Comparing Feign, RestTemplate, and the New Rest Client in Spring Boot: Which One Should You Choose?

If you’ve been working with Spring Boot for any length of time, you’ve probably run into the question: What’s the best way to make HTTP calls? With options like Feign, the classic RestTemplate, and the newer Spring Http Interfaces / Rest Client, it can feel a bit overwhelming. Let’s break them down and understand where each tool shines, how they differ, and which one might suit your application needs today.

The Old Guard: RestTemplate

What it is:

RestTemplate has been around forever—at least it feels that way. It’s the classic synchronous HTTP client in Spring and integrates neatly with the rest of the ecosystem.

Pros:

• Simple and familiar API.
• Easy to integrate with the existing Spring infrastructure.
• Stable and well-known, so tons of docs and Stack Overflow answers exist.

Cons:

• It’s basically in maintenance mode. While not “deprecated” in the strict sense, Spring’s team encourages moving toward non-blocking or more modern clients.
• Lacks built-in declarative approach. You write a fair amount of boilerplate code.