SpringBoot Interview Questions
SpringBoot Interview Questions
1. Basic Questions
A1: Spring Boot is an open-source Java-based framework used to create stand-alone, production-
grade Spring-based applications. It provides a simplified approach to developing applications with
minimal configuration.
Q2: What are the main features of Spring Boot? A2: The main features of Spring Boot include:
• Actuator: Provides production-ready features like metrics, health checks, and monitoring.
Q3: Explain the concept of auto-configuration. A3: Auto-configuration is a feature in Spring Boot
that automatically configures the necessary components and settings for your application based on
the dependencies present on the classpath. It reduces the need for manual configuration.
Q4: Describe the Spring Boot starter projects. A4: Spring Boot starter projects are a set of
convenient dependency descriptors you can include in your application. They simplify the process of
building an application by providing a one-stop-shop for all necessary dependencies. Examples
include spring-boot-starter-web, spring-boot-starter-data-jpa, and spring-boot-starter-security.
Q5: What is the difference between Spring and Spring Boot? A5: Spring is a comprehensive
framework for Java-based applications, providing a wide range of features. Spring Boot, on the other
hand, is a project built on top of the Spring framework, designed to simplify the development
process by providing default configurations and an opinionated approach to building applications.
Q6: Explain the purpose of the Spring Boot CLI. A6: The Spring Boot CLI (Command Line Interface) is
a tool that allows you to quickly develop Spring applications using Groovy scripts. It helps in
prototyping and simplifies the development process by eliminating boilerplate code.
Q7: What is the Spring Initializr? A7: The Spring Initializr is a web-based tool provided by Spring to
generate Spring Boot project structures. It allows you to select the project dependencies, packaging
type, and Java version, and then generates a ready-to-use Spring Boot project.
Q8: How does Spring Boot simplify dependency management? A8: Spring Boot simplifies
dependency management by providing a set of starter POMs. These starter POMs are dependency
descriptors that include the commonly used dependencies for a particular feature or functionality,
reducing the need for manually specifying each dependency.
Q9: What are the advantages of using Spring Boot? A9: The advantages of using Spring Boot
include:
1. Set Up the Project: Use Spring Initializr to generate a new project with the required
dependencies.
3. Create the Main Class: Annotate the main class with @SpringBootApplication.
4. Run the Application: Use the Spring Boot Maven or Gradle plugin to run the application.
2. Core Concepts
Q13: What is Spring Boot Actuator? A13: Spring Boot Actuator provides production-ready features
such as monitoring and managing applications. It includes endpoints for metrics, health checks,
environment properties, and more, allowing you to monitor and manage your application in real-
time.
Q14: How do you configure logging in Spring Boot? A14: Spring Boot uses the default logging
framework (Logback). You can configure logging by creating a logback.xml or logback-spring.xml file
and defining log levels, appenders, and log formats. Additionally, you can set logging properties
in application.properties or application.yml.
Q15: Explain the @RestController annotation. A15: The @RestController annotation is a
convenience annotation in Spring Boot that combines @Controller and @ResponseBody. It is used
to create RESTful web services and automatically serializes the return objects to JSON or XML.
Q17: What is Spring Boot DevTools? A17: Spring Boot DevTools is a module that provides additional
development-time features such as automatic restart, live reload, and configurations for improving
the developer experience. It helps in faster development and testing by reducing the need for
manual restarts.
Q18: How to configure a data source in Spring Boot? A18: To configure a data source in Spring Boot,
you need to:
2. Set Configuration Properties: Define the data source properties (URL, username, password,
driver class) in application.properties or application.yml.
3. Use @Entity and @Repository Annotations: Annotate your entity classes and repository
interfaces.
• @Repository: Specialization of @Component for DAO (Data Access Object) beans, also
providing exception translation.
Q20: How do you handle exceptions in Spring Boot? A20: Exceptions in Spring Boot can be handled
using:
3. Advanced Topics
Q21: Explain Spring Boot Profiles. A21: Spring Boot Profiles allow you to create and manage
different configurations for various environments (e.g., development, testing, production). You can
define properties for each profile in separate application-{profile}.properties or application-
{profile}.yml files and activate a profile using the spring.profiles.active property.
