How to Connect Spring Boot to PostgreSQL Using Spring Data JPA

PostgreSQL is a production-grade relational database system widely used across modern enterprise and microservice architectures. If you’re building a Spring Boot application, connecting it to PostgreSQL isn’t just a matter of adding a dependency—it’s about configuring it the right way from day one.

This guide walks you through how to connect a Spring Boot application to PostgreSQL using Spring Data JPA, initialize the schema reliably and understand the pros and cons of using ddl-auto.

📦 Step 1: Add the Required Dependencies

For any JPA-backed integration with PostgreSQL, you need two core dependencies:

<!-- Spring Data JPA -->
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-data-jpa</artifactId>
</dependency>

<!-- PostgreSQL JDBC Driver -->
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.postgresql</groupId>
    <artifactId>postgresql</artifactId>
    <version>42.7.3</version>
</dependency>

<!-- Spring Data JPA -->
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-data-jpa</artifactId>
</dependency>

<!-- PostgreSQL JDBC Driver -->
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.postgresql</groupId>
    <artifactId>postgresql</artifactId>
    <version>42.7.3</version>
</dependency>

If you’re using Gradle:

implementation 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-data-jpa'
implementation 'org.postgresql:postgresql:42.7.3'

implementation 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-data-jpa'
implementation 'org.postgresql:postgresql:42.7.3'

spring-boot-starter-data-jpa brings in Hibernate as the default JPA provider, and abstracts common repository patterns with ease using JpaRepository.

⚙️ Step 2: Configure Your Connection

In src/main/resources/application.properties, configure your datasource and JPA settings:

spring.datasource.url=jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb
spring.datasource.username=myuser
spring.datasource.password=mypassword
spring.datasource.driver-class-name=org.postgresql.Driver

spring.jpa.hibernate.ddl-auto=create-drop
spring.jpa.show-sql=true
spring.jpa.properties.hibernate.format_sql=true

spring.datasource.url=jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb
spring.datasource.username=myuser
spring.datasource.password=mypassword
spring.datasource.driver-class-name=org.postgresql.Driver

spring.jpa.hibernate.ddl-auto=create-drop
spring.jpa.show-sql=true
spring.jpa.properties.hibernate.format_sql=true

🛡️ Warning: ddl-auto=create-drop may seem convenient, but it can lead to accidental schema drift in production. You should use ddl-auto=none and manage your schema manually or via a migration tool.

🔍 ddl-auto explained

Spring Data JPA offers some options for the ddl-auto property:

Recommended Use:

✔️ Good for quick prototyping in dev
❌ Not for production or long-term evolution

For Production environment, I strongly suggest going with a high-level migration tool like Flyway and Liquibase or going with a manual and separated approach.

Trust me, it is really easy to make a mess by using ddl-auto .

🛠️ Step 3: Run PostgreSQL Locally (with Docker)

docker run --name my-postgres \
  -e POSTGRES_USER=myuser \
  -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=mypassword \
  -e POSTGRES_DB=mydb \
  -p 5432:5432 -d postgres:16

docker run --name my-postgres \
  -e POSTGRES_USER=myuser \
  -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=mypassword \
  -e POSTGRES_DB=mydb \
  -p 5432:5432 -d postgres:16

This creates a container with PostgreSQL running on port 5432.

🧪 Step 4: Build a Sample Entity and Repository

User.java:

@Entity
@Table(name = "orders")
public class Order {

    @Id
    @GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.IDENTITY)
    private Long id;

    private String description;

    // Getters and setters
}

@Entity
@Table(name = "orders")
public class Order {

    @Id
    @GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.IDENTITY)
    private Long id;

    private String description;

    // Getters and setters
}

UserRepository.java:

public interface OrderRepository extends JpaRepository<Order, Long> {}

public interface OrderRepository extends JpaRepository<Order, Long> {}

UserController.java:

@RestController
@RequestMapping("/orders")
public class OrderController {

    private final OrderRepository repository;

    public OrderController(OrderRepository repository) {
        this.repository = repository;
    }

    @GetMapping
    public List<Order> findAll() {
        return repository.findAll();
    }

    @PostMapping
    public Order create(@RequestBody Order order) {
        return repository.save(order);
    }
}

@RestController
@RequestMapping("/orders")
public class OrderController {

    private final OrderRepository repository;

    public OrderController(OrderRepository repository) {
        this.repository = repository;
    }

    @GetMapping
    public List<Order> findAll() {
        return repository.findAll();
    }

    @PostMapping
    public Order create(@RequestBody Order order) {
        return repository.save(order);
    }
}

You now have a working API backed by PostgreSQL and powered by Spring Data JPA.

You can test your app by running the following cURL commands:

# Creates an Order
curl -X POST <http://localhost:8080/orders> \\
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \\
-d '{"description": "Order 1"}'
# {"id":1,"description":"Order 1"}
  
# List Orders
curl <http://localhost:8080/orders>
# [{"id":1,"description":"Order 1"}]

# Creates an Order
curl -X POST <http://localhost:8080/orders> \\
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \\
-d '{"description": "Order 1"}'
# {"id":1,"description":"Order 1"}
  
# List Orders
curl <http://localhost:8080/orders>
# [{"id":1,"description":"Order 1"}]

📦 Bonus: Is Flyway Better?

Yes — for larger, evolving applications, consider using Flyway for version-controlled migrations. But for smaller apps or bootstrapping ddl-auto work just fine.

✅ Conclusion

Connecting your Spring Boot application to PostgreSQL is simple—but doing it right takes understanding. By using Spring Data JPA, managing schema explicitly, and avoiding dangerous auto-DDL behaviors in production, you ensure your backend is reliable, maintainable, and production-ready.

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