Spring Boot Interview Questions & Answers by Qaisar Abbas

1. What is Spring Boot?

Spring Boot is an open-source framework that simplifies the development of
production-ready Java applications. It provides a set of tools and conventions for building
stand-alone, production-grade Spring-based applications with minimal configuration.

2. What are the key features of Spring Boot?

Some key features of Spring Boot include:
● (Auto-configuration) It automatically configures application components based on
project dependencies.
● (Embedded web server support) Spring Boot includes embedded servers like Tomcat,
Jetty, and Undertow, making it easy to deploy web applications.
● (Spring Boot Starter) Pre-defined templates for common use cases, simplifying

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dependency management.
● Production-ready metrics, health checks, and externalized configuration.

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● Spring Boot CLI (Command Line Interface) for rapid application development.

3. Explain the difference between Spring and Spring Boots.

Spring is a comprehensive framework for building Java applications, while Spring Boot is an
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extension of Spring that focuses on simplifying the setup and development of Spring
applications. Spring Boot includes default configurations, reducing the need for extensive
XML or Java-based configuration, and offering embedded web server support for easy
deployment.
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4. What is the purpose of the `@SpringBootApplication` annotation in Spring Boot?

The `@SpringBootApplication` annotation is used to mark the main class of a Spring Boot
application. It combines three annotations: `@Configuration`, `@ComponentScan`, and
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`@EnableAutoConfiguration`, enabling auto-configuration and component scanning within

the package and its sub-packages.
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5. Explain Spring Boot auto-configuration?

Answer: Spring Boot's auto-configuration automatically configures application components
based on the classpath and project dependencies. It aims to provide sensible defaults for
various technologies (e.g., database connections, and messaging systems) while allowing
developers to override configurations when necessary. Auto-configuration simplifies the
setup process and minimizes boilerplate code.

6. What is a Spring Boot Starter?

A Spring Boot Starter is a pre-defined set of dependencies that simplifies the inclusion of
commonly used libraries and configurations in a Spring Boot application. These starters
provide a convenient way to add functionality like web development, data access, messaging,
etc., without manually managing dependencies.

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Spring Boot Interview Questions & Answers by Qaisar Abbas

7. How does Spring Boot support externalized configuration?

Spring Boot allows you to externalize configuration properties using properties files (e.g.,
`application.properties` or `application.yml`). These properties can be stored outside the
application code and changed without recompiling the application. Spring Boot also supports
environment-specific configuration through profile-specific property files (e.g.,
`application-dev.properties` for development).

8. What is Spring Boot Actuator, and why is it used?

Spring Boot Actuator is a set of production-ready features that help monitor and manage
Spring Boot applications. It provides built-in endpoints for health checks, metrics, application
environment, and more. Spring Boot Actuator is valuable for monitoring the health and
performance of an application in production environments.

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9. How can you secure a Spring Boot application?

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You can secure a Spring Boot application using various methods, such as:
● Spring Security: Utilize Spring Security to configure authentication and authorization.
● OAuth2: Implement OAuth2 for token-based authentication and authorization.
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● JWT (JSON Web Tokens): Use JWTs for stateless authentication.
● HTTPS: Enable HTTPS for secure communication.

10. What is Spring Boot DevTools, and how does it help in development?
Spring Boot DevTools is a module that provides development-time features, such as
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automatic application restart, live reloading of changes, and improved error reporting. It
enhances the developer experience and accelerates development by reducing the need for
manual application restarts and recompilations.
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11. What is the purpose of the `@RestController` annotation in Spring Boot?

The `@RestController` annotation is used to define a class as a RESTful controller in a
Spring Boot application. It combines `@Controller` and `@ResponseBody` annotations,
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indicating that the class methods return the response body directly, typically in JSON or
XML format. This annotation is commonly used in building RESTful web services.

12. Explain the Spring Boot project structure?

A typical Spring Boot project follows a specific directory structure:
- `src/main/java`: Contains the Java source code.
- `src/main/resources`: Contains configuration files, templates, and other non-Java resources.
- `src/test/java`: Houses test cases and test-related code.
- `src/test/resources`: Stores test-specific resources.
- `pom.xml`: The project's Maven build file that manages dependencies and build settings.

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Spring Boot Interview Questions & Answers by Qaisar Abbas

13. What is Spring Boot Auto-configuration, and how does it work?

Spring Boot Auto-configuration is a mechanism that automatically configures Spring beans
and application components based on the presence of specific libraries, classpath settings, or
custom conditions. It leverages the `@Conditional` annotation to determine when to apply or
skip a particular configuration. Auto-configuration simplifies setup and reduces the need for
explicit configuration.

14. How do you handle exceptions in a Spring Boot application?

In Spring Boot, you can handle exceptions using the `@ControllerAdvice` annotation and
creating a global exception handler class. This class can have methods annotated with
`@ExceptionHandler`, which handle specific exceptions and return appropriate error
responses. Additionally, Spring Boot provides default error handling for common HTTP

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errors.

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15. Explain the Spring Boot Data JPA module.
Spring Boot Data JPA is a module that simplifies data access using the Java Persistence API
(JPA). It provides features like automatic repository creation, CRUD operations, and query
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generation based on entity classes. Spring Boot Data JPA works seamlessly with various JPA
providers (e.g., Hibernate) and allows developers to work with databases using a higher-level,
object-oriented approach.

