Spring XML configuration
The introduction of Spring annotations such as @Bean and @Component, which greatly simplify how to provision and autowire Spring managed beans, triggered a mass exodus from XML-based Spring configuration.
However, annotation-based Spring configuration has its drawbacks, especially as applications scale. A codebase with Java annotations scattered across hundreds of classes can quickly become difficult to manage. In such cases, XML-based configuration might be a more organized and maintainable alternative.
Spring XML tutorial
In this crash course on XML-based Spring configuration, you'll learn the following:
- The pros and cons of Spring XML configuration.
- The limitations of using @Component and @Bean annotations.
- How to choose between annotation-based and XML-based configuration.
- How to use the beans.xml file to keep your classes free from Spring framework dependencies.
- How to perform constructor and setter injection using XML.
- How to initialize the Spring IoC container with ClassPathXmlApplicationContext.
- How to configure Spring Boot to work with an XML configuration file.
Whether you're maintaining a legacy system that relies on XML or simply looking for a cleaner alternative to annotation-based wiring, this tutorial will guide you through the essentials of configuring a Spring application using XML.
Cameron McKenzie has been a Java EE software engineer for 20 years. His current specialties include Agile development; DevOps; Spring; and container-based technologies such as Docker, Swarm and Kubernetes.