How to Package a Spring Boot Application into an EXE Installer Using exe4j and Inno Setup
This guide walks through preparing a runnable Spring Boot JAR, converting it to an EXE with exe4j (including VM options and bundled JRE), and then creating a self‑contained installer using Inno Setup so the application can run on computers without a pre‑installed JDK.
Introduction: The author describes the need to convert a Spring Boot JAR into an executable file for non‑technical users.
Preparation: Ensure a runnable JAR, download exe4j (registration code provided), and Inno Setup for creating an installer.
Using exe4j: Open exe4j, select “Java to EXE”, set the JAR path, output name, choose launch mode, enable 32/64‑bit compatibility, add VM option -Dfile.encoding=utf-8, configure JRE to bundle a local JRE, select Client VM, and finish the wizard to generate demo.exe.
Creating the installer with Inno Setup: Start a new script, fill application name and version, add the generated EXE and the bundled JRE directory, configure output path, language, and other defaults, then compile to produce setup.exe.
Result: The produced setup.exe installs the application together with the JRE, allowing it to run on machines without a pre‑installed JDK.
Signed-in readers can open the original source through BestHub's protected redirect.
This article has been distilled and summarized from source material, then republished for learning and reference. If you believe it infringes your rights, please contactand we will review it promptly.
Architecture Digest
Focusing on Java backend development, covering application architecture from top-tier internet companies (high availability, high performance, high stability), big data, machine learning, Java architecture, and other popular fields.
How this landed with the community
Was this worth your time?
0 Comments
Thoughtful readers leave field notes, pushback, and hard-won operational detail here.