Abstract

Reactive programming enables the construction of responsive and robust applications that are capable of efficiently managing asynchronous data streams and dynamic changes. Among various frameworks that support this paradigm, Spring is distinguished by its adaptability and lightweight Java-based structure, making it particularly suitable for enterprise environments. Introduced in 2003, the Spring ecosystem offers two primary web frameworks: Spring Web Model-View-Controller and Spring WebFlux. In the former, the original component of the Spring framework is optimized for the servlet API and container environments, while the latter is a newer addition that leverages a reactive stack architecture to achieve enhanced scalability and performance. This study comprehensively evaluates these frameworks through performance benchmarking across diverse scenarios. By integrating a broad spectrum of performance metrics (i.e., throughput and response time) and real-world applications, this study aims to extend the current literature and provide developers with concrete insights into selecting the appropriate Spring framework for specific enterprise needs based on synchronous and reactive programming models. [1][3]

References

• R. Sharma, Hands-On Reactive Programming with Reactor: Build Reactive and Scalable Microservices Using the Reactor Framework, Packt, Birmingham, UK, 2018.
• M. Srivastava, Mastering Spring Reactive Programming for High-Performance Web Apps, Notion Press, New York, NY, USA, 2024.
• Y. Mednikov, Friendly WebFlux: A Practical Guide to Reactive Programming with Spring WebFlux, Independent, 2021.
• C. Deinum and I. Cosmina, “Building Reactive Applications with Spring WebFlux,” in Spring in Action, 5th ed., Manning, New York, NY, USA, 2021, ch. 10.
• A. Sukhambekova, “Comparison of Spring WebFlux and Spring MVC,” Modern Scientific Method, no. 9, Mar. 2025.
• Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), “Comparing Virtual Threads and Reactive WebFlux in Spring,” M.S. thesis, Stockholm, Sweden, 2023.
• A. Nordlund and N. Nordström, “Comparing Virtual Threads and Reactive WebFlux in Spring,” diva-portal.org, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A1763111/FULLTEXT01.pdf
• Q. Li and R. Sharma, “Review on Spring Boot and Spring WebFlux for Reactive Web Development,” ResearchGate, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341151097
• A. Filichkin, “Spring Boot Performance Battle: Blocking vs Non-Blocking vs Reactive,” Medium, May 2018. [Online]. Available: https://filia-aleks.medium.com/microservice-performance-battle-spring-mvc-vs-webflux-80d39fd81bf0
• M. Piyumal, “Mastering Reactive Programming with Spring WebFlux,” Medium, Jan. 2024. [Online]. Available: https://manjulapiyumal.medium.com/mastering-reactive-programming-with-spring-webflux-47dbf57857f0
• “SpringBoot MVC vs WebFlux: Performance Comparison for JWT Verify and MySQL Query,” Medium, Jul. 2025. [Online]. Available: https://medium.com/deno-the-complete-reference/springboot-mvc-vs-webflux-performance-comparison-for-jwt-verify-and-mysql-query-10d5ff08a1ba
• P. Minkowski, “Performance Comparison Between Spring MVC vs Spring WebFlux with Elasticsearch,” Personal Blog, Oct. 2019. [Online]. Available: https://piotrminkowski.com/2019/10/30/performance-comparison-between-spring-mvc-and-spring-webflux-with-elasticsearch/
• G. Munhoz, “API Performance — Spring MVC vs Spring WebFlux vs Go,” Medium, Aug. 2020. [Online]. Available: https://filipemunhoz.medium.com/api-performance-spring-mvc-vs-spring-webflux-vs-go-f97b62d2255a
• F. Dorado, “Reactive vs Non-Reactive Spring Performance,” Personal Blog, Jun. 2019. [Online]. Available: https://frandorado.github.io/spring/2019/06/26/spring-reactive-vs-non-reactive-performance.html
• T. Emanovikov, “R2DBC vs JDBC vs Vert.x – Not So Fast Benchmark,” Medium, n.d. [Online]. Available: https://medium.com/@temanovikov/r2dbc-vs-jdbc-vs-vert-x-not-so-fast-benchmark-c0a9fcabb274
• G. Gatheca, “Spring WebFlux: Load Testing Using JMeter,” Medium, Sep. 2021. [Online]. Available: https://gathecageorge.medium.com/6-spring-webflux-load-testing-using-jmeter-b0875b09fc25
• “Performance Testing Strategies for Spring WebFlux Applications,” Moldstud.com, Jul. 2025. [Online]. Available: https://moldstud.com/articles/p-performance-testing-your-spring-webflux-application-tools-strategies-and-best-practices
• “Mastering Spring WebFlux: Reactive APIs at Scale,” Java Code Geeks, Jul. 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.javacodegeeks.com/2025/07/mastering-spring-webflux-reactive-apis-at-scale.html
• “Spring MVC vs. Spring WebFlux: Choosing the Right Framework for Your Project,” Dev.to, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://dev.to/jottyjohn/spring-mvc-vs-spring-webflux-choosing-the-right-framework-for-your-project-4cd2