Grails is an open-source, rapid web application development framework that provides a super-productive full-stack programming model based on the Groovy scripting language and built on top of Spring, Hibernate, and other standard Java frameworks. Ruby on Rails pioneered the innovative coupling of a powerful programming language and an opinionated framework that favors sensible defaults over complex configuration, but many organizations aren't yet ready to stray from the safety of Java or forgo their current Java investments. Grails makes it possible to achieve equivalent productivity in a Java-centric environment. Over the course of this book, the reader will explore the various aspects of Grails and also experience Grails by building a Grails app.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
I've been a Java developer for about 10 years and I teach Java and XML software training classes for a living. Just over a year ago I was introduced to Ruby on Rails and found it fascinating. I dove in, excited at the potential ease and productivity gains, and started learning as fast as I could. My regular work, however, kept pulling me back to Java.
About a month ago, I attended a Java User's Group meeting in the Philadelphia area where Jason Rudolph gave a presentation on Grails. I found Jason to be a friendly, easy-going person to be around, obviously enthusiastic about Grails, and he gave a very enjoyable presentation. I learned that Grails can deliver most of the promises of Ruby and Rails (eventually it'll deliver on all of them), but with seamless Java integration, too. It's also built on top of Hibernate and Spring, both of which I've already invested considerable time learning, so I found that quite attractive.
Jason's book is like having him sitting by your side leading you through the framework step-by-step. He shows the design process and the natural development of a web-based, data-driven application, from conception to iterative delivery. The book is written as a series of short chapters, each of which adds a self-contained amount of functionality to the site. We get to implement it and watch it grow and improve in the process.
The books is short and very focused. In this age of massive, thousand page tomes that few people can find time to read, Getting Started with Grails is one of those few books that you'll buy and actually find the time to work through in detail. In all likelihood, you won't be able to help yourself. While reading it I was continually drawn to my computer, thinking, "it just can't be that easy, can it," only to find that it (almost) always is.
If I have any criticism of the book, it's that it remains true to its mission. It's like taking a tour through a new, interesting land with a great tour guide who obviously loves the place. I really enjoyed it, but it left me wanting more. Of course, that's the book's job. I will say, though, that while you may start with this book, it's very unlikely to be the only Grails book you buy.
The only other criticism I can think of is that Grails is still under such rapid development that the framework is a bit of a moving target. Any Grails book is going to face that challenge, of course. At least with this one, the basics seem likely to stay the same or reasonably similar, and the initial investment isn't really that high. It also helps knowing that Jason is one of the few committers to the project, so he really knows the details of the framework and where it's likely to be going in the future.
The author has done an excellent job showing newcomers what Grails can do and how to get started. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in what may turn out to be a very significant framework in the future. It's a great way to get started.
About a month ago, I attended a Java User's Group meeting in the Philadelphia area where Jason Rudolph gave a presentation on Grails. I found Jason to be a friendly, easy-going person to be around, obviously enthusiastic about Grails, and he gave a very enjoyable presentation. I learned that Grails can deliver most of the promises of Ruby and Rails (eventually it'll deliver on all of them), but with seamless Java integration, too. It's also built on top of Hibernate and Spring, both of which I've already invested considerable time learning, so I found that quite attractive.
Jason's book is like having him sitting by your side leading you through the framework step-by-step. He shows the design process and the natural development of a web-based, data-driven application, from conception to iterative delivery. The book is written as a series of short chapters, each of which adds a self-contained amount of functionality to the site. We get to implement it and watch it grow and improve in the process.
The books is short and very focused. In this age of massive, thousand page tomes that few people can find time to read, Getting Started with Grails is one of those few books that you'll buy and actually find the time to work through in detail. In all likelihood, you won't be able to help yourself. While reading it I was continually drawn to my computer, thinking, "it just can't be that easy, can it," only to find that it (almost) always is.
If I have any criticism of the book, it's that it remains true to its mission. It's like taking a tour through a new, interesting land with a great tour guide who obviously loves the place. I really enjoyed it, but it left me wanting more. Of course, that's the book's job. I will say, though, that while you may start with this book, it's very unlikely to be the only Grails book you buy.
The only other criticism I can think of is that Grails is still under such rapid development that the framework is a bit of a moving target. Any Grails book is going to face that challenge, of course. At least with this one, the basics seem likely to stay the same or reasonably similar, and the initial investment isn't really that high. It also helps knowing that Jason is one of the few committers to the project, so he really knows the details of the framework and where it's likely to be going in the future.
The author has done an excellent job showing newcomers what Grails can do and how to get started. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in what may turn out to be a very significant framework in the future. It's a great way to get started.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Scott Davis
Grails is positively intoxicating. It brings all of the benefits of Rails -- convention over configuration, scaffolding, transparent database persistence -- to you on the JVM. I loved working with RoR, but the context switching killed my productivity. My "muscle memory" of Java was too strong, and flipping back and forth between JEE work and RoR -- often several times in the same day -- left me in that weird limbo of "now which syntax do I use here?" Since Groovy offers seamless interop with Java (compile it down to bytecode and include it like you would any other native Java code), the cognitive dissonance all but went away, leaving me with the pleasant experience of, "Holy cow -- look how quickly I got this website up and running."
