[StevePerkins]

Recently coming from a Python/Flask codebase to a Java/Spring codebase, I would say that the amount of "magic" is not all that different.

It's just that with Spring, I can go to an extremely well-written user manual, or to StackOverflow and get my questions answered. With the Python/Flask codebase, I had to splunk my way through all the layers of random libraries the original developers slapped together, in an attempt to reproduce something resembling out-of-the-box Spring.

I suspect that those original developers had fun making all of those custom choices back in the beginning. I don't know for sure though, since of course they've all left the company since then. The company chose to migrate because it wasn't maintainable once that tribal knowledge left.

[antod]

That sounds more like a microframework vs a kitchen sink opinionated framework issue though than a language issue. eg Flask is a DIY collection of libraries with your own architecture vs say Rails or Django where you have 95% of those decisions made for you and baked in.

I'm sure there are Flask style frameworks in Java land too. And there was a port of Spring for Python a while back too :)