You can open it like a crafting table and craft manually — items eject from the front when you fire it by hand with a button. But its real value is automation, which requires redstone.

Yes. The Crafter was added to both Java and Bedrock Edition in version 1.21. All mechanics described in this guide apply to both editions.

Basic setups like the paper or stick auto-crafter are very beginner-friendly once you understand the slot disabling concept. The comparator self-trigger takes a little more redstone understanding but is well within reach once you read through how it works. Start with a simple one-ingredient recipe and build from there.