Top 10 Critical Spring Boot Interview Questions and Answers [For Beginners & Experienced]
By Rohan Vats
Updated on Jun 02, 2025 | 13 min read | 108.69K+ views
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By Rohan Vats
Updated on Jun 02, 2025 | 13 min read | 108.69K+ views
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Spring Boot interview questions are a must-know for any Java developer aiming to stay competitive in today’s tech landscape. Whether you're preparing for entry-level positions or senior roles, mastering Spring Boot is essential. As a powerful, open-source, Java-based framework, Spring Boot simplifies the development of stand-alone, production-grade applications with minimal configuration.
This article covers a comprehensive list of Spring Boot interview questions, including commonly asked questions for freshers, experienced professionals, and especially for Java developers with 7 years of experience.
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If you're just starting out with Spring Boot or preparing for your first few interviews, this section is for you. These basic Spring Boot interview questions and answers cover the fundamental concepts that every Java developer should know.
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From understanding what Spring Boot is to exploring its core features, you'll get a solid grasp of the essentials. This is a great way to build your confidence before moving on to more advanced topics.
Answer:
Spring Boot is a module built on top of the Spring Framework that simplifies application development by eliminating the need for boilerplate code and extensive configurations. It enables developers to create stand-alone, production-ready applications quickly and efficiently, making it especially suited for microservices architecture.
Feature |
Spring Framework |
Spring Boot |
Definition | Java-based web application framework | Module of Spring for creating microservices |
Complexity | More complex and harder to set up | Simplified and robust with minimal setup |
Application Type | Requires manual configuration | Stand-alone Spring applications |
Configuration Style | XML configuration required | No XML configuration required |
Development Approach | Unopinionated | Opinionated with sensible defaults |
Usage | For customized development | Ideal for rapid microservice/web development |
Dependencies & Setup | Manual setup | Auto-configuration and embedded servers |
How to Approach the Question:
Focus on differentiating Spring and Spring Boot in terms of complexity, setup, and use cases. Use tabular or comparative formats to enhance clarity.
Why This Answer Works:
This response offers a clear contrast between the two frameworks using structured points, helping the interviewer quickly grasp the key differences. The mention of microservices aligns well with current industry trends.
Also Read: Spring vs Spring Boot: Understanding the Difference Between Spring and Spring Boot
Answer:
Spring Boot addresses the complexities of the traditional Spring framework by offering a faster, more efficient development environment. Its pre-configured templates, auto-configuration capabilities, and opinionated approach streamline the process of building Spring applications, particularly microservices.
Key Advantages of Spring Boot:
How to Approach the Question:
Highlight the challenges of traditional Spring and how Spring Boot simplifies them. Emphasize real-world developer benefits such as reduced setup and increased productivity.
Why This Answer Works:
The answer addresses the 'why' clearly and concisely. It connects technical features with practical advantages, showcasing the value Spring Boot brings to Java development.
Answer:
Yes, Spring Boot includes several key features that enhance productivity and simplify Java development:
How to Approach the Question:
List each core component with a one-line definition and an example where possible. Relate features to real-world use cases, especially in microservices.
Why This Answer Works:
It shows both breadth and depth of understanding. The concise format helps interviewers assess the candidate’s practical familiarity with Spring Boot features.
Answer:
Thymeleaf is a Java-based server-side template engine integrated with Spring Boot. It enables the creation of clean, natural-looking HTML templates that can be used for web applications. It’s widely used for rendering dynamic content in Spring MVC applications.
How to Approach the Question:
Define the tool, mention its purpose, and briefly relate it to Spring Boot. Be sure to note its role in dynamic content rendering.
Why This Answer Works:
It delivers a straightforward explanation and aligns with the use of Spring Boot in web development. The answer is appropriate for developers across experience levels.
Also Read: Top Spring Boot Features for Java Developers
Answer:
Spring Boot supports three main embedded containers that eliminate the need for external web servers:
How to Approach the Question:
List the containers by name and include a short description of each. Emphasize the role of embedded servers in simplifying deployment.
Why This Answer Works:
It directly addresses the question and provides just enough context to demonstrate understanding without overcomplicating the response.
