.xml or build.gradle) to detect:

• Lombok → Uses @Data, @Builder, etc.
• MapStruct → Generates mapper interfaces
• Validation → Adds @Valid annotations
• Spring Data JPA → Configures repositories correctly

4. Intelligent Architecture Detection

Haft scans your existing codebase and generates code that matches your patterns:

Detection	What it learns
Architecture	Layered, Feature, Hexagonal, Clean, Modular, Flat
Feature Style	Flat (user/UserController.java) vs Nested (user/controller/UserController.java)
DTO Naming	Request/Response vs DTO
ID Type	Long vs UUID
Mapper	MapStruct, ModelMapper, or manual
Base Entity	Detects and extends your base class

Profile caching makes subsequent runs instant.

5. Architectural Consistency

Every generated file follows the same patterns:

• Consistent naming conventions
• Proper layered architecture
• DTOs for API boundaries
• Exception handling

6. CLI-First

Works in any terminal:

# Interactive mode
haft init

# Scripted mode (CI/CD friendly)
haft init my-app --group com.example --deps web,jpa --no-interactive

Comparison

Feature	Spring Initializr	Haft
Project scaffolding	✅	✅
Web interface	✅	❌
CLI interface	❌	✅
Interactive TUI	❌	✅
Resource generation	❌	✅
Test generation	❌	✅
Security generation	❌	✅
Dependency management	❌	✅
Smart detection	❌	✅
Architecture detection	❌	✅
Profile caching	❌	✅
Works offline	❌	✅

Use Cases

Starting a New Project

haft init my-api

Interactive wizard guides you through all configuration options.

Adding a New Resource

haft generate resource Product

Generates all CRUD layers with proper architecture.

Adding a Dependency

haft add security

Adds Spring Security with proper configuration.

Adding Security Configuration

haft generate security --jwt

Generates complete JWT authentication setup with token generation, validation, and auth endpoints.

CI/CD Pipelines

haft init user-service \
  --group com.company \
  --java 21 \
  --spring 3.4.1 \
  --deps web,data-jpa,security \
  --no-interactive

Fully scriptable, no interaction required.

Philosophy

1. Convention over Configuration — Sensible defaults, override when needed
2. CLI is Documentation — --help tells you everything
3. Offline First — No internet required after installation
4. Zero Lock-in — Generated code is standard Spring Boot