16. What is Spring Boot caching support, and why is it useful?

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Spring Boot provides caching support through annotations like `@Cacheable`,

`@CacheEvict`, and `@CachePut`. Caching is used to improve application performance by
storing frequently accessed data in memory. Spring Boot simplifies the setup and
management of caching mechanisms, such as Ehcache, Caffeine, and Redis, making it easier
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to implement caching strategies.

17. How can you create and schedule tasks in a Spring Boot application?
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You can create and schedule tasks in Spring Boot using the `@Scheduled` annotation in
combination with a method in a Spring-managed bean. This annotation allows you to define
the execution interval or cron expressions to specify when the task should run. It's commonly
used for background jobs, batch processing, and periodic tasks.

8. What is Spring Boot support for WebSocket communication?

Spring Boot provides WebSocket support through the Spring WebSocket module. You can
use annotations like `@ServerEndpoint` and `@ClientEndpoint` to create WebSocket
endpoints in your application. WebSocket communication is useful for real-time,
bidirectional communication between clients and servers, such as chat applications and live
updates.

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Spring Boot Interview Questions & Answers by Qaisar Abbas

19. Explain the Spring Boot Actuator endpoints commonly used for monitoring and
management.
Spring Boot Actuator provides various endpoints for monitoring and managing applications.
Commonly used endpoints include.
● `/actuator/health`: Provides application health status.
● `/actuator/info`: Offers custom application information.
● `/actuator/metrics`: Exposes application metrics (e.g., memory usage, request counts).
● `/actuator/env`: Displays environment properties.
● `/actuator/loggers`: Allows dynamic log-level configuration.

20. What is Spring Boot support for creating RESTful APIs using Spring MVC?
Spring Boot integrates Spring MVC to simplify the creation of RESTful APIs. You can use

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annotations like `@RestController`, `@RequestMapping`, `@GetMapping`,
`@PostMapping`, etc., to define endpoints, handle requests, and return responses in a

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RESTful manner. Spring Boot also offers automatic serialization/deserialization of JSON and
XML data.
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21. How can you implement authentication and authorization in a Spring Boot
application?
Authentication and authorization can be implemented in a Spring Boot application using
Spring Security. You can configure authentication providers, define access control rules, and
secure endpoints using annotations like `@Secured`, `@PreAuthorize`, or `@RolesAllowed`.
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OAuth2 and JWT are also commonly used for implementing authentication in RESTful APIs.

22. Explain the Spring Boot testing framework and its advantages.
Answer: Spring Boot provides a testing framework that simplifies unit, integration, and
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end-to-end testing. It includes annotations like `@SpringBootTest` for integration tests,

`@DataJpaTest` for JPA repository tests, and `@WebMvcTest` for testing MVC components.
Spring Boot's testing framework offers features like auto-configuration and test slices,
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making it easier to write and execute tests.

23. What is Spring Boot support for building microservices?

Spring Boot is well-suited for building microservices due to its lightweight nature and
support for various communication protocols like REST, WebSocket, and messaging. Spring
Cloud, an extension of Spring Boot, provides tools and libraries for implementing
microservices patterns like service discovery, load balancing, and centralized configuration
management.

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Spring Boot Interview Questions & Answers by Qaisar Abbas

24. How can you manage database transactions in a Spring Boot application?
Answer: Spring Boot simplifies database transaction management using the
`@Transactional` annotation. You can annotate service methods with `@Transactional`, and
Spring Boot will automatically handle transaction boundaries. Additionally, Spring Boot
integrates with various data sources and JPA providers for seamless transaction management.

25. What is Spring Boot support for internationalization and localization?

Answer: Spring Boot supports internationalization (i18n) and localization (l10n) through
resource bundles and message properties files. You can define these files for different
languages and regions and use the `MessageSource` bean to retrieve localized messages
based on the user's locale.

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26. How can you monitor and manage Spring Boot applications in a production
environment?

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In a production environment, you can monitor and manage Spring Boot applications using
tools like Spring Boot Actuator, which provides endpoints for health checks, metrics, and
logging. Additionally, you can integrate monitoring solutions like Prometheus and Grafana or
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use commercial solutions for in-depth application monitoring and management.

27. Explain the purpose of the Spring Boot CLI (Command Line Interface).
Answer: The Spring Boot CLI is a command-line tool that allows developers to quickly
create, run, and manage Spring Boot applications. It provides features like application
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generation, embedded server support, and easy dependency management. The CLI is
especially useful for rapid prototyping and development.

28. How can you secure RESTful APIs in Spring Boot using OAuth2?
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To secure RESTful APIs in Spring Boot using OAuth2, you can configure OAuth2 providers
and clients using the `@EnableOAuth2Sso` or `@EnableResourceServer` annotations.
OAuth2 providers (e.g., GitHub, Google) can be integrated for authentication, and you can
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define access control rules using OAuth2 scopes and authorities.

29. What are Spring Boot profiles, and how are they useful?
Spring Boot profiles are used to define sets of configuration properties for different
environments or scenarios. Profiles allow you to customize application behavior for
development, testing, production, etc., by providing different property files (e.g.,
`application-dev.properties`, `application-prod.properties`). Spring Boot will activate the
appropriate profile based on the active environment.

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Spring Boot Interview Questions & Answers by Qaisar Abbas

30. How does Spring Boot handle dependency injection, and what is the `@Autowired`
annotation used for?
Spring Boot uses the concept of Inversion of Control (IoC) to handle dependency injection.
The `@Autowired` annotation is used to inject dependencies into Spring-managed beans. It
tells Spring to find a suitable bean of the required type and inject it into the annotated field,
constructor, or method parameter.

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