Not Spring Boot. Spring Boot is a framework for implementing a server side application. For example you use Spring Boot to implement a RESTful server side application including persistence and security. You do not use Spring Boot to write an HTTP server, instead Spring Boot uses an existing HTTP server.

Vert.x uses an existing HTTP server as well: Netty.

I look at Netty as an async IO library. You use Netty to build your own servers. Yes, I know, Netty ships with an HTTP client and server.

> But they're both frameworks for writing a server right? reply

> Not Spring Boot. Spring Boot is a framework for implementing a server side application.

'server side application' and 'server' or 'web server' are two terms for the same thing in many people's vocabulary. You two are arguing at cross-purposes.

Then people need to use these words more carefully. 'server side application' and 'web server' are not even close to being the same thing.

Right, but you don't use Vert.x to "write an HTTP server" either. In both cases you use the server from the framework, though in the case of Spring Boot that is also pluggable.