[[mvc]]
= Spring Web MVC
:doc-spring-security: {doc-root}/spring-security/site/docs/current/reference




[[mvc-introduction]]
== Introduction

Spring Web MVC is the original web framework built on the Servlet API and included
in the Spring Framework from the very beginning. The formal name "Spring Web MVC"
comes from the name of its source module
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/tree/master/spring-webmvc[spring-webmvc]
but it is more commonly known as "Spring MVC".

Parallel to Spring Web MVC, Spring Framework 5.0 introduced a reactive stack, web framework
whose name Spring WebFlux is also based on its source module
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/tree/master/spring-webflux[spring-webflux].
This section covers Spring Web MVC. The <<web-reactive.adoc#spring-web-reactive,next section>>
covers Spring WebFlux.

For baseline information and compatibility with Servlet container and Java EE version
ranges please visit the Spring Framework
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/wiki/Spring-Framework-Versions[Wiki].


[[mvc-servlet]]
== DispatcherServlet
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-dispatcher-handler,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Spring MVC, like many other web frameworks, is designed around the front controller
pattern where a central `Servlet`, the `DispatcherServlet`, provides a shared algorithm
for request processing while actual work is performed by configurable, delegate components.
This model is flexible and supports diverse workflows.

The `DispatcherServlet`, as any `Servlet`, needs to be declared and mapped according
to the Servlet specification using Java configuration or in `web.xml`.
In turn the `DispatcherServlet` uses Spring configuration to discover
the delegate components it needs for request mapping, view resolution, exception
handling, <<mvc-servlet-special-bean-types,and more>>.

Below is an example of the Java configuration that registers and initializes
the `DispatcherServlet`. This class is auto-detected by the Servlet container
(see <<mvc-container-config>>):

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	public class MyWebApplicationInitializer implements WebApplicationInitializer {

		@Override
		public void onStartup(ServletContext servletCxt) {

			// Load Spring web application configuration
			AnnotationConfigWebApplicationContext ac = new AnnotationConfigWebApplicationContext();
			ac.register(AppConfig.class);
			ac.refresh();

			// Create and register the DispatcherServlet
			DispatcherServlet servlet = new DispatcherServlet(ac);
			ServletRegistration.Dynamic registration = servletCxt.addServlet("app", servlet);
			registration.setLoadOnStartup(1);
			registration.addMapping("/app/*");
		}
	}
----

[NOTE]
====
In addition to using the ServletContext API directly, you can also extend
`AbstractAnnotationConfigDispatcherServletInitializer` and override specific methods
(see example under <<mvc-servlet-context-hierarchy>>).
====

Below is an example of `web.xml` configuration to register and initialize the `DispatcherServlet`:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
<web-app>

	<listener>
		<listener-class>org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener</listener-class>
	</listener>

	<context-param>
		<param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
		<param-value>/WEB-INF/app-context.xml</param-value>
	</context-param>

	<servlet>
		<servlet-name>app</servlet-name>
		<servlet-class>org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet</servlet-class>
		<init-param>
			<param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
			<param-value></param-value>
		</init-param>
		<load-on-startup>1</load-on-startup>
	</servlet>

	<servlet-mapping>
		<servlet-name>app</servlet-name>
		<url-pattern>/app/*</url-pattern>
	</servlet-mapping>

</web-app>
----

[NOTE]
====
Spring Boot follows a different initialization sequence. Rather than hooking into
the lifecycle of the Servlet container, Spring Boot uses Spring configuration to
bootstrap itself and the embedded Servlet container. `Filter` and `Servlet` declarations
are detected in Spring configuration and registered with the Servlet container.
For more details check the
https://docs.spring.io/spring-boot/docs/current/reference/htmlsingle/#boot-features-embedded-container[Spring Boot docs].
====



[[mvc-servlet-context-hierarchy]]
=== Context Hierarchy

`DispatcherServlet` expects a `WebApplicationContext`, an extension of a plain
`ApplicationContext`, for its own configuration. `WebApplicationContext` has a link to the
`ServletContext` and `Servlet` it is associated with. It is also bound to the `ServletContext`
such that applications can use static methods on `RequestContextUtils` to look up the
`WebApplicationContext` if they need access to it.

For many applications having a single `WebApplicationContext` is simple and sufficient.
It is also possible to have a context hierarchy where one root `WebApplicationContext`
is shared across multiple `DispatcherServlet` (or other `Servlet`) instances, each with
its own child `WebApplicationContext` configuration.
See <<core.adoc#context-introduction,Additional Capabilities of the ApplicationContext>>
for more on the context hierarchy feature.

The root `WebApplicationContext` typically contains infrastructure beans such as data repositories and
business services that need to be shared across multiple `Servlet` instances. Those beans
are effectively inherited and could be overridden (i.e. re-declared) in the Servlet-specific,
child `WebApplicationContext` which typically contains beans local to the given `Servlet`:

image::images/mvc-context-hierarchy.png[]

Below is example configuration with a `WebApplicationContext` hierarchy:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	public class MyWebAppInitializer extends AbstractAnnotationConfigDispatcherServletInitializer {

		@Override
		protected Class<?>[] getRootConfigClasses() {
			return new Class<?>[] { RootConfig.class };
		}

		@Override
		protected Class<?>[] getServletConfigClasses() {
			return new Class<?>[] { App1Config.class };
		}

		@Override
		protected String[] getServletMappings() {
			return new String[] { "/app1/*" };
		}
	}
----

[TIP]
====
If an application context hierarchy is not required, applications may return all
configuration via `getRootConfigClasses()` and `null` from `getServletConfigClasses()`.
====

And the `web.xml` equivalent:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
<web-app>

	<listener>
		<listener-class>org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener</listener-class>
	</listener>

	<context-param>
		<param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
		<param-value>/WEB-INF/root-context.xml</param-value>
	</context-param>

	<servlet>
		<servlet-name>app1</servlet-name>
		<servlet-class>org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet</servlet-class>
		<init-param>
			<param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
			<param-value>/WEB-INF/app1-context.xml</param-value>
		</init-param>
		<load-on-startup>1</load-on-startup>
	</servlet>

	<servlet-mapping>
		<servlet-name>app1</servlet-name>
		<url-pattern>/app1/*</url-pattern>
	</servlet-mapping>

</web-app>
----

[TIP]
====
If an application context hierarchy is not required, applications may configure a
"root" context only and leave the `contextConfigLocation` Servlet parameter empty.
====



[[mvc-servlet-special-bean-types]]
=== Special Bean Types
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-special-bean-types,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

The `DispatcherServlet` delegates to special beans to process requests and render the
appropriate responses. By "special beans" we mean Spring-managed, Object instances that
implement WebFlux framework contracts. Those usually come with built-in contracts but
you can customize their properties, extend or replace them.

The table below lists the special beans detected by the `DispatcherHandler`:

[[mvc-webappctx-special-beans-tbl]]
[cols="1,2", options="header"]
|===
| Bean type| Explanation

| <<mvc-handlermapping,HandlerMapping>>
| Map a request to a handler along with a list of
  <<mvc-handlermapping-interceptor, interceptors>> for pre- and post-processing.
  The mapping is based on some criteria the details of which vary by `HandlerMapping`
  implementation.

