Java IQ

The difference between downloading a Spring Boot project with Java 8 and Java 11 from the Spring Initializr lies in the version of Java that the project will be built and run with.

Java 8 is an older version of Java that was released in 2014. It includes features such as lambda expressions, streams, and functional interfaces, which have improved the way Java developers write code. However, Java 8 is no longer receiving public updates, and support for it has ended, which means that any security issues or bugs that are discovered will not be fixed.

Java 11, on the other hand, is a newer version of Java that was released in 2018 and is a long-term support (LTS) version. It includes features such as local variable type inference, new HTTP API, and dynamic class-file constants, which have further improved the language. Java 11 also provides better performance and security compared to previous versions.

When you download a Spring Boot project with Java 8, the project will be configured to use Java 8 as the target runtime. Similarly, when you download a Spring Boot project with Java 11, the project will be configured to use Java 11 as the target runtime.

Therefore, if you need to use any of the new features in Java 11 or require long-term support, you should choose the Spring Boot project with Java 11. If you’re working with an older Java application that is compatible with Java 8, or you’re not yet ready to upgrade to Java 11, then you should choose the Spring Boot project with Java 8.