Should I Jump Straight into Spring Boot, or Learn Java First?

I wouldn’t recommend jumping in right away either, but it’s not impossible! You've got backend experience, which will help with concepts like REST and JSON. Just be ready to familiarize yourself with Java-specific features like inheritance and interfaces—those are essential. If you want to dive in, consider spending a couple of weeks learning Java basics first. It'll save you a lot of headaches later.

Definitely learn some Java first! I organized a course for JS/TS devs to transition to Spring Boot, and it was clear that understanding layers of the framework was crucial. It’s a different mindset, and knowing your way around Java’s quirks will make things so much easier. You'll thank yourself later when you start working on your Spring Boot projects!

I’d suggest holding off on jumping straight into Spring Boot. Sure, it can be a popular choice, but if you're not familiar with Java's structure, you'll find it overwhelming. Spring Boot does a lot under the hood, and without understanding the fundamentals, it can feel like you’re up against a bunch of 'magic.' You already know backend principles, which is a great start. Just be prepared to learn Java's classes, constructors, getters/setters, and collections first. It’s definitely doable, but maybe give yourself some time to get comfortable with Java basics first.