  The two main `HandlerMapping` implementations are `RequestMappingHandlerMapping` which
  supports `@RequestMapping` annotated methods and `SimpleUrlHandlerMapping` which
  maintains explicit registrations of URI path patterns to handlers.

| HandlerAdapter
| Help the `DispatcherServlet` to invoke a handler mapped to a request regardless of
  how the handler is actually invoked. For example, invoking an annotated controller
  requires resolving annotations. The main purpose of a `HandlerAdapter` is
  to shield the `DispatcherServlet` from such details.

| <<mvc-exceptionhandlers,HandlerExceptionResolver>>
| Strategy to resolve exceptions possibly mapping them to handlers, or to HTML error
  views, or other. See <<mvc-exceptionhandlers>>.

| <<mvc-viewresolver,ViewResolver>>
| Resolve logical String-based view names returned from a handler to an actual `View`
  to render to the response with. See <<mvc-viewresolver>> and <<mvc-view>>.

| <<mvc-localeresolver,LocaleResolver>>, <<mvc-timezone,LocaleContextResolver>>
| Resolve the `Locale` a client is using and possibly their time zone, in order to be able
  to offer internationalized views. See <<mvc-localeresolver>>.

| <<mvc-themeresolver,ThemeResolver>>
| Resolve themes your web application can use, for example, to offer personalized layouts.
  See <<mvc-themeresolver>>.

| <<mvc-multipart,MultipartResolver>>
| Abstraction for parsing a multi-part request (e.g. browser form file upload) with
  the help of some multipart parsing library. See <<mvc-multipart>>.

| <<mvc-flash-attributes,FlashMapManager>>
| Store and retrieve the "input" and the "output" `FlashMap` that can be used to pass
  attributes from one request to another, usually across a redirect.
  See <<mvc-flash-attributes>>.
|===


[[mvc-servlet-config]]
=== Web MVC Config
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-framework-config,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Applications can declare the infrastructure beans listed in <<mvc-special-bean-types>>
that are required to process requests. The `DispatcherServlet` checks the
`WebApplicationContext` for each special bean. If there are no matching bean types, it
falls back on the default types listed in
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/blob/master/spring-webmvc/src/main/resources/org/springframework/web/servlet/DispatcherServlet.properties[DispatcherServlet.properties].

In most cases the <<mvc-config>> is the best starting point. It declares the required
beans in either Java or XML, and provides a higher level configuration callback API to
customize it.

[NOTE]
====
Spring Boot relies on the MVC Java config to configure Spring MVC and also
provides many extra convenient options.
====



[[mvc-container-config]]
=== Servlet Config

In a Servlet 3.0+ environment, you have the option of configuring the Servlet container
programmatically as an alternative or in combination with a `web.xml` file. Below is an
example of registering a `DispatcherServlet`:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	import org.springframework.web.WebApplicationInitializer;

	public class MyWebApplicationInitializer implements WebApplicationInitializer {

		@Override
		public void onStartup(ServletContext container) {
			XmlWebApplicationContext appContext = new XmlWebApplicationContext();
			appContext.setConfigLocation("/WEB-INF/spring/dispatcher-config.xml");

			ServletRegistration.Dynamic registration = container.addServlet("dispatcher", new DispatcherServlet(appContext));
			registration.setLoadOnStartup(1);
			registration.addMapping("/");
		}
	}
----

`WebApplicationInitializer` is an interface provided by Spring MVC that ensures your
implementation is detected and automatically used to initialize any Servlet 3 container.
An abstract base class implementation of `WebApplicationInitializer` named
`AbstractDispatcherServletInitializer` makes it even easier to register the
`DispatcherServlet` by simply overriding methods to specify the servlet mapping and the
location of the `DispatcherServlet` configuration.

This is recommended for applications that use Java-based Spring configuration:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	public class MyWebAppInitializer extends AbstractAnnotationConfigDispatcherServletInitializer {

		@Override
		protected Class<?>[] getRootConfigClasses() {
			return null;
		}

		@Override
		protected Class<?>[] getServletConfigClasses() {
			return new Class<?>[] { MyWebConfig.class };
		}

		@Override
		protected String[] getServletMappings() {
			return new String[] { "/" };
		}
	}
----

If using XML-based Spring configuration, you should extend directly from
`AbstractDispatcherServletInitializer`:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	public class MyWebAppInitializer extends AbstractDispatcherServletInitializer {

		@Override
		protected WebApplicationContext createRootApplicationContext() {
			return null;
		}

		@Override
		protected WebApplicationContext createServletApplicationContext() {
			XmlWebApplicationContext cxt = new XmlWebApplicationContext();
			cxt.setConfigLocation("/WEB-INF/spring/dispatcher-config.xml");
			return cxt;
		}

		@Override
		protected String[] getServletMappings() {
			return new String[] { "/" };
		}
	}
----

`AbstractDispatcherServletInitializer` also provides a convenient way to add `Filter`
instances and have them automatically mapped to the `DispatcherServlet`:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	public class MyWebAppInitializer extends AbstractDispatcherServletInitializer {

		// ...

		@Override
		protected Filter[] getServletFilters() {
			return new Filter[] {
				new HiddenHttpMethodFilter(), new CharacterEncodingFilter() };
		}
	}
----

Each filter is added with a default name based on its concrete type and automatically
mapped to the `DispatcherServlet`.

The `isAsyncSupported` protected method of `AbstractDispatcherServletInitializer`
provides a single place to enable async support on the `DispatcherServlet` and all
filters mapped to it. By default this flag is set to `true`.

Finally, if you need to further customize the `DispatcherServlet` itself, you can
override the `createDispatcherServlet` method.


[[mvc-servlet-sequence]]
=== Processing
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-dispatcher-handler-sequence,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

The `DispatcherServlet` processes requests as follows:

* The `WebApplicationContext` is searched for and bound in the request as an attribute
  that the controller and other elements in the process can use. It is bound by default
  under the key `DispatcherServlet.WEB_APPLICATION_CONTEXT_ATTRIBUTE`.
* The locale resolver is bound to the request to enable elements in the process to
  resolve the locale to use when processing the request (rendering the view, preparing
  data, and so on). If you do not need locale resolving, you do not need it.
* The theme resolver is bound to the request to let elements such as views determine
  which theme to use. If you do not use themes, you can ignore it.
* If you specify a multipart file resolver, the request is inspected for multiparts; if
  multiparts are found, the request is wrapped in a `MultipartHttpServletRequest` for
  further processing by other elements in the process. See <<mvc-multipart>> for further
  information about multipart handling.
* An appropriate handler is searched for. If a handler is found, the execution chain
  associated with the handler (preprocessors, postprocessors, and controllers) is
  executed in order to prepare a model or rendering. Or alternatively for annotated
  controllers, the response may be rendered (within the `HandlerAdapter`) instead of
  returning a view.
* If a model is returned, the view is rendered. If no model is returned, (may be due to
  a preprocessor or postprocessor intercepting the request, perhaps for security
  reasons), no view is rendered, because the request could already have been fulfilled.

The `HandlerExceptionResolver` beans declared in the `WebApplicationContext` are used to
resolve exceptions thrown during request processing. Those exception resolvers allow
customizing the logic to address exceptions. See <<mvc-exceptionhandlers>> for more details.

The Spring `DispatcherServlet` also supports the return of the
__last-modification-date__, as specified by the Servlet API. The process of determining
the last modification date for a specific request is straightforward: the
`DispatcherServlet` looks up an appropriate handler mapping and tests whether the
handler that is found implements the __LastModified__ interface. If so, the value of the
`long getLastModified(request)` method of the `LastModified` interface is returned to
the client.

You can customize individual `DispatcherServlet` instances by adding Servlet
initialization parameters ( `init-param` elements) to the Servlet declaration in the
`web.xml` file. See the following table for the list of supported parameters.

[[mvc-disp-servlet-init-params-tbl]]
.DispatcherServlet initialization parameters
|===
| Parameter| Explanation

| `contextClass`
| Class that implements `WebApplicationContext`, which instantiates the context used by
  this Servlet. By default, the `XmlWebApplicationContext` is used.

| `contextConfigLocation`
| String that is passed to the context instance (specified by `contextClass`) to
  indicate where context(s) can be found. The string consists potentially of multiple
  strings (using a comma as a delimiter) to support multiple contexts. In case of
  multiple context locations with beans that are defined twice, the latest location
  takes precedence.

| `namespace`
| Namespace of the `WebApplicationContext`. Defaults to `[servlet-name]-servlet`.
|===



[[mvc-handlermapping-interceptor]]
=== Interception

All `HandlerMapping` implementations supports handler interceptors that are useful when
you want to apply specific functionality to certain requests, for example, checking for
a principal. Interceptors must implement `HandlerInterceptor` from the
`org.springframework .web .servlet` package with three methods that should provide enough
flexibility to do all kinds of pre-processing and post-processing:

* `preHandle(..)` -- __before__ the actual handler is executed
* `postHandle(..)` -- __after__ the handler is executed
* `afterCompletion(..)` -- __after the complete request has finished__

The `preHandle(..)` method returns a boolean value. You can use this method to break or
continue the processing of the execution chain. When this method returns `true`, the
handler execution chain will continue; when it returns false, the `DispatcherServlet`
assumes the interceptor itself has taken care of requests (and, for example, rendered an
appropriate view) and does not continue executing the other interceptors and the actual
handler in the execution chain.

