Top 50 Most
Challenging Spring
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Interview
Questions m
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PART - 1
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/venkattramana
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1. What is the difference between @Transactional(propagation =
Propagation.REQUIRES_NEW) and Propagation.NESTED in Spring?
Answer:
● REQUIRES_NEW: Suspends the current transaction and creates a new, independent
transaction.
● NESTED: Runs in a nested transaction within the current one; rollback only affects the
nested block.
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Example:
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2. How does Spring handle circular dependencies, and how can you
resolve them?
Answer:
Spring resolves circular dependencies via singleton bean injection through setter injection,
not constructor injection.
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Example:
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To resolve constructor-based circular dependencies: Use @Lazy, redesign, or inject via setters.
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3. What happens if a Spring bean is @Transactional, but the method is
called from inside the same class?
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Answer:
Self-invocation bypasses the proxy, so the transaction is ignored.
Fix: Move the method to a separate bean or call via ApplicationContext.getBean(...).
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Example:
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4. Explain how @EventListener works in Spring. How can you handle
async events?
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Answer:
@EventListener listens for published Spring events.
Use @Async + @EnableAsync to make them asynchronous.
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Example:
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5. How does Spring Boot auto-configuration work internally?
Answer:
Spring Boot uses spring.factories under the hood:
● It scans for @Configuration classes listed in META-INF/spring.factories.
Example:
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6. What are the differences between @Component, @Bean, and
@Configuration?
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Answer:
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Example:
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7. How does @RequestScope, @SessionScope, and @ApplicationScope
differ?
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Answer:
● @RequestScope: Bean lives per HTTP request.
● @SessionScope: Lives per session.
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● @ApplicationScope: Lives for the entire app.
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Example:
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8. Explain method-level security using @PreAuthorize, @PostAuthorize.
How are they evaluated?
Answer:
● @PreAuthorize: Checks before method executes.
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● @PostAuthorize: Checks after method executes (can use return object).
Example:
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9. What is Spring’s BeanPostProcessor, and where is it useful?
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Answer:
It allows custom logic before/after bean initialization.
Example:
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Used in AOP, lifecycle hooks, and proxy enhancement.
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10. How can you implement dynamic multi-tenancy in Spring Boot +
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Hibernate?
Answer:
Use MultiTenantConnectionProvider and CurrentTenantIdentifierResolver.
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Example:
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11. What is the use of @ControllerAdvice and how is it different from
@ExceptionHandler in controllers?
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Answer:
● @ControllerAdvice is a global exception handler across multiple controllers.
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● @ExceptionHandler is specific to one controller.
Example:
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12. How does Spring Boot support graceful shutdown, and how do you
implement it?
Answer:
Spring Boot supports graceful shutdown by delaying shutdown until current requests complete.
To enable:
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Custom hook:
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13. How to create a custom Spring Boot Starter?
Answer:
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1. Create a new Maven module.
2. Add spring.factories.
3. Provide default auto-config classes.
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Example:
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14. How does Spring Security's FilterChainProxy work under the hood?
Answer:
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FilterChainProxy holds multiple SecurityFilterChain objects mapped to different URL
patterns.
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Each chain contains filters like:
● UsernamePasswordAuthenticationFilter
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● BasicAuthenticationFilter
● ExceptionTranslationFilter
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Example:
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15. What is the role of @EnableConfigurationProperties and how does
it work?
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Answer:
It binds external configuration (YAML/properties) to POJOs.
Example:
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16. Explain Spring Retry mechanism and its configuration.
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Answer:
Spring Retry allows methods to be automatically retried on failure.
Add dependency:
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Usage:
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17. How to implement request rate limiting in Spring Boot?
Answer:
Use libraries like Bucket4j or Redis.
Example with Bucket4j (in-memory):
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18. How to configure distributed tracing in Spring Boot microservices
(Zipkin)?
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Answer:
Add spring-cloud-starter-zipkin + properties.
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Example:
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Add Dependency:
19. What is the use of @Profile and how to load beans conditionally based
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on environment?
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Answer:
@Profile defines beans conditionally based on active Spring profiles.
Example:
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Set profile using:
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-Dspring.profiles.active=dev
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20. Explain the role of WebMvcConfigurer and how to customize Spring
MVC configuration.
Answer:
WebMvcConfigurer provides hook methods for:
● CORS configuration
● Interceptors
● Formatters
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● Resource handling
Example:
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21. How do you secure inter-service communication in Spring Boot
microservices? tra
Answer:
You can secure communication using:
● OAuth2 with JWT tokens
● Mutual TLS
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● API Gateway Authentication
Example (OAuth2 with Feign):
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Feign Client with Token Relay:
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22. How does Spring Cloud Config work and how does it refresh properties
at runtime?
Answer:
Spring Cloud Config Server fetches properties from Git or Vault and injects them into clients.
Use @RefreshScope + actuator to refresh values.
Example:
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Trigger refresh:
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/actuator/refresh
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23. What is Circuit Breaker in Spring Cloud and how do you implement it
with Resilience4j?
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Answer:
A circuit breaker prevents system overload by stopping repeated failed requests.
Example:
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Config in application.yml:
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24. How to implement distributed locking in Spring (e.g., for scheduled
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tasks)?
Answer:
Use Redis-backed locking using libraries like ShedLock.
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Example: tra
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Dependency:
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25. What is the difference between @RequestBody and @ModelAttribute?