Q22: How do you configure multiple data sources in Spring Boot? A22: To configure multiple data
sources in Spring Boot, you need to:
Q23: Describe how to use Spring Boot with Kafka. A23: To use Spring Boot with Kafka:
Q24: What is Spring Boot WebFlux? A24: Spring Boot WebFlux is a module for building reactive web
applications in Spring Boot. It provides a reactive programming model based on the Reactor project
and supports fully non-blocking communication, making it suitable for applications requiring high
concurrency and low latency.
Q25: Explain the concept of reactive programming in Spring Boot. A25: Reactive programming in
Spring Boot involves using the Spring WebFlux module to create non-blocking, event-driven
applications. It leverages Project Reactor's Mono and Flux types to handle asynchronous data
streams, enabling efficient use of system resources and improved application performance.
1. Create a Dockerfile: Define the image with the base image, add application JAR, and specify
entry point.
2. Build the Docker Image: Use docker build command to create the image.
3. Run the Docker Container: Use docker run command to start the container.
Q27: Describe how to implement caching in Spring Boot. A27: Implement caching in Spring Boot by:
1. Create a new project: Add dependencies and define the necessary beans and configurations.
Q30: Describe Spring Boot’s support for JPA. A30: Spring Boot provides strong support for JPA
through spring-boot-starter-data-jpa. It includes Hibernate as the default JPA implementation and
simplifies database interactions with Spring Data repositories. Configuration is handled
via application.properties, and entity classes are annotated with @Entity.
Q31: Explain the role of Spring Data REST. A31: Spring Data REST builds on Spring Data repositories
and exposes them as RESTful web services. It automatically generates CRUD endpoints for repository
entities and provides features like pagination, sorting, and HATEOAS links.
Q32: How to configure Spring Boot for asynchronous processing? A32: To configure asynchronous
processing in Spring Boot:
Q33: Describe the use of @Conditional annotations. A33: @Conditional annotations are used to
conditionally enable or disable beans based on specific conditions. Examples
include @ConditionalOnProperty, @ConditionalOnClass, and @ConditionalOnMissingBean. These
annotations help create flexible and configurable applications.
Q34: Explain the process of configuring a custom banner. A34: To configure a custom banner in
Spring Boot:
3. Spring Boot will automatically display the custom banner on application startup.
Q35: How do you handle circular dependencies in Spring Boot? A35: Circular dependencies in
Spring Boot can be handled by:
3. Leveraging the @Lazy annotation to delay bean initialization until it is actually needed.
Q36: What is Spring Boot DevTools, and how can it enhance development? A21: Spring Boot
DevTools provides features to improve the development experience, such as automatic restart, live
reload, and configurations for efficient development. By enabling these features, developers can see
the effects of their changes immediately without restarting the application manually.
Q37: Explain Spring Boot Profiles and their importance in configuration management. A22: Spring
Boot Profiles allow developers to create different configurations for various environments like
development, testing, and production. By using profile-specific properties files (e.g., application-
dev.properties), you can tailor configurations to suit each environment, which simplifies deployment
and ensures consistency across environments.
Q38: How do you configure multiple data sources in a Spring Boot application? A23: To configure
multiple data sources:
2. Create configuration classes annotated with @Configuration for each data source.
Q39: What are Spring Boot starters, and how do they simplify dependency
management? A24: Spring Boot starters are a set of convenient dependency descriptors that you can
include in your application. They provide a curated set of dependencies for a particular functionality,
such as spring-boot-starter-web for web applications or spring-boot-starter-data-jpa for JPA-based
data access, simplifying the setup and maintenance of dependencies.
Q41: How does Spring Boot support reactive programming with WebFlux? A26: Spring Boot
WebFlux provides support for reactive programming, allowing for non-blocking, event-driven
applications. It uses the Reactor library, and core components include Mono and Flux, which
represent single or multiple asynchronous sequences of data. This model is beneficial for applications
requiring high concurrency and low latency.
Q42: Explain the concept and benefits of Spring Boot Actuator. A27: Spring Boot Actuator provides
production-ready features such as monitoring and management. It includes various endpoints that
expose information about the application’s health, metrics, environment, and more. This helps in
maintaining and monitoring the application effectively.