Although Grails is pre-1.0 right now (March, 2007), all of the underlying technology is rock solid. Spring 2.0. Hibernate 3.0. Jetty 6.0. Even Groovy 1.0. You can run Grails in the included Jetty container, or WAR it up and deploy it to Tomcat, JBoss, etc. You can use the embedded HSQLDB for quick prototyping, but then flip over to any other JDBC-supported database in less than 6 lines of code. If you don't like the default mapping -- hey, it's Hibernate. Drop out of the framework and use an HBM file directly. Want to dynamically inject your own classes? No worries -- it's Spring 2.0. When I'm looking for a Grails solution, it doesn't mean that I am limited to a Groovy implementation -- Grails allows you to mine the rich JEE ecosystem. If it's a JAR, you drop it right into WEB-INF/lib like you would any other JEE application.
Jason's book mirrors the simplicity of Grails but doesn't skimp on technical content. You'll be up and running in minutes, and on to real technical solutions within your first hour. But these aren't technical shortcuts. This is a solid MVC implementation through and through. Written by a committer on the Grails project, Jason takes you on the shortest path to productivity. Once you get a taste, you'll wonder why you did it any other way in the past...
Although Grails is pre-1.0 right now (March, 2007), all of the underlying technology is rock solid. Spring 2.0. Hibernate 3.0. Jetty 6.0. Even Groovy 1.0. You can run Grails in the included Jetty container, or WAR it up and deploy it to Tomcat, JBoss, etc. You can use the embedded HSQLDB for quick prototyping, but then flip over to any other JDBC-supported database in less than 6 lines of code. If you don't like the default mapping -- hey, it's Hibernate. Drop out of the framework and use an HBM file directly. Want to dynamically inject your own classes? No worries -- it's Spring 2.0. When I'm looking for a Grails solution, it doesn't mean that I am limited to a Groovy implementation -- Grails allows you to mine the rich JEE ecosystem. If it's a JAR, you drop it right into WEB-INF/lib like you would any other JEE application.
Jason's book mirrors the simplicity of Grails but doesn't skimp on technical content. You'll be up and running in minutes, and on to real technical solutions within your first hour. But these aren't technical shortcuts. This is a solid MVC implementation through and through. Written by a committer on the Grails project, Jason takes you on the shortest path to productivity. Once you get a taste, you'll wonder why you did it any other way in the past...
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
I purchased the Getting Started with Grails book recently to evaluate the Grails framework. The book does exactly what it says, it gets you started with Grails. It is not written to be a reference of all the features and capabilities of the framework. It is a step by step tuturial that leads you through a number of the key areas of the framework. It is well written and provides just enough material to obtain a nice feel for Grails yet is short enough as to not be overwhelming. Grails is a really nice framework. If you want to get a jumpstart on working with Grails I highly recommend it. The book was really a nice idea. It is the type of book that is missing from most open-source projects.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great introduction
I started reading this book around 4pm one afternoon, and I didnt stop until 3am the next morning. I never knew Grails was so cool! Read more
Published on August 1, 2008 by J. Dewberry
2.0 out of 5 stars
An outdate tutorial that could of been read online.
I was expecting a lot more coverage from this book based on previous reviews. It is outdated (uses Grails 0.3.1 vs the current 1.0. Read more
Published on June 21, 2008 by Reviewer
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good and Short
When I received the book, I was please that it was short and I could get through it in a reasonable amount of time. Read more
Published on April 6, 2008 by G. Dickens
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mart concise guide to getting started
This is a very nice quick start guide. Exactly what I needed to get started w/ Grails rapsidly. The writing style is informal yet very informative. Read more
Published on March 21, 2008 by Darrel Davis
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not a reference book, its a step-by-step guide to get a groovy app...
I bought this book after reading the good reviews it got. I know the author is a very Knowledgeable person on the subject. Read more
Published on February 20, 2008 by Someshwar Baldawa
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Introduction to Grails
The Good: This is the perfect book to learn the basics of Grails quickly. At 133 pages, I was able to read this entire book in one sitting. Read more
Published on February 9, 2008 by Matt Raible
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jason is one sharp guy and an excellent communicator
I have had the pleasure of working with Jason for a number of years and had always encouraged him to write a book. Read more
Published on October 9, 2007 by Jonathan Pletzke
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfully succinct
This book gets right to the point. It walks you through creating your first Grails app, and touches on several topics that the reader can delve into later on his/her own. Read more
Published on March 30, 2007 by Don W. Franke
5.0 out of 5 stars
Smooth and powerful intro to Grails
Getting Started with Grails leads us through a smooth Grails learning, with lots of sample code. It is a small book, easy to read with important Grails concepts, for beginners and... Read more
Published on February 28, 2007 by Felipe F. Nascimento
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent explanation of Grails.
Jason does an excellent job presenting Grails in a well organized and easy to follow format. I especially like his choice of building the example RaceTrack application. Read more
Published on February 27, 2007 by Tharwat Abdul-malik
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