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Answer:
Annotation Parses From Use Case
@RequestBody JSON/XML body REST API
@ModelAttrib Form data / Query Web forms (MVC)
ute Params
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Example:
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26. Explain how @Aspect, JoinPoint, and Pointcut work together in
Spring AOP.
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Answer:
● @Aspect: Declares a class as an aspect.
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● @Pointcut: Defines a matching expression.
● @Before, @After: Advice methods that run on matched points.
Example:
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27. How does Spring Boot DevTools work under the hood for live reload
and restarts?
Answer:
Spring DevTools uses a separate classloader to watch non-static classes and triggers a
context restart (not full JVM restart) on file change.
Features:
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● Auto-reload via RestartClassLoader
● LiveReload integration with browsers
28. How do you implement content negotiation in Spring Boot (XML/JSON
responses)?
Answer:
Configure HttpMessageConverters or let Spring auto-detect based on headers.
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Example:
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Spring chooses response type based on:
● Accept header
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● URL extension (if enabled)
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29. How does Spring Boot Actuator monitor application health?
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Answer:
Actuator exposes /actuator/health, /metrics, /env endpoints.
Example:
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Custom health indicator:
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30. What is the difference between @ConditionalOnProperty and
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@ConditionalOnMissingBean?
Answer:
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Annotation tra Use Case
@ConditionalOnProper Load bean based on property
ty value
@ConditionalOnMissin Load only if bean not defined
gBean
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Example:
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31. What is the difference between Mono and Flux in Spring WebFlux?
Answer:
Return Type Meaning Use Case
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Mono<T> 0 or 1 element REST responses
Flux<T> 0 to N Streaming
elements data/events
Example:
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32. How does backpressure work in Spring Reactive streams?
Answer:
Backpressure allows consumers to signal producers about how much data they can handle,
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preventing memory overload.
Spring uses Project Reactor, which supports backpressure through Publisher and
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Subscriber.
Example:
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33. How do you test @RestController in Spring Boot using
@WebMvcTest?
Answer:
Use @WebMvcTest for controller-layer testing and mock dependencies.
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Example:
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34. What is the purpose of @SpyBean and @MockBean in Spring Boot
testing?
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Answer:
● @MockBean: Replace bean with a Mockito mock.
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● @SpyBean: Spy on the actual bean to partially mock behavior.
Example:
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35. How does Spring Kafka handle message retries and dead-letter topics?
Answer:
Use DefaultErrorHandler and configure retries or forward to dead-letter-topic.
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Example:
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36. How does Spring Security manage session fixation attacks?
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Answer:
By default, Spring Security changes the session ID on login to prevent session fixation.
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To configure:
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Options:
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● none(): Don’t change session
● newSession(): Create new session without copying attributes
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37. What is WebClient and how does it replace RestTemplate?
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Answer:
WebClient is a non-blocking, reactive HTTP client that supports async requests.
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Example:
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38. How do you perform method-level validation using Spring Boot and
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Hibernate Validator?
Answer:
Use @Validated at class level and @Min, @NotNull, etc., on method parameters.
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Example: tra
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39. What is Spring Cloud Gateway and how does it differ from Zuul?
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Answer:
Feature Spring Cloud Gateway Zuul 1
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Reactive support Yes (Project Reactor) No
Performance High (Netty) Lower (Servlet-based)
Path Rewriting, Filters Declarative + Code Mostly code
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Example:
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40. How can you create a custom Spring Boot actuator endpoint?
Answer:
Use @Endpoint and expose it via actuator configuration.
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Enable in application.yml:
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41. How do you implement request tracing and correlation ID in Spring
Boot microservices?
Answer:
Assign a unique ID per request (correlation ID) and pass it across service calls.
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Example using Filter:
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42. What is functional bean registration in Spring Boot and why use it?
Answer:
Functional bean registration provides a Java-config-only way to register beans without
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annotations, improving clarity and startup time.
Example:
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43. How to expose Prometheus metrics with Spring Boot and visualize in
Grafana?
Answer:
1. Add dependency:
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2. Enable endpoint:
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3. Access metrics at: http://localhost:8080/actuator/prometheus
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44. How can you build a modular Spring Boot application using Java
modules (JPMS)?
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Answer:
Split app into multiple modules with module-info.java.
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Example:
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Register module-path in build tools like Maven/Gradle, and avoid reflection-related features
incompatible with JPMS.
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45. How do you secure REST APIs using API key headers in Spring Boot?
Answer:
Use a OncePerRequestFilter to intercept and validate a custom API key header.
Example:
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46. What is the purpose of @Conditional and how do you create a custom
condition?
Answer:
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@Conditional allows beans to be loaded based on custom logic.
Custom Condition:
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Usage:
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47. How do you implement canary deployment with Spring Boot +
Kubernetes?
Answer:
Create two deployments:
● Stable version (v1) and
● Canary version (v2)
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Use K8s Ingress or Istio to split traffic (e.g., 90%-10%).
Istio VirtualService
Example:
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48. How do you manage secrets in Spring Boot securely?
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Answer:
Best practices:
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● Avoid plaintext .properties
● Use Spring Cloud Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, or Azure Key Vault.
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Vault Example:
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Inject values:
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49. How to handle JSON Patch or Merge Patch in Spring Boot?
Answer:
Use Jackson and JsonMergePatch or libraries like json-patch.
Example:
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50. How do you implement multi-tenancy in Spring Security?
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Answer:
Approaches:
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1. Tenant from JWT
2. Tenant from subdomain/header
3. Tenant stored in SecurityContext
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Example:
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