Q43: What are the advantages of using Spring Boot with GraphQL? A28: Using Spring Boot with
GraphQL allows developers to build efficient and flexible APIs. GraphQL provides a single endpoint
for querying and mutating data, enabling clients to specify the exact data they need. This reduces
over-fetching and under-fetching of data, improves performance, and enhances the client-server
interaction.
Q44: How do you handle exception management in Spring Boot? A29: Exception management in
Spring Boot can be handled using:
Q46: How do you configure and use Spring Boot’s embedded servers? A31: Spring Boot supports
embedded servers like Tomcat, Jetty, and Undertow. By including the appropriate starter
dependency, Spring Boot automatically configures the embedded server. This allows for easy setup
and eliminates the need for external server configuration, simplifying deployment and testing.
Q47: What is Spring Cloud, and how does it enhance Spring Boot applications? A32: Spring Cloud
provides tools for building distributed systems and microservices. It enhances Spring Boot
applications by offering features such as service discovery (Eureka), configuration management
(Config Server), circuit breakers (Hystrix), intelligent routing (Zuul), and more. These tools help in
creating scalable, resilient, and manageable microservices architectures.
Q35: How do you use Spring Boot with Kubernetes for microservices deployment? A35:
Q36: What is Spring Boot Actuator? How is it used? A36: Spring Boot Actuator provides production-
ready features such as monitoring and managing applications. It includes various endpoints
like /health, /info, and /metrics, which can be accessed to get information about the application's
state. You can customize Actuator endpoints in application.properties.
Q37: Describe the Spring Boot DevTools module. A37: Spring Boot DevTools provides features that
enhance the development experience, such as automatic restart, live reload, and configurations for
efficient development. It helps developers by speeding up the development cycle and reducing the
need for manual restarts.
Q38: Explain Spring Boot’s support for embedded servers. A38: Spring Boot supports embedded
servers like Tomcat, Jetty, and Undertow. This allows developers to package their applications as
standalone JAR files that include the web server, making it easy to deploy and run the application
without needing an external server.
3. Enable HTTPS: Ensure the server is configured to use HTTPS by setting the appropriate
properties.
Q40: What are Spring Boot starters? Name a few commonly used starters. A40: Spring Boot starters
are a set of convenient dependency descriptors that you can include in your application. They
simplify dependency management by providing a curated list of dependencies for a specific
functionality. Commonly used starters include spring-boot-starter-web, spring-boot-starter-data-
jpa, spring-boot-starter-security, and spring-boot-starter-test.
Q41: Describe the Spring Boot testing features. A41: Spring Boot provides extensive testing support,
including:
• Embedded servers for testing web applications without needing a real server.
Q42: How do you use Spring Boot with Thymeleaf? A42: To use Spring Boot with Thymeleaf:
3. Use Thymeleaf-specific tags and expressions in your templates to render dynamic content.
Q43: Explain the Spring Boot configuration properties. A43: Spring Boot configuration properties
allow you to externalize application settings into application.properties or application.yml files.
These properties can be injected into beans using @Value or @ConfigurationProperties annotations,
providing a flexible way to configure the application.
Q45: Describe Spring Boot’s integration with Spring Cloud. A45: Spring Boot integrates seamlessly
with Spring Cloud to build cloud-native applications. Spring Cloud provides tools for service
discovery, configuration management, circuit breakers, intelligent routing, and more, enabling the
development of resilient and scalable microservices.
5. Practical Scenarios
4. Save File: Implement logic to save the uploaded file to the server.
Q47: Describe the process of sending emails in a Spring Boot application. A47:
2. Define Pageable Method: Create repository methods that accept Pageable parameter.
Q50: Describe the process of integrating Spring Boot with a NoSQL database. A50:
3. Create Entities and Repositories: Annotate entity classes and define repository interfaces.
4. Use Repositories: Implement service and controller layers to interact with the database.
Q52: Explain the steps to create a RESTful API with Spring Boot. A52:
Q54: Describe the process of monitoring a Spring Boot application. A54: Use Spring Boot Actuator
to monitor application metrics and health. Configure Actuator endpoints
in application.properties and access metrics through predefined endpoints like /actuator/metrics.
1. Define Service: Use Spring Initializr to create a new Spring Boot project.
Q57: Explain the process of deploying a Spring Boot application to Docker. A57:
1. Create Dockerfile: Define base image, copy JAR file, and set entry point.
2. Create Pipeline: Define a Jenkins pipeline to build and deploy the application.
4. Automate Deployment: Use Jenkins to trigger builds and deployments on code changes.
Q59: What are the steps to deploy a Spring Boot application to Kubernetes? A59:
2. Set Up Kubernetes Cluster: Use a managed service like GKE, EKS, or AKS.
3. Deploy to Kubernetes: Create deployment and service YAML files, and apply them
using kubectl.
Q60: How do you use Spring Boot with Kafka? A60: Add spring-kafka dependency, configure Kafka
properties in application.properties, and create producer and consumer classes to handle Kafka
messages.
Q61: Describe the process of using Spring Boot with RabbitMQ. A61: Add spring-boot-starter-
amqp dependency, configure RabbitMQ properties in application.properties, and create message
listener and sender classes.
Q62: Explain how to integrate Spring Boot with Elasticsearch. A62: Add spring-data-
elasticsearch dependency, configure Elasticsearch properties in application.properties, and create
repository interfaces extending ElasticsearchRepository.
Q63: How do you configure a Spring Boot application for Azure? A63: Use Azure Spring Cloud or
deploy to an Azure App Service. Configure application settings and deploy the Spring Boot
application using Azure CLI or the Azure portal.
Q64: Describe the process of deploying a Spring Boot application to Google Cloud. A64: Use Google
Cloud App Engine or Kubernetes Engine. Configure application properties and deploy using Google
Cloud SDK or the Google Cloud Console.
1. Modify POM File: Set packaging to war and add Spring Boot starter Tomcat.
3. Deploy WAR File: Deploy the WAR file to an external server like Tomcat.
Q66: Explain Spring Boot Security and its features. A66: Spring Boot Security provides
authentication and authorization features for securing applications. It supports various
authentication mechanisms, CSRF protection, and method-level security annotations.
3. Create Security Configuration: Configure OAuth2 login and resource server settings.
Q68: Describe the process of configuring JWT authentication. A68: Add JWT dependencies, create
filters for JWT validation, configure security settings, and generate tokens upon successful
authentication.
Q69: How to secure a Spring Boot application with Spring Security? A69:
2. Create Test Classes: Use @SpringBootTest, @MockBean, and other testing annotations.
Q73: Explain how to use MockMvc in Spring Boot tests. A73: MockMvc is used to simulate HTTP
requests in Spring Boot tests. Configure MockMvc in your test classes and use it to perform requests
and verify responses without starting a full server.
Q75: How to test Spring Boot applications with JUnit 5? A75: Add JUnit 5 dependencies, create test
classes annotated with @SpringBootTest, and write test methods using JUnit 5 annotations
like @Test, @BeforeEach, and @AfterEach. Utilize assertions to verify the expected outcomes of
your tests.
Q76: Explain how to use Mockito for testing Spring Boot applications. A76: Mockito is used for
mocking dependencies in tests. Add Mockito dependencies, annotate your test class
with @ExtendWith(MockitoExtension.class), and use @Mock to create mock objects.
Use when and thenReturn methods to define behavior for mocked methods.
Q77: Describe the process of performance testing in Spring Boot. A77: Performance testing in
Spring Boot involves using tools like JMeter or Gatling to simulate load and measure response times.
Profile the application using Actuator endpoints and analyze metrics to identify bottlenecks.
Q78: How do you use Spring Boot with Selenium for end-to-end testing? A78: Selenium is used for
automating browser interactions. Add Selenium dependencies, configure WebDriver, and write tests
to simulate user interactions with the web application. Use assertions to verify the correctness of the
application's behavior.
Q79: Explain how to implement role-based access control in Spring Boot. A79: Implement role-
based access control by defining roles and permissions in the security configuration.
Use @PreAuthorize and @Secured annotations to secure methods based on roles. Configure role
hierarchies if needed.
Q80: How to handle CSRF protection in Spring Boot? A80: CSRF protection is enabled by default in
Spring Security. It ensures that state-changing requests are accompanied by a valid CSRF token.
Configure CSRF settings in the security configuration and include the CSRF token in forms or AJAX
requests.
Q81: What are the best practices for building a Spring Boot application? A81: Best practices
include:
Q82: How to improve the performance of a Spring Boot application? A82: Improve performance by:
Q83: Describe the process of optimizing Spring Boot application startup time. A83: Optimize
startup time by:
Q84: How do you handle memory management in Spring Boot? A84: Handle memory management
by:
Q85: Explain the best practices for logging in Spring Boot. A85: Best practices for logging include:
Q86: Describe how to monitor a Spring Boot application in production. A86: Monitor a Spring Boot
application using:
Q87: How do you manage configuration properties in Spring Boot? A87: Manage configuration
properties by:
Q88: Explain the process of using Spring Boot with a service registry. A88: Use Spring Boot with a
service registry like Eureka by:
Q89: What are the best practices for securing a Spring Boot application? A89: Best practices for
securing a Spring Boot application include:
Q90: How to implement exception handling best practices in Spring Boot? A90: Implement
exception handling best practices by:
9. Real-World Examples
1. Set Up Project: Use Spring Initializr to create a new project with Web and JPA dependencies.
Q92: Describe the process of building a RESTful API with Spring Boot. A92:
1. Set Up Project: Use Spring Initializr to create a new project with Web dependency.
5. Run Application: Start the application and test the API using tools like Postman.
1. Set Up Spring Boot Project: Create a new Spring Boot project with Web dependency.
Q94: How to build a microservice with Spring Boot and Spring Cloud? A94:
1. Set Up Project: Create a new Spring Boot project with necessary dependencies.
Q95: Describe the process of creating a Spring Boot application with MySQL. A95:
1. Set Up Project: Use Spring Initializr to create a new project with Web and JPA dependencies.
Q97: Explain how to implement a messaging system with Spring Boot and RabbitMQ. A97:
Q98: Describe the process of integrating Spring Boot with Apache Kafka. A98:
3. Create Producer and Consumer: Implement classes to produce and consume messages.
4. Test Integration: Run the application and verify Kafka message handling.
Q99: How to build a secure login application with Spring Boot? A99:
1. Set Up Project: Use Spring Initializr to create a new project with Web and Security
dependencies.
4. Create Login Controller: Implement endpoints for login and user management.
5. Run Application: Start the application and test the login functionality.
Q100: Explain how to create a Spring Boot application with MongoDB. A100:
Q101: Describe the process of building a Spring Boot application with GraphQL. A101:
2. Define Schema: Create a schema file defining the GraphQL queries and mutations.
1. Set Up Spring Boot Project: Create a new Spring Boot project with Web dependency.
5. Build and Deploy: Combine and deploy both applications on a web server.
2. Create Modules: Add multiple modules for different components (e.g., web, service,
repository).
3. Configure Parent POM: Define parent POM to manage dependencies and plugins.
Q104: Describe the process of setting up a Spring Boot project with Maven. A104:
1. Create Controller: Define a REST controller with an endpoint for file download.
2. Write Download Logic: Implement logic to read and return the file as a response.
3. Set Response Headers: Set appropriate HTTP headers (e.g., Content-Disposition) for the file.
Q106: What are some recommended books and tutorials on Spring Boot? A106: Recommended
resources include:
Q107: Where can I find the official Spring Boot documentation? A107: The official Spring Boot
documentation is available at Spring.io.
Q108: What are some useful community forums and discussion groups for Spring
Boot? A108: Useful forums include Stack Overflow, the Spring Boot Gitter channel, and the Spring
Community forum.
Q109: Are there any online courses and certifications for Spring Boot? A109: Yes, platforms like
Udemy, Coursera, and Spring Academy offer online courses and certifications for Spring Boot.
Q110: What tools and libraries are helpful for Spring Boot developmentA110: Helpful tools and
libraries include Spring Tool Suite (STS), IntelliJ IDEA, Lombok, and MapStruct.