Spring Boot Interview Questions & Answers (2025)
Core Questions
1. What is Spring Boot, and how does it differ from Spring Framework?
Spring Boot simplifies application development with auto-configuration and
embedded servers, unlike Spring Framework which needs manual setup.
2. What is the role of @SpringBootApplication?
It combines @Configuration, @EnableAutoConfiguration, and
@ComponentScan annotations.
3. How does auto-configuration work in Spring Boot?
It auto-configures based on classpath settings, properties, and beans using
@EnableAutoConfiguration.
4. What are Spring Boot starters, and why are they useful?
They are dependency descriptors that group libraries, simplifying dependency
management.
5. How does Spring Boot simplify dependency management?
It uses a parent POM that manages library versions automatically.
Configuration & Profiles
6. How do you externalize configurations (properties vs YAML)?
Use application.properties or application.yml for configuration.
7. What are Spring Profiles and how do you use them?
Profiles allow environment-specific configuration. Activate with
spring.profiles.active.
8. How can you secure sensitive data like passwords in config files?
Use env variables, Spring Cloud Config, or encryption tools like Jasypt.
Web & REST
9. How do you create a REST API using Spring Boot?
Use @RestController with @GetMapping, @PostMapping etc., and connect
service and repository layers.
10. How do you handle exceptions globally in Spring Boot?
Use @ControllerAdvice with @ExceptionHandler.
Data & Persistence
11. What is Spring Data JPA and how is it used with Spring Boot?
It simplifies database access using repositories like JpaRepository.
12. Difference between CrudRepository, JpaRepository, and
PagingAndSortingRepository?
CrudRepository: basic CRUD, JpaRepository: adds JPA methods,
PagingAndSortingRepository: adds paging/sorting.
Actuator & Monitoring
13. What is Spring Boot Actuator? Name some endpoints.
It provides endpoints like /actuator/health, /metrics, /info for monitoring.
14. How do you customize or secure actuator endpoints?
Use application.properties to expose/secure endpoints or integrate with Spring
Security.
Security
15. How do you integrate Spring Security?
Add starter dependency and define a SecurityConfig class.
16. How do you implement JWT authentication?
Generate JWT on login, validate in filters, use stateless sessions.
Advanced Concepts
17. How does Spring Boot support embedded servers?
Uses embedded Tomcat by default; can switch via dependencies.
18. What are custom starters?
Reusable modules with grouped dependencies and configs.
19. How does Spring Boot handle @Async?
With @EnableAsync and @Async to run methods asynchronously.
20. Performance tuning strategies?
Use connection pools, enable caching, profile memory, reduce autowiring.