beginner~2h

Core Annotations & Auto-Configuration

Four annotations do almost identical things mechanically, and picking the wrong one is a code-smell, not a bug. This module is why they're different, and how Boot decides what to wire up without you asking.

Learning objectives

  • Beginner: Use @Service, @Repository, and @RestController by their intended role consistently across a small project, even though they're all mechanically @Component.
  • Intermediate: Recognize when auto-configuration has silently provided a bean you didn't define, by checking what starters are on the classpath rather than assuming "it just works."
  • Advanced: Deliberately override one piece of Boot's auto-configuration (e.g. a custom DataSource) and understand exactly why your bean takes precedence, via @ConditionalOnMissingBean's semantics.

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Core Annotations & Auto-Configuration

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