See <<mvc-config-interceptors>> in the section on MVC configuration for examples of how to
configure interceptors. You can also register them directly via setters on individual
`HandlerMapping` implementations.

Note that `postHandle` is less useful with `@ResponseBody` and `ResponseEntity` methods for
which a the response is written and committed within the `HandlerAdapter` and before
`postHandle`. That means its too late to make any changes to the response such as adding
an extra header. For such scenarios you can implement `ResponseBodyAdvice` and either
declare it as an <<mvc-ann-controller-advice>> bean or configure it directly on
`RequestMappingHandlerAdapter`.



[[mvc-exceptionhandlers]]
=== Exception Resolution

If an exception occurs during the mapping or the invocation of a request handler (e.g. an
`@Controller`), the `DispatcherServlet` delegates to a chain of `HandlerExceptionResolver`
beans to try and resolve the exception and to provide alternative handling for it, which
typically means preparing an error response whether an HTML error page, an error status,
or both.

The table below lists the available `HandlerExceptionResolver` implementations:

[cols="1,2", options="header"]
.HandlerExceptionResolver implementations
|===
| HandlerExceptionResolver | Description

| `SimpleMappingExceptionResolver`
| A mapping between exception class names and error view names. Useful for rendering
  error pages in a browser application.

| {api-spring-framework}/web/servlet/mvc/support/DefaultHandlerExceptionResolver.html[DefaultHandlerExceptionResolver]
| Resolves exceptions raised by Spring MVC and maps them to HTTP status codes.
  Also see alternative `ResponseEntityExceptionHandler` and <<mvc-ann-rest-exceptions>>.

| `ResponseStatusExceptionResolver`
| Resolves exceptions with the `@ResponseStatus` annotation and maps them to HTTP status
  codes based on the value in the annotation.

| `ExceptionHandlerExceptionResolver`
| Resolves exceptions by invoking an `@ExceptionHandler` method in an `@Controller` or an
  `@ControllerAdvice` class. See <<mvc-ann-exceptionhandler>>.
|===


[[mvc-excetionhandlers-handling]]
==== Handling

You chain exception resolvers by declaring more than one exception resolver beans and,
if necessary, setting the `order` property to specify ordering. Remember, the higher the
order property, the later the exception resolver is positioned in the chain.

The contract of `HandlerExceptionResolver` specifies that it __can__ return:

* `ModelAndView` that points to an error view.
* Empty `ModelAndView` if the exception was handled within the resolver.
* `null` if the exception remains unresolved, for subsequent resolvers to try; if the
exception remains unresolved by any resolver, it is re-thrown and left to propagate to
the Servlet container.

To configure exception handling is as simple as adding `HandlerExceptionResolver` beans
to your Spring configuration. The <<mvc-config>> automatically declares built-in
resolvers for default Spring MVC exceptions, for `@ResponseStatus` annotated exceptions,
and for support of `@ExceptionHandler` methods. You can customize that list or replace it.


[[mvc-ann-customer-servlet-container-error-page]]
==== Container error page

If an exception remains unresolved by any `HandlerExceptionResolver` and is therefore
left to propagate, or if the response status is set to an error status (i.e. 4xx, 5xx),
Servlet containers may render a default error page in HTML. To customize the default
error page of the container, you can declare an error page mapping in `web.xml`:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<error-page>
		<location>/error</location>
	</error-page>
----

Given the above, when an exception bubbles up, or the response has an error status, the
Servlet container makes an ERROR dispatch within the container to the configured URL
(e.g. "/error"). This is then processed by the `DispatcherServlet`, possibly mapping it
to an `@Controller` which could be implemented to return an error view name with a model
or to render a JSON response as shown below:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@RestController
	public class ErrorController {

		@RequestMapping(path = "/error")
		public Map<String, Object> handle(HttpServletRequest request) {
			Map<String, Object> map = new HashMap<String, Object>();
			map.put("status", request.getAttribute("javax.servlet.error.status_code"));
			map.put("reason", request.getAttribute("javax.servlet.error.message"));
			return map;
		}
	}
----

[TIP]
====
The Servlet API does not provide a way to create error page mappings in Java. You can
however use both an `WebApplicationInitializer` and a minimal `web.xml`.
====




[[mvc-viewresolver]]
=== View Resolution
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-viewresolution,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Spring MVC defines the `ViewResolver` and `View` interfaces that enable you to render
models in a browser without tying you to a specific view technology. `ViewResolver`
provides a mapping between view names and actual views. `View` addresses the preparation
of data before handing over to a specific view technology.

The table below provides more details on the `ViewResolver` hierarchy:

[[mvc-view-resolvers-tbl]]
.ViewResolver implementations
|===
| ViewResolver| Description

| `AbstractCachingViewResolver`
| Sub-classes of `AbstractCachingViewResolver` cache view instances that they resolve.
  Caching improves performance of certain view technologies. It's possible to turn off the
  cache by setting the `cache` property to `false`. Furthermore, if you must refresh a
  certain view at runtime (for example when a FreeMarker template is modified), you can use
  the `removeFromCache(String viewName, Locale loc)` method.

| `XmlViewResolver`
| Implementation of `ViewResolver` that accepts a configuration file written in XML with
  the same DTD as Spring's XML bean factories. The default configuration file is
  `/WEB-INF/views.xml`.

| `ResourceBundleViewResolver`
| Implementation of `ViewResolver` that uses bean definitions in a `ResourceBundle`,
  specified by the bundle base name, and for each view it is supposed to resolve, it uses
  the value of the property `[viewname].(class)` as the view class and the value of the
  property `[viewname].url` as the view url. Examples can be found in the chapter on
  <<mvc-view>>.

| `UrlBasedViewResolver`
| Simple implementation of the `ViewResolver` interface that effects the direct
  resolution of logical view names to URLs, without an explicit mapping definition. This
  is appropriate if your logical names match the names of your view resources in a
  straightforward manner, without the need for arbitrary mappings.

| `InternalResourceViewResolver`
| Convenient subclass of `UrlBasedViewResolver` that supports `InternalResourceView` (in
  effect, Servlets and JSPs) and subclasses such as `JstlView` and `TilesView`. You can
  specify the view class for all views generated by this resolver by using
  `setViewClass(..)`. See the `UrlBasedViewResolver` javadocs for details.

| `FreeMarkerViewResolver`
| Convenient subclass of `UrlBasedViewResolver` that supports `FreeMarkerView` and
  custom subclasses of them.

| `ContentNegotiatingViewResolver`
| Implementation of the `ViewResolver` interface that resolves a view based on the
  request file name or `Accept` header. See <<mvc-multiple-representations>>.
|===


[[mvc-viewresolver-handling]]
==== Handling
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-viewresolution-handling,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

You chain view resolvers by declaring more than one resolver beans and, if necessary, by
setting the `order` property to specify ordering. Remember, the higher the order property,
the later the view resolver is positioned in the chain.

The contract of a `ViewResolver` specifies that it __can__ return null to indicate the
view could not be found. However in the case of JSPs, and `InternalResourceViewResolver`,
the only way to figure out if a JSP exists is to perform a dispatch through
`RequestDispatcher`. Therefore an `InternalResourceViewResolver` must always be configured
to be last in the overall order of view resolvers.

To configure view resolution is as simple as adding `ViewResolver` beans to your Spring
configuration. The <<mvc-config>> provides provides a dedicated configuration API for
<<mvc-config-view-resolvers>> and also for adding logic-less
<<mvc-config-view-controller,View Controllers>> which are useful for HTML template
rendering without controller logic.


[[mvc-redirecting-redirect-prefix]]
==== Redirecting
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-redirecting-redirect-prefix,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

The special `redirect:` prefix in a view name allows you to perform a redirect. The
`UrlBasedViewResolver` (and sub-classes) recognize this as an instruction that a
redirect is needed. The rest of the view name is the redirect URL.