Check out: Full Stack Interview Questions & Answers
This section focuses on the technical Spring Boot interview questions and answers that are commonly asked in real-world job interviews. These questions dive deeper into the framework’s architecture, annotations, and configuration mechanisms.
Answer:
In Spring Boot, the shutdown endpoint is part of the Spring Boot Actuator module, which provides production-ready features for monitoring and managing applications. This specific endpoint allows the application to be gracefully shut down at runtime through an HTTP call. However, for security reasons, it is disabled by default. Developers can enable it explicitly by setting the following property in the application.properties file:
properties
management.endpoint.shutdown.enabled=true
How to Approach the Question:
Begin by referencing the Spring Boot Actuator's role in application management. Then zero in on the shutdown endpoint—its function, security configuration, and how to activate it.
Why This Answer Works:
This answer showcases practical knowledge of Spring Boot's operational capabilities. It reflects an understanding of production readiness, security defaults, and configurable behaviors, which are crucial for enterprise-level applications.
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Answer:
In Spring Boot, application-level configuration properties are typically defined in the application.properties or application.yml file. These files reside in the src/main/resources directory and are automatically detected during application startup. You can define various configuration settings such as server ports, database connections, logging levels, and more.
Example:
properties server.port=8081 spring.datasource.url=jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/mydb |
How to Approach the Question:
Clarify the purpose of configuration in Spring Boot, then mention the primary files used for this task. Provide concrete examples to illustrate how different properties are defined.
Why This Answer Works:
This response reflects both theoretical and hands-on understanding of Spring Boot's convention-over-configuration philosophy. It highlights real-world implementation by showing where and how the properties are applied.
Answer:
spring-boot-starter-parent is a special starter project in Spring Boot that simplifies dependency management and provides a default Maven configuration. It acts as a parent project in Maven and includes default settings such as Java version, plugin configurations, and dependency versions, thereby promoting consistency across Spring Boot applications.
Developers can inherit from it in their pom.xml:
<parent> <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId> <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-parent</artifactId> <version>3.1.0</version> </parent> |
How to Approach the Question:
Begin by explaining what a Maven parent project is, then connect this to the purpose and benefits of using spring-boot-starter-parent.
Why This Answer Works:
The answer demonstrates familiarity with Maven fundamentals and how Spring Boot leverages them for ease of development. It shows a clear understanding of version control, inheritance, and project structure best practices.
Answer:
Spring Boot's dependency management system streamlines handling of external libraries by automatically managing their versions. When using Spring Boot starters (like spring-boot-starter-web), the associated dependencies come pre-configured with compatible versions. This reduces version conflicts and simplifies configuration.
For example, including this starter:
<dependency> <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId> <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-web</artifactId> </dependency> |
...will automatically bring in Spring MVC, Jackson, validation libraries, and Tomcat with versions tested to work together.
How to Approach the Question:
Explain the core concept of dependency management, then contextualize it within Spring Boot. Include examples to illustrate practical implications.
Why This Answer Works:
This highlights how Spring Boot enhances developer productivity by abstracting complex dependency resolution. It connects technical configuration to real-world outcomes such as reduced setup time and fewer errors.
Answer:
Yes, Spring Boot allows developers to selectively disable specific auto-configurations. This can be achieved in two main ways:
@Configuration @EnableAutoConfiguration(exclude = {DataSourceAutoConfiguration.class}) public class CustomConfig {} |
@SpringBootApplication(exclude = {DataSourceAutoConfiguration.class}) public class MyApp {} |
These exclusions are useful when default configurations conflict with custom settings or are unnecessary for a particular application.
How to Approach the Question:
Start with a short definition of auto-configuration, then describe the use cases for exclusion. Back it up with code samples.
Why This Answer Works:
It proves that the candidate understands how to override Spring Boot's default behaviors thoughtfully. The ability to customize behavior is crucial in enterprise scenarios, and this answer reflects that flexibility.
Answer:
Yes, Spring Boot can be used to build both web and non-web applications. By excluding web-related dependencies from the classpath, Spring Boot defaults to creating a non-web application.
To implement a non-web application:
Example:
@SpringBootApplication public class ConsoleApp { public static void main(String[] args) { SpringApplication.run(ConsoleApp.class, args); } } |
How to Approach the Question:
Clarify the distinction between web and non-web apps in Spring Boot, then explain the configuration changes required to target a non-web context.
Why This Answer Works:
It illustrates Spring Boot's versatility and the developer's ability to tailor the framework to different use cases, such as CLI tools, batch jobs, or backend services.
Also Read: Javascript Interview Questions
Answer:
Spring Boot leverages a range of starter dependencies to simplify project setup. Some of the most commonly used dependencies include:
How to Approach the Question:
List the key starters while briefly describing their purpose. Organize the response for clarity and include real-world relevance where possible.
Why This Answer Works:
This comprehensive list demonstrates an understanding of modular Spring Boot development. It shows that the candidate is familiar with core tools and their practical benefits during different stages of the software lifecycle.
Answer:
By default, Spring Boot uses the embedded Apache Tomcat server, which listens on port 8080. This can be changed by configuring the server.port property in the application.properties or application.yml file:
properties
server.port=9090
How to Approach the Question:
Start by identifying the embedded server Spring Boot uses, then state the default port, and follow up with how to override it using configuration files.
Why This Answer Works:
It demonstrates awareness of Spring Boot’s embedded server functionality and shows how easily configuration can be tailored, reflecting readiness for real-world deployment scenarios.
Answer:
To enable Actuator in Spring Boot, add the following dependency to your pom.xml:
<dependency> <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId> <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-actuator</artifactId> </dependency> |
Once added, Actuator exposes various endpoints for monitoring and managing the application. You can control which endpoints are enabled and accessible using application.properties:
properties management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=health,info |
How to Approach the Question:
Break it down into two parts: first how to include the dependency, and second how to configure exposure and access via properties.
Why This Answer Works:
It reflects a thorough understanding of application monitoring and lifecycle management, which are critical for observability in production systems.
Answer:
Spring Boot Actuator provides several built-in endpoints that offer insight into the application's internals:
To control which endpoints are exposed:
properties management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=* |
How to Approach the Question:
List the common endpoints first, followed by how they help in application management. Mention how exposure is configured securely.
Why This Answer Works:
The answer covers both technical details and practical implications. It positions Actuator as a key element in DevOps practices.
Answer:
application.properties is a central configuration file in Spring Boot used to define key-value pairs that control application behavior. It allows developers to configure:
This file is located in the src/main/resources directory and is automatically loaded at startup.
How to Approach the Question:
Begin with the purpose of the file, mention where it is located, and describe what kind of configurations it handles. Use examples to clarify.
Why This Answer Works:
It shows knowledge of configuration management and how Spring Boot encourages convention over complex setups, which simplifies deployment and maintenance.
Answer:
Essentially, Spring Boot reduces boilerplate code and enables faster development.
How to Approach the Question:
Structure the answer as a comparison. Define both individually, then highlight how Spring Boot enhances Spring.
Why This Answer Works:
This showcases conceptual clarity and practical insights, especially valuable for roles involving microservices or rapid development.
Answer:
@SpringBootApplication is a convenience annotation that combines three Spring annotations:
This annotation is typically placed on the main class to bootstrap the application.
How to Approach the Question:
Explain it as a meta-annotation and break down each constituent part. Describe its role in application startup.
Why This Answer Works:
The answer demonstrates deep framework knowledge and reflects understanding of Spring’s component model and how Spring Boot streamlines it.
Answer:
Yes, the embedded Tomcat server's port can be changed by setting the server.port property in the application.properties file:
properties
CopyEdit
server.port=9090
Alternatively, it can be configured programmatically using Java Config:
@Bean public WebServerFactoryCustomizer<ConfigurableServletWebServerFactory> customizer() { return factory -> factory.setPort(9090); } |
How to Approach the Question:
Mention both the declarative (properties file) and programmatic (Java-based) configuration methods.
Why This Answer Works:
This exhibits both configuration versatility and a practical mindset—crucial traits when adapting applications for different deployment environments.
Take a look at the table below to see the major categories and where each annotation in Java Spring Boot fits.
The following list contains some of the advanced Spring Boot interview questions for 10 years experience. It includes both Spring Boot interview questions for 5 years experience as well as Spring Boot interview questions for 7 years experience.
Here are some top Spring Boot interview questions for 10 years experience:
Answer:
Spring Boot facilitates environment-specific configurations through its built-in support for profiles. To achieve this, create an application-{profile}.properties file within the src/main/resources directory and specify the profile name (e.g., dev, test, prod) using the spring.profiles.active property. Spring Boot automatically loads the corresponding configuration based on the active profile during runtime.
How to Approach the Question:
Begin by describing how Spring Boot handles environment-specific settings and the importance of profiles. Explain the role of the application.properties or application.yml file, and how Spring automatically binds them based on the active profile.
Why This Answer Works:
It demonstrates an understanding of one of Spring Boot's core configuration mechanisms—profiles and environment management—frequently used in real-world deployment scenarios. It also reflects knowledge of the Spring Boot project structure and runtime behavior.
Answer:
An IOC (Inversion of Control) container in Spring refers to the framework responsible for automating the process of dependency injection. It creates, manages, and injects the required beans during the application lifecycle. Instead of manually instantiating objects, developers rely on the IOC container to resolve and manage dependencies dynamically at runtime, ensuring loose coupling and improved testability.
How to Approach the Question:
Define what IOC is, then explain the container’s function in managing object lifecycles and injecting dependencies. Mention how it promotes decoupling and simplifies application design.
Why This Answer Works:
The response covers both conceptual and operational aspects of the IOC container, aligning well with enterprise-level expectations. It highlights benefits and usage, making it a practical and informative answer.
Answer:
Spring Boot simplifies dependency management by providing curated sets of dependencies known as "starters." When using Maven or Gradle, developers can import a parent starter (spring-boot-starter-parent), which pre-defines dependency versions. This reduces conflicts and ensures compatibility. When you upgrade Spring Boot, it automatically aligns all transitive dependency versions accordingly.
How to Approach the Question:
Start with the concept of starters and the parent POM. Elaborate on the advantages of centralized version control and reduced manual configuration.
Why This Answer Works:
It addresses a key aspect of Spring Boot’s appeal—streamlined dependency management—and reflects practical experience with Maven/Gradle configuration in production-grade projects.
Answer:
To build a login page in Spring Boot, integrate Spring Security by adding the spring-boot-starter-security dependency. By default, Spring Security secures all HTTP endpoints and provides a basic login form. Developers can customize the login page, user credentials, and access rules through the security configuration class.
How to Approach the Question:
Mention Spring Security, the default behavior it offers, and how to override it for customization. Touch on the use of UserDetailsService and in-memory or database-backed authentication.
Why This Answer Works:
The answer reflects knowledge of secure application development—a critical enterprise requirement—and provides a high-level view of how authentication flows in Spring Boot.
Answer:
To create a non-web (standalone) Spring Boot application, implement the CommandLineRunner or ApplicationRunner interface. This allows execution of custom logic after the application context has been initialized. These interfaces are ideal for batch jobs, scheduled tasks, or CLI tools.
How to Approach the Question:
Explain the lifecycle of a Spring Boot app and introduce the runner interfaces. Describe how they fit into non-web scenarios.
Why This Answer Works:
It offers a concise and effective way to build CLI applications or background processes using Spring Boot, showcasing adaptability beyond web services.
Answer:
Spring Boot provides built-in error handling with customizable error pages for unhandled exceptions. To implement global exception handling, you can use @ControllerAdvice combined with @ExceptionHandler to define centralized error responses. Additionally, logging can be fine-tuned via configuration in application.properties or through Logback/Log4j2 XML files.
How to Approach the Question:
Start with the default behavior, then explain customization via annotations and external logging configurations.
Why This Answer Works:
The answer shows in-depth knowledge of both operational observability and maintainability—key areas in production environments.
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Answer:
Yes, a Spring Boot application can be created without an embedded web server by excluding the default web starter (e.g., spring-boot-starter-web) or setting the application type to NONE using SpringApplication.setWebApplicationType(WebApplicationType.NONE). This is particularly useful for command-line tools, microservices consumers, or background batch processors.
How to Approach the Question:
Emphasize Spring Boot’s flexibility beyond web contexts. Highlight the use of command-line runners and configuration control via the SpringApplication API.
Why This Answer Works:
This illustrates practical knowledge of Spring Boot’s modular architecture and aligns with microservices or headless backend use cases in enterprise environments.
Answer:
@RestController is a specialized version of @Controller in Spring Boot that combines @Controller and @ResponseBody. It simplifies RESTful API development by returning Java objects as JSON/XML responses directly, without the need for view resolution.
How to Approach the Question:
Describe its purpose, its relation to @Controller, and typical REST use cases. Mention how it enables stateless service design.
Why This Answer Works:
REST APIs are foundational in modern applications, and this answer communicates an understanding of RESTful design principles and Spring Boot’s convenience annotations.
Answer:
Spring Boot uses the @EnableAutoConfiguration annotation (often implicitly included in @SpringBootApplication) to auto-configure beans based on classpath settings, property configurations, and defined beans. It leverages spring.factories files under the hood to scan and load eligible configurations dynamically at startup.
How to Approach the Question:
Define auto-configuration and link it to classpath scanning. Mention its conditional nature through annotations like @ConditionalOnClass or @ConditionalOnMissingBean.
Why This Answer Works:
It demonstrates deep understanding of Spring Boot’s runtime behavior and flexibility, making it suitable for dynamic, plug-and-play development.
Answer:
@SpringBootApplication is a convenience annotation that aggregates three key annotations: @Configuration, @ComponentScan, and @EnableAutoConfiguration. In contrast, @EnableAutoConfiguration solely handles the auto-configuration of beans based on classpath analysis and configuration properties.
How to Approach the Question:
Break down the composite nature of @SpringBootApplication. Clarify the individual roles and when they might be used separately.
Why This Answer Works:
Understanding these annotations and their implications is critical for fine-tuning Spring Boot behavior and customizing the bootstrap process in large-scale applications.
Answer:
@Controller is used to handle web requests and typically returns view templates (e.g., Thymeleaf, JSP). @RestController, on the other hand, returns the response body directly (usually JSON or XML), eliminating the need for @ResponseBody on each method.
How to Approach the Question:
Explain the intent and output behavior of both annotations. Include scenarios where each is preferred—UI-based applications vs. REST APIs.
Why This Answer Works:
This distinction is fundamental in full-stack and backend development, and the explanation reflects architectural clarity and correct annotation usage.
Answer:
To configure a custom port in Spring Boot, define the property server.port=<desired-port> in the application.properties or application.yml file. This overrides the default embedded server port (8080).
How to Approach the Question:
Mention how Spring Boot abstracts embedded server configuration and how it can be modified at runtime via external configuration.
Why This Answer Works:
This is a common requirement in multi-service systems. The answer is concise and demonstrates familiarity with runtime customization and environment-specific setups.
Answer:
Spring Boot DevTools enhances developer productivity by enabling automatic restarts, live reloads, and runtime property overrides. It also disables caching for static resources, allowing immediate feedback during development without requiring manual redeployment.
How to Approach the Question:
Focus on development lifecycle improvements and mention how it integrates with IDEs and browsers (e.g., LiveReload).
Why This Answer Works:
It aligns with real-world developer workflows and demonstrates awareness of tools that streamline development and testing.
Answer:
Spring Boot uses Commons Logging for internal logging and supports popular logging frameworks like Logback, Log4j2, and Java Util Logging. You can configure logging via application.properties or custom configuration files (e.g., logback-spring.xml). Logging levels can be fine-tuned using properties like logging.level.org.springframework=DEBUG.
How to Approach the Question:
Mention default logging mechanisms and how to override them. Describe both declarative (via config) and programmatic (via Logger API) logging options.
Why This Answer Works:
Effective logging is crucial for debugging and monitoring. This answer shows practical knowledge of observability and operational transparency in Spring Boot applications.
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