The net effect is the same as if the controller had returned a `RedirectView`, but now
the controller itself can simply operate in terms of logical view names. A logical view
name such as `redirect:/myapp/some/resource` will redirect relative to the current
Servlet context, while a name such as `redirect:http://myhost.com/some/arbitrary/path`
will redirect to an absolute URL.

Note that if a controller method is annotated with the `@ResponseStatus`, the annotation
value takes precedence over the response status set by `RedirectView`.


[[mvc-redirecting-forward-prefix]]
==== Forwarding

It is also possible to use a special `forward:` prefix for view names that are
ultimately resolved by `UrlBasedViewResolver` and subclasses. This creates an
`InternalResourceView` which does a `RequestDispatcher.forward()`.
Therefore, this prefix is not useful with `InternalResourceViewResolver` and
`InternalResourceView` (for JSPs) but it can be helpful if using another view
technology, but still want to force a forward of a resource to be handled by the
Servlet/JSP engine. Note that you may also chain multiple view resolvers, instead.


[[mvc-multiple-representations]]
==== Content negotiation
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-multiple-representations,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

{api-spring-framework}/web/servlet/view/ContentNegotiatingViewResolver.html[ContentNegotiatingViewResolver]
does not resolve views itself but rather delegates
to other view resolvers, and selects the view that resembles the representation requested
by the client. The representation can be determined from the `Accept` header or from a
query parameter, e.g. `"/path?format=pdf"`.

The `ContentNegotiatingViewResolver` selects an appropriate `View` to handle the request
by comparing the request media type(s) with the media type (also known as
`Content-Type`) supported by the `View` associated with each of its `ViewResolvers`. The
first `View` in the list that has a compatible `Content-Type` returns the representation
to the client. If a compatible view cannot be supplied by the `ViewResolver` chain, then
the list of views specified through the `DefaultViews` property will be consulted. This
latter option is appropriate for singleton `Views` that can render an appropriate
representation of the current resource regardless of the logical view name. The `Accept`
header may include wild cards, for example `text/{asterisk}`, in which case a `View` whose
Content-Type was `text/xml` is a compatible match.

See <<mvc-config-view-resolvers>> under <<mvc-config>> for configuration details.



[[mvc-localeresolver]]
=== Locale

Most parts of Spring's architecture support internationalization, just as the Spring web
MVC framework does. `DispatcherServlet` enables you to automatically resolve messages
using the client's locale. This is done with `LocaleResolver` objects.

When a request comes in, the `DispatcherServlet` looks for a locale resolver, and if it
finds one it tries to use it to set the locale. Using the `RequestContext.getLocale()`
method, you can always retrieve the locale that was resolved by the locale resolver.

In addition to automatic locale resolution, you can also attach an interceptor to the
handler mapping (see <<mvc-handlermapping-interceptor>> for more information on handler
mapping interceptors) to change the locale under specific circumstances, for example,
based on a parameter in the request.

Locale resolvers and interceptors are defined in the
`org.springframework.web.servlet.i18n` package and are configured in your application
context in the normal way. Here is a selection of the locale resolvers included in
Spring.


[[mvc-timezone]]
==== TimeZone

In addition to obtaining the client's locale, it is often useful to know their time zone.
The `LocaleContextResolver` interface offers an extension to `LocaleResolver` that allows
resolvers to provide a richer `LocaleContext`, which may include time zone information.

When available, the user's `TimeZone` can be obtained using the
`RequestContext.getTimeZone()` method. Time zone information will automatically be used
by Date/Time `Converter` and `Formatter` objects registered with Spring's
`ConversionService`.


[[mvc-localeresolver-acceptheader]]
==== Header resolver

This locale resolver inspects the `accept-language` header in the request that was sent
by the client (e.g., a web browser). Usually this header field contains the locale of
the client's operating system. __Note that this resolver does not support time zone
information.__


[[mvc-localeresolver-cookie]]
==== Cookie resolver

This locale resolver inspects a `Cookie` that might exist on the client to see if a
`Locale` or `TimeZone` is specified. If so, it uses the specified details. Using the
properties of this locale resolver, you can specify the name of the cookie as well as the
maximum age. Find below an example of defining a `CookieLocaleResolver`.

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<bean id="localeResolver" class="org.springframework.web.servlet.i18n.CookieLocaleResolver">

		<property name="cookieName" value="clientlanguage"/>

		<!-- in seconds. If set to -1, the cookie is not persisted (deleted when browser shuts down) -->
		<property name="cookieMaxAge" value="100000"/>

	</bean>
----

[[mvc-cookie-locale-resolver-props-tbl]]
.CookieLocaleResolver properties
[cols="1,1,4"]
|===
| Property | Default | Description

| cookieName
| classname + LOCALE
| The name of the cookie

| cookieMaxAge
| Servlet container default
| The maximum time a cookie will stay persistent on the client. If -1 is specified, the
  cookie will not be persisted; it will only be available until the client shuts down
  their browser.

| cookiePath
| /
| Limits the visibility of the cookie to a certain part of your site. When cookiePath is
  specified, the cookie will only be visible to that path and the paths below it.
|===


[[mvc-localeresolver-session]]
==== Session resolver

The `SessionLocaleResolver` allows you to retrieve `Locale` and `TimeZone` from the
session that might be associated with the user's request. In contrast to
`CookieLocaleResolver`, this strategy stores locally chosen locale settings in the
Servlet container's `HttpSession`. As a consequence, those settings are just temporary
for each session and therefore lost when each session terminates.

Note that there is no direct relationship with external session management mechanisms
such as the Spring Session project. This `SessionLocaleResolver` will simply evaluate and
modify corresponding `HttpSession` attributes against the current `HttpServletRequest`.


[[mvc-localeresolver-interceptor]]
==== Locale interceptor

You can enable changing of locales by adding the `LocaleChangeInterceptor` to one of the
handler mappings (see <<mvc-handlermapping>>). It will detect a parameter in the request
and change the locale. It calls `setLocale()` on the `LocaleResolver` that also exists
in the context. The following example shows that calls to all `{asterisk}.view` resources
containing a parameter named `siteLanguage` will now change the locale. So, for example,
a request for the following URL, `http://www.sf.net/home.view?siteLanguage=nl` will
change the site language to Dutch.

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim"]
----
	<bean id="localeChangeInterceptor"
			class="org.springframework.web.servlet.i18n.LocaleChangeInterceptor">
		<property name="paramName" value="siteLanguage"/>
	</bean>

	<bean id="localeResolver"
			class="org.springframework.web.servlet.i18n.CookieLocaleResolver"/>

	<bean id="urlMapping"
			class="org.springframework.web.servlet.handler.SimpleUrlHandlerMapping">
		<property name="interceptors">
			<list>
				<ref bean="localeChangeInterceptor"/>
			</list>
		</property>
		<property name="mappings">
			<value>/**/*.view=someController</value>
		</property>
	</bean>
----



[[mvc-themeresolver]]
=== Themes

You can apply Spring Web MVC framework themes to set the overall look-and-feel of your
application, thereby enhancing user experience. A theme is a collection of static
resources, typically style sheets and images, that affect the visual style of the
application.


[[mvc-themeresolver-defining]]
==== Define a theme

To use themes in your web application, you must set up an implementation of the
`org.springframework.ui.context.ThemeSource` interface. The `WebApplicationContext`
interface extends `ThemeSource` but delegates its responsibilities to a dedicated
implementation. By default the delegate will be an
`org.springframework.ui.context.support.ResourceBundleThemeSource` implementation that
loads properties files from the root of the classpath. To use a custom `ThemeSource`
implementation or to configure the base name prefix of the `ResourceBundleThemeSource`,
you can register a bean in the application context with the reserved name `themeSource`.
The web application context automatically detects a bean with that name and uses it.

When using the `ResourceBundleThemeSource`, a theme is defined in a simple properties
file. The properties file lists the resources that make up the theme. Here is an example:

[literal]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
styleSheet=/themes/cool/style.css
background=/themes/cool/img/coolBg.jpg
----

The keys of the properties are the names that refer to the themed elements from view
code. For a JSP, you typically do this using the `spring:theme` custom tag, which is
very similar to the `spring:message` tag. The following JSP fragment uses the theme
defined in the previous example to customize the look and feel:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<%@ taglib prefix="spring" uri="http://www.springframework.org/tags"%>
	<html>
		<head>
			<link rel="stylesheet" href="<spring:theme code='styleSheet'/>" type="text/css"/>
		</head>
		<body style="background=<spring:theme code='background'/>">
			...
		</body>
	</html>
----

By default, the `ResourceBundleThemeSource` uses an empty base name prefix. As a result,
the properties files are loaded from the root of the classpath. Thus you would put the
`cool.properties` theme definition in a directory at the root of the classpath, for
example, in `/WEB-INF/classes`. The `ResourceBundleThemeSource` uses the standard Java
resource bundle loading mechanism, allowing for full internationalization of themes. For
example, we could have a `/WEB-INF/classes/cool_nl.properties` that references a special
background image with Dutch text on it.


[[mvc-themeresolver-resolving]]
==== Resolve themes

After you define themes, as in the preceding section, you decide which theme to use. The
`DispatcherServlet` will look for a bean named `themeResolver` to find out which
`ThemeResolver` implementation to use. A theme resolver works in much the same way as a
`LocaleResolver`. It detects the theme to use for a particular request and can also
alter the request's theme. The following theme resolvers are provided by Spring:

[[mvc-theme-resolver-impls-tbl]]
.ThemeResolver implementations
[cols="1,4"]
|===
| Class | Description

| `FixedThemeResolver`
| Selects a fixed theme, set using the `defaultThemeName` property.

| `SessionThemeResolver`
| The theme is maintained in the user's HTTP session. It only needs to be set once for
  each session, but is not persisted between sessions.

| `CookieThemeResolver`
| The selected theme is stored in a cookie on the client.
|===

Spring also provides a `ThemeChangeInterceptor` that allows theme changes on every
request with a simple request parameter.



[[mvc-multipart]]
=== Multipart resolver
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-multipart,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

`MultipartResolver` from the `org.springframework.web.multipart` package is a strategy
for parsing multipart requests including file uploads. There is one implementation
based on http://jakarta.apache.org/commons/fileupload[__Commons FileUpload__] and another
based on Servlet 3.0 multipart request parsing.

To enable multipart handling, you need declare a `MultipartResolver` bean in your
`DispatcherServlet` Spring configuration with the name "multipartResolver".
The `DispatcherServlet` detects it and applies it to incoming request. When a POST with
content-type of "multipart/form-data" is received, the resolver parses the content and
wraps the current `HttpServletRequest` as `MultipartHttpServletRequest` in order to
provide access to resolved parts in addition to exposing them as request parameters.


[[mvc-multipart-resolver-commons]]
==== Apache FileUpload

To use Apache Commons FileUpload, simply configure a bean of type
`CommonsMultipartResolver` with the name `multipartResolver`. Of course you also need to
have `commons-fileupload` as a dependency on your classpath.


[[mvc-multipart-resolver-standard]]
==== Servlet 3.0

To use Servlet 3.0 multipart support, you need to register the `DispatcherServlet`
accordingly. In programmatic Servlet registration, set a `MultipartConfigElement` on the
Servlet registration. In `web.xml`, add a `"<multipart-config>"` section. Configuration
settings such as maximum sizes or storage locations need to be applied at this level
since Servlet 3.0 API does not make it possible for the `MultipartResolver` to do so.

Once the Servlet 3.0 configuration is in place, simply add a bean of type
`StandardServletMultipartResolver` with the name `multipartResolver`.




[[filters]]
== Filters

The `spring-web` module provides some useful filters.



[[filters-http-put]]
=== HTTP PUT Form

Browsers can only submit form data via HTTP GET or HTTP POST but non-browser clients can also
use HTTP PUT and PATCH. The Servlet API requires `ServletRequest.getParameter{asterisk}()`
methods to support form field access only for HTTP POST.

The `spring-web` module provides `HttpPutFormContentFilter` that intercepts HTTP PUT and
PATCH requests with content type `application/x-www-form-urlencoded`, reads the form data from
the body of the request, and wraps the `ServletRequest` in order to make the form data
available through the `ServletRequest.getParameter{asterisk}()` family of methods.



[[filters-forwarded-headers]]
=== Forwarded Headers

As a request goes through proxies such as load balancers the host, port, and
scheme may change presenting a challenge for applications that need to create links
to resources since the links should reflect the host, port, and scheme of the
original request as seen from a client perspective.

https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7239[RFC 7239] defines the "Forwarded" HTTP header
for proxies to use to provide information about the original request. There are also
other non-standard headers in use such as "X-Forwarded-Host", "X-Forwarded-Port",
and "X-Forwarded-Proto".

`ForwardedHeaderFilter` detects, extracts, and uses information from the "Forwarded"
header, or from "X-Forwarded-Host", "X-Forwarded-Port", and "X-Forwarded-Proto".
It wraps the request in order to overlay its host, port, and scheme and also "hides"
the forwarded headers for subsequent processing.

Note that there are security considerations when using forwarded headers as explained
in Section 8 of RFC 7239. At the application level it is difficult to determine whether
forwarded headers can be trusted or not. This is why the network upstream should be
configured correctly to filter out untrusted forwarded headers from the outside.

Applications that don't have a proxy and don't need to use forwarded headers can
configure the `ForwardedHeaderFilter` to remove and ignore such headers.



[[filters-shallow-etag]]
=== Shallow ETag

There is a `ShallowEtagHeaderFilter`. It is called shallow because it doesn't have any
knowledge of the content. Instead it relies on buffering actual content written to the
response and computing the ETag value at the end.

See <<mvc-httpcaching-shallowetag>> for more details.



[[filters-cors]]
=== CORS

Spring MVC provides fine-grained support for CORS configuration through annotations on
controllers. However when used with Spring Security it is advisable to rely on the built-in
`CorsFilter` that must be ordered ahead of Spring Security's chain of filters.

See the section on <<mvc-cors>> and the <<mvc-cors-filter,CorsFilter>> for more details.




[[mvc-controller]]
== Annotated Controllers
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-controller,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Spring MVC provides an annotation-based programming model where `@Controller` and
`@RestController` components use annotations to express request mappings, request input,
exception handling, and more. Annotated controllers have flexible method signatures and
do not have to extend base classes nor implement specific interfaces.

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Controller
	public class HelloController {

		@GetMapping("/hello")
		public String handle(Model model) {
			model.addAttribute("message", "Hello World!");
			return "index";
		}
	}
----

In this particular example the method accepts a `Model` and returns a view name as a `String`
but many other options exist and are explained further below in this chapter.

[TIP]
====
Guides and tutorials on https://spring.io/guides[spring.io] use the annotation-based
programming model described in this section.
====



[[mvc-ann-controller]]
=== Declaration
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-controller,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

You can define controller beans using a standard Spring bean definition in the
Servlet's `WebApplicationContext`. The `@Controller` stereotype allows for auto-detection,
aligned with Spring general support for detecting `@Component` classes in the classpath
and auto-registering bean definitions for them. It also acts as a stereotype for the
annotated class, indicating its role as a web component.

To enable auto-detection of such `@Controller` beans, you can add component scanning to
your Java configuration:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Configuration
	@ComponentScan("org.example.web")
	public class WebConfig {

		// ...
	}
----

The XML configuration equivalent:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
	<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
		xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
		xmlns:p="http://www.springframework.org/schema/p"
		xmlns:context="http://www.springframework.org/schema/context"
		xsi:schemaLocation="
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/context
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/context/spring-context.xsd">

		<context:component-scan base-package="org.example.web"/>

		<!-- ... -->

	</beans>
----

`@RestController` is a <<core.adoc#beans-meta-annotations,composed annotation>> that is
itself meta-annotated with `@Controller` and `@ResponseBody` indicating a controller whose
every method inherits the type-level `@ResponseBody` annotation and therefore writes
directly to the response body vs view resolution and rendering with an HTML template.


[[mvc-ann-requestmapping-proxying]]
==== AOP proxies

In some cases a controller may need to be decorated with an AOP proxy at runtime.
One example is if you choose to have `@Transactional` annotations directly on the
controller. When this is the case, for controllers specifically, we recommend
using class-based proxying. This is typically the default choice with controllers.
However if a controller must implement an interface that is not a Spring Context
callback (e.g. `InitializingBean`, `*Aware`, etc), you may need to explicitly
configure class-based proxying. For example with `<tx:annotation-driven/>`,
change to `<tx:annotation-driven proxy-target-class="true"/>`.



[[mvc-ann-requestmapping]]
=== Request Mapping
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-requestmapping,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

The `@RequestMapping` annotation is used to map requests to controllers methods. It has
various attributes to match by URL, HTTP method, request parameters, headers, and media
types. It can be used at the class-level to express shared mappings or at the method level
to narrow down to a specific endpoint mapping.

There are also HTTP method specific shortcut variants of `@RequestMapping`:

- `@GetMapping`
- `@PostMapping`
- `@PutMapping`
- `@DeleteMapping`
- `@PatchMapping`

The above are <<mvc-ann-requestmapping-composed>> that are provided out of the box
because arguably most controller methods should be mapped to a specific HTTP method vs
using `@RequestMapping` which by default matches to all HTTP methods. At the same an
`@RequestMapping` is still needed at the class level to express shared mappings.

Below is an example with type and method level mappings:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@RestController
	@RequestMapping("/persons")
	class PersonController {

		@GetMapping("/{id}")
		public Person getPerson(@PathVariable Long id) {
			// ...
		}

		@PostMapping
		@ResponseStatus(HttpStatus.CREATED)
		public void add(@RequestBody Person person) {
			// ...
		}
	}
----


[[mvc-ann-requestmapping-uri-templates]]
==== URI patterns
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-requestmapping-uri-templates,Same in Spring
WebFlux>>#

You can map requests using glob patterns and wildcards:

* `?` matches one character
* `*` matches zero or more characters within a path segment
* `**` match zero or more path segments

You can also declare URI variables and access their values with `@PathVariable`:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping("/owners/{ownerId}/pets/{petId}")
	public Pet findPet(@PathVariable Long ownerId, @PathVariable Long petId) {
		// ...
	}
----

URI variables can be declared at the class and method level:
[source,java,intent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
@Controller
@RequestMapping("/owners/{ownerId}")
public class OwnerController {

	@GetMapping("/pets/{petId}")
	public Pet findPet(@PathVariable Long ownerId, @PathVariable Long petId) {
		// ...
	}
}
----

URI variables are automatically converted to the appropriate type or`TypeMismatchException`
is raised. Simple types -- `int`, `long`, `Date`, are supported by default and you can
register support for any other data type.
See <<mvc-ann-typeconversion>> and <<mvc-ann-initbinder>>.

URI variables can be named explicitly -- e.g. `@PathVariable("customId")`, but you can
leave that detail out if the names are the same and your code is compiled with debugging
information or with the `-parameters` compiler flag on Java 8.

The syntax `{varName:regex}` declares a URI variable with a regular expressions with the
syntax `{varName:regex}` -- e.g. given URL `"/spring-web-3.0.5 .jar"`, the below method
extracts the name, version, and file extension:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping("/{name:[a-z-]+}-{version:\\d\\.\\d\\.\\d}{ext:\\.[a-z]+}")
	public void handle(@PathVariable String version, @PathVariable String ext) {
		// ...
	}
----

URI path patterns can also have embedded `${...}` placeholders that are resolved on startup
 via `PropertyPlaceHolderConfigurer` against local, system, environment, and other property
sources. This can be used for example to parameterize a base URL based on some external
configuration.

[NOTE]
====
Spring MVC uses the `PathMatcher` contract and the `AntPathMatcher` implementation from
`spring-core` for URI path matching.
====


[[mvc-ann-requestmapping-pattern-comparison]]
==== Pattern comparison
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-requestmapping-pattern-comparison,Same in Spring
WebFlux>>#

When multiple patterns match a URL, they must be compared to find the best match. This done
via `AntPathMatcher.getPatternComparator(String path)` which looks for patterns that more
specific.

A pattern is less specific if it has a lower count of URI variables and single wildcards
counted as 1 and double wildcards counted as 2. Given an equal score, the longer pattern is
chosen. Given the same score and length, the pattern with more URI variables than wildcards
is chosen.

The default mapping pattern `/{asterisk}{asterisk}` is excluded from scoring and always
sorted last. Also prefix patterns such as `/public/{asterisk}{asterisk}` are considered less
specific than other pattern that don't have double wildcards.

For the full details see `AntPatternComparator` in `AntPathMatcher` and also keep mind that
the `PathMatcher` implementation used can be customized. See <<mvc-config-path-matching>>
in the configuration section.


[[mvc-ann-requestmapping-suffix-pattern-match]]
==== Suffix match

By default Spring MVC performs `".{asterisk}"` suffix pattern matching so that a
controller mapped to `/person` is also implicitly mapped to `/person.{asterisk}`.
The file extension is then used to interpret the requested content type to use for
the response (i.e. instead of the "Accept" header), e.g. `/person.pdf`,
`/person.xml`, etc.

Using file extensions like this was necessary when browsers used to send Accept headers
that were hard to interpret consistently. At present that is no longer a necessity and
using the "Accept" header should be the preferred choice.

Over time the use of file name extensions has proven problematic in a variety of ways.
It can cause ambiguity when overlayed with the use of URI variables, path parameters,
URI encoding, and it also makes it difficult to reason about URL-based authorization
and security (see next section for more details).

To completely disable the use of file extensions, you must set both of these:

* `useSuffixPatternMatching(false)`, see <<mvc-config-path-matching,PathMatchConfigurer>>
* `favorPathExtension(false)`, see <<mvc-config-content-negotiation,ContentNeogiationConfigurer>>

URL-based content negotiation can still be useful, for example when typing a URL in a
browser. To enable that we recommend a query parameter based strategy to avoid most of
the issues that come with file extensions. Or if you must use file extensions, consider
restricting them to a list of explicitly registered extensions through the
`mediaTypes` property of <<mvc-config-content-negotiation,ContentNeogiationConfigurer>>.


[[mvc-ann-requestmapping-rfd]]
==== Suffix match and RFD

Reflected file download (RFD) attack is similar to XSS in that it relies on request input,
e.g. query parameter, URI variable, being reflected in the response. However instead of
inserting JavaScript into HTML, an RFD attack relies on the browser switching to perform a
download and treating the response as an executable script when double-clicked later.

In Spring MVC `@ResponseBody` and `ResponseEntity` methods are at risk because
they can render different content types which clients can request via URL path extensions.
Disabling suffix pattern matching and the use of path extensions for content negotiation
lower the risk but are not sufficient to prevent RFD attacks.

To prevent RFD attacks, prior to rendering the response body Spring MVC adds a
`Content-Disposition:inline;filename=f.txt` header to suggest a fixed and safe download
file. This is done only if the URL path contains a file extension that is neither whitelisted
nor explicitly registered for content negotiation purposes. However it may potentially have
side effects when URLs are typed directly into a browser.

Many common path extensions are whitelisted by default. Applications with custom
`HttpMessageConverter` implementations can explicitly register file extensions for content
negotiation to avoid having a `Content-Disposition` header added for those extensions.
See <<mvc-config-content-negotiation>>.

Check http://pivotal.io/security/cve-2015-5211[CVE-2015-5211] for additional
recommendations related to RFD.




[[mvc-ann-requestmapping-consumes]]
==== Consumable media types
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-requestmapping-consumes,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

You can narrow the request mapping based on the `Content-Type` of the request:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@PostMapping(path = "/pets", **consumes = "application/json"**)
	public void addPet(@RequestBody Pet pet) {
		// ...
	}
----

The consumes attribute also supports negation expressions -- e.g. `!text/plain` means any
content type other than "text/plain".

You can declare a shared consumes attribute at the class level. Unlike most other request
mapping attributes however when used at the class level, a method-level consumes attribute
will overrides rather than extend the class level declaration.

[TIP]
====
`MediaType` provides constants for commonly used media types -- e.g.
`APPLICATION_JSON_VALUE`, `APPLICATION_JSON_UTF8_VALUE`.
====


[[mvc-ann-requestmapping-produces]]
==== Producible media types
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-requestmapping-produces,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

You can narrow the request mapping based on the `Accept` request header and the list of
content types that a controller method produces:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping(path = "/pets/{petId}", **produces = "application/json;charset=UTF-8"**)
	@ResponseBody
	public Pet getPet(@PathVariable String petId) {
		// ...
	}
----

The media type can specify a character set. Negated expressions are supported -- e.g.
`!text/plain` means any content type other than "text/plain".

You can declare a shared produces attribute at the class level. Unlike most other request
mapping attributes however when used at the class level, a method-level produces attribute
will overrides rather than extend the class level declaration.

[TIP]
====
`MediaType` provides constants for commonly used media types -- e.g.
`APPLICATION_JSON_VALUE`, `APPLICATION_JSON_UTF8_VALUE`.
====


[[mvc-ann-requestmapping-params-and-headers]]
==== Parameters, headers
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-requestmapping-params-and-headers,Same in Spring
WebFlux>>#

You can narrow request mappings based on request parameter conditions. You can test for the
presence of a request parameter (`"myParam"`), for the absence (`"!myParam"`), or for a
specific value (`"myParam=myValue"`):

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping(path = "/pets/{petId}", **params = "myParam=myValue"**)
	public void findPet(@PathVariable String petId) {
		// ...
	}
----

You can also use the same with request header conditions:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping(path = "/pets", **headers = "myHeader=myValue"**)
	public void findPet(@PathVariable String petId) {
		// ...
	}
----

[TIP]
====
You can match `Content-Type` and `Accept` with the headers condition but it is better to use
<<mvc-ann-requestmapping-consumes,consumes>> and <<mvc-ann-requestmapping-produces,produces>>
instead.
====


[[mvc-ann-requestmapping-head-options]]
==== HTTP HEAD, OPTIONS
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-requestmapping-head-options,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

`@GetMapping` -- and also `@RequestMapping(method=HttpMethod.GET)`, support HTTP HEAD
transparently for request mapping purposes. Controller methods don't need to change.
A response wrapper, applied in `javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet`, ensures a `"Content-Length"`
header is set to the number of bytes written and without actually writing to the response.

`@GetMapping` -- and also `@RequestMapping(method=HttpMethod.GET)`, are implicitly mapped to
and also support HTTP HEAD. An HTTP HEAD request is processed as if it were HTTP GET except
but instead of writing the body, the number of bytes are counted and the "Content-Length"
header set.

By default HTTP OPTIONS is handled by setting the "Allow" response header to the list of HTTP
methods listed in all `@RequestMapping` methods with matching URL patterns.

For a `@RequestMapping` without HTTP method declarations, the "Allow" header is set to
`"GET,HEAD,POST,PUT,PATCH,DELETE,OPTIONS"`. Controller methods should always declare the
supported HTTP methods for example by using the HTTP method specific variants --
`@GetMapping`, `@PostMapping`, etc.

`@RequestMapping` method can be explicitly mapped to HTTP HEAD and HTTP OPTIONS, but that
is not necessary in the common case.


[[mvc-ann-requestmapping-composed]]
==== Custom Annotations
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#mvc-ann-requestmapping-head-options,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Spring MVC supports the use of <<core.adoc#beans-meta-annotations,composed annotations>>
for request mapping. Those are annotations that are themselves meta-annotated with
`@RequestMapping` and composed to redeclare a subset (or all) of the `@RequestMapping`
attributes with a narrower, more specific purpose.

`@GetMapping`, `@PostMapping`, `@PutMapping`, `@DeleteMapping`, and `@PatchMapping` are
examples of composed annotations. They're provided out of the box because arguably most
controller methods should be mapped to a specific HTTP method vs using `@RequestMapping`
which by default matches to all HTTP methods. If you need an example of composed
annotations, look at how those are declared.

Spring MVC also supports custom request mapping attributes with custom request matching
logic. This is a more advanced option that requires sub-classing
`RequestMappingHandlerMapping` and overriding the `getCustomMethodCondition` method where
you can check the custom attribute and return your own `RequestCondition`.



[[mvc-ann-methods]]
=== Handler Methods
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-methods,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

`@RequestMapping` handler methods have a flexible signature and can choose from a range of
supported controller method arguments and return values.


[[mvc-ann-arguments]]
==== Method Arguments
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-arguments,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

The table below shows supported controller method arguments. Reactive types are not supported
for any arguments.

JDK 8's `java.util.Optional` is supported as a method argument in combination with
annotations that have a `required` attribute -- e.g. `@RequestParam`, `@RequestHeader`,
etc, and is equivalent to `required=false`.

[cols="1,2", options="header"]
|===
| Controller method argument | Description

| `WebRequest`, `NativeWebRequest`
| Generic access to request parameters, request & session attributes, without direct
  use of the Servlet API.

| `javax.servlet.ServletRequest`, `javax.servlet.ServletResponse`
| Choose any specific request or response type -- e.g. `ServletRequest`, `HttpServletRequest`,
  or Spring's `MultipartRequest`, `MultipartHttpServletRequest`.

| `javax.servlet.http.HttpSession`
| Enforces the presence of a session. As a consequence, such an argument is never `null`. +
  **Note:** Session access is not thread-safe. Consider setting the
  ``RequestMappingHandlerAdapter``'s "synchronizeOnSession" flag to "true" if multiple
  requests are allowed to access a session concurrently.

| `javax.servlet.http.PushBuilder`
| Servlet 4.0 push builder API for programmatic HTTP/2 resource pushes.
  Note that per Servlet spec, the injected `PushBuilder` instance can be null if the client
  does not support that HTTP/2 feature.

| `java.security.Principal`
| Currently authenticated user; possibly a specific `Principal` implementation class if known.

| `HttpMethod`
| The HTTP method of the request.

| `java.util.Locale`
| The current request locale, determined by the most specific `LocaleResolver` available, in
  effect, the configured `LocaleResolver`/`LocaleContextResolver`.

| `java.util.TimeZone` + `java.time.ZoneId`
| The time zone associated with the current request, as determined by a `LocaleContextResolver`.

| `java.io.InputStream`, `java.io.Reader`
| For access to the raw request body as exposed by the Servlet API.

| `java.io.OutputStream`, `java.io.Writer`
| For access to the raw response body as exposed by the Servlet API.

| `@PathVariable`
| For access to URI template variables. See <<mvc-ann-requestmapping-uri-templates>>.

| `@MatrixVariable`
| For access to name-value pairs in URI path segments. See <<mvc-ann-matrix-variables>>.

| `@RequestParam`
| For access to Servlet request parameters. Parameter values are converted to the declared
  method argument type. See <<mvc-ann-requestparam>>.

  Note that use of `@RequestParam` is optional, e.g. to set its attributes.
  See "Any other argument" further below in this table.

| `@RequestHeader`
| For access to request headers. Header values are converted to the declared method argument
  type. See <<mvc-ann-requestheader>>.

| `@CookieValue`
| For access to cookies. Cookies values are converted to the declared method argument
  type. See <<mvc-ann-cookievalue>>.

| `@RequestBody`
| For access to the HTTP request body. Body content is converted to the declared method
  argument type using ``HttpMessageConverter``s. See <<mvc-ann-requestbody>>.

| `HttpEntity<B>`
| For access to request headers and body. The body is converted with ``HttpMessageConverter``s.
  See <<mvc-ann-httpentity>>.

| `@RequestPart`
| For access to a part in  a "multipart/form-data" request.
  See <<mvc-multipart-forms>>.

| `java.util.Map`, `org.springframework.ui.Model`, `org.springframework.ui.ModelMap`
| For access to the model that is used in HTML controllers and exposed to templates as
  part of view rendering.

| `RedirectAttributes`
| Specify attributes to use in case of a redirect -- i.e. to be appended to the query
  string, and/or flash attributes to be stored temporarily until the request after redirect.
  See <<mvc-redirecting-passing-data>> and <<mvc-flash-attributes>>.

| `@ModelAttribute`
| For access to an existing attribute in the model (instantiated if not present) with
  data binding and validation applied. See <<mvc-ann-modelattrib-method-args>> as well as
  <<mvc-ann-modelattrib-methods>> and <<mvc-ann-initbinder>>.

  Note that use of `@ModelAttribute` is optional, e.g. to set its attributes.
  See "Any other argument" further below in this table.

| `Errors`, `BindingResult`
| For access to errors from validation and data binding for a command object
  (i.e. `@ModelAttribute` argument), or errors from the validation of an `@RequestBody` or
  `@RequestPart` arguments; an `Errors`, or `BindingResult` argument must be declared
  immediately after the validated method argument.

| `SessionStatus` + class-level `@SessionAttributes`
| For marking form processing complete which triggers cleanup of session attributes
  declared through a class-level `@SessionAttributes` annotation. See
  <<mvc-ann-sessionattributes>> for more details.

| `UriComponentsBuilder`
| For preparing a URL relative to the current request's host, port, scheme, context path, and
  the literal  part of the servlet mapping also taking into account `Forwarded` and
 `X-Forwarded-*` headers. See <<mvc-uri-building>>.

| `@SessionAttribute`
| For access to any session attribute; in contrast to model attributes stored in the session
  as a result of a class-level `@SessionAttributes` declaration. See
  <<mvc-ann-sessionattribute>> for more details.

| `@RequestAttribute`
| For access to request attributes. See <<mvc-ann-requestattrib>> for more details.

| Any other argument
| If a method argument is not matched to any of the above, by default it is resolved as
  an `@RequestParam` if it is a simple type, as determined by
  {api-spring-framework}/beans/BeanUtils.html#isSimpleProperty-java.lang.Class-[BeanUtils#isSimpleProperty],
  or as an `@ModelAttribute` otherwise.
|===


[[mvc-ann-return-types]]
==== Return Values
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-return-types,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

The table below shows supported controller method return values. Reactive types are
supported for all return values, see below for more details.

[cols="1,2", options="header"]
|===
| Controller method return value | Description

| `@ResponseBody`
| The return value is converted through ``HttpMessageConverter``s and written to the
  response. See <<mvc-ann-responsebody>>.

| `HttpEntity<B>`, `ResponseEntity<B>`
| The return value specifies the full response including HTTP headers and body be converted
  through ``HttpMessageConverter``s and written to the response.
  See <<mvc-ann-responseentity>>.

| `HttpHeaders`
| For returning a response with headers and no body.

| `String`
| A view name to be resolved with ``ViewResolver``'s and used together with the implicit
  model -- determined through command objects and `@ModelAttribute` methods. The handler
  method may also programmatically enrich the model by declaring a `Model` argument
  (see above).

| `View`
| A `View` instance to use for rendering together with the implicit model -- determined
  through command objects and `@ModelAttribute` methods. The handler method may also
  programmatically enrich the model by declaring a `Model` argument (see above).

| `java.util.Map`, `org.springframework.ui.Model`
| Attributes to be added to the implicit model with the view name implicitly determined
  through a `RequestToViewNameTranslator`.

| `@ModelAttribute`
| An attribute to be added to the model with the view name implicitly determined through
  a `RequestToViewNameTranslator`.

  Note that `@ModelAttribute` is optional. See "Any other return value" further below in
  this table.

| `ModelAndView` object
| The view and model attributes to use, and optionally a response status.

| `void`
| A method with a `void` return type (or `null` return value) is considered to have fully
  handled the response if it also has a `ServletResponse`, or an `OutputStream` argument, or
  an `@ResponseStatus` annotation. The same is true also if the controller has made a positive
  ETag or lastModified timestamp check (see <<mvc-caching-etag-lastmodified>> for details).

  If none of the above is true, a `void` return type may also indicate "no response body" for
  REST controllers, or default view name selection for HTML controllers.

| `DeferredResult<V>`
| Produce any of the above return values asynchronously from any thread -- e.g. possibly as a
  result of some event or callback. See <<mvc-ann-async>> and
  <<mvc-ann-async-deferredresult>>.

| `Callable<V>`
| Produce any of the above return values asynchronously in a Spring MVC managed thread.
  See <<mvc-ann-async>> and <<mvc-ann-async-callable>>.

| `ListenableFuture<V>`,
  `java.util.concurrent.CompletionStage<V>`,
  `java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture<V>`
| Alternative to `DeferredResult` as a convenience for example when an underlying service
  returns one of those.

| `ResponseBodyEmitter`, `SseEmitter`
| Emit a stream of objects asynchronously to be written to the response with
  ``HttpMessageConverter``'s; also supported as the body of a `ResponseEntity`.
  See <<mvc-ann-async>> and <<mvc-ann-async-http-streaming>>.

| `StreamingResponseBody`
| Write to the response `OutputStream` asynchronously; also supported as the body of a
  `ResponseEntity`. See <<mvc-ann-async>> and <<mvc-ann-async-http-streaming>>.

| Reactive types -- Reactor, RxJava, or others via `ReactiveAdapterRegistry`
| Alternative to ``DeferredResult` with multi-value streams (e.g. `Flux`, `Observable`)
  collected to a `List`.

  For streaming scenarios -- e.g. `text/event-stream`, `application/json+stream` --
  `SseEmitter` and `ResponseBodyEmitter` are used instead, where `ServletOutputStream`
  blocking I/O is performed on a Spring MVC managed thread and back pressure applied
  against the completion of each write.

  See <<mvc-ann-async>> and <<mvc-ann-async-reactive-types>>.

| Any other return value
| If a return value is not matched to any of the above, by default it is treated as a view
  name, if it is `String` or `void` (default view name selection via
  `RequestToViewNameTranslator` applies); or as a model attribute to be added to the model,
  unless it is a simple type, as determined by
  {api-spring-framework}/beans/BeanUtils.html#isSimpleProperty-java.lang.Class-[BeanUtils#isSimpleProperty]
  in which case it remains unresolved.
|===


[[mvc-ann-typeconversion]]
==== Type Conversion
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-typeconversion,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Some annotated controller method arguments that represent String-based request input -- e.g.
`@RequestParam`, `@RequestHeader`, `@PathVariable`, `@MatrixVariable`, and `@CookieValue`,
may require type conversion if the argument is declared as something other than `String`.

For such cases type conversion is automatically applied based on the configured converters.
By default simple types such as `int`, `long`, `Date`, etc. are supported. Type conversion
can be customized through a `WebDataBinder`, see <<mvc-ann-initbinder>>, or by registering
`Formatters` with the `FormattingConversionService`, see
<<core.adoc#format, Spring Field Formatting>>.


[[mvc-ann-matrix-variables]]
==== Matrix variables
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-matrix-variables,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3986#section-3.3[RFC 3986] discusses name-value pairs in
path segments. In Spring MVC we refer to those as "matrix variables" based on an
http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/MatrixURIs.html["old post"] by Tim Berners-Lee but they
can be also be referred to as URI path parameters.

Matrix variables can appear in any path segment, each variable separated by semicolon and
multiple values separated by comma, e.g. `"/cars;color=red,green;year=2012"`. Multiple
values can also be specified through repeated variable names, e.g.
`"color=red;color=green;color=blue"`.

If a URL is expected to contain matrix variables, the request mapping for a controller
method must use a URI variable to mask that variable content and ensure the request can
be matched successfully independent of matrix variable order and presence.
Below is an example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	// GET /pets/42;q=11;r=22

	@GetMapping("/pets/{petId}")
	public void findPet(@PathVariable String petId, @MatrixVariable int q) {

		// petId == 42
		// q == 11
	}
----

Given that all path segments may contain matrix variables, sometimes you may need to
disambiguate which path variable the matrix variable is expected to be in.
For example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	// GET /owners/42;q=11/pets/21;q=22

	@GetMapping("/owners/{ownerId}/pets/{petId}")
	public void findPet(
			@MatrixVariable(name="q", pathVar="ownerId") int q1,
			@MatrixVariable(name="q", pathVar="petId") int q2) {

		// q1 == 11
		// q2 == 22
	}
----

A matrix variable may be defined as optional and a default value specified:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	// GET /pets/42

	@GetMapping("/pets/{petId}")
	public void findPet(@MatrixVariable(required=false, defaultValue="1") int q) {

		// q == 1
	}
----

To get all matrix variables, use a `MultiValueMap`:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	// GET /owners/42;q=11;r=12/pets/21;q=22;s=23

	@GetMapping("/owners/{ownerId}/pets/{petId}")
	public void findPet(
			@MatrixVariable MultiValueMap<String, String> matrixVars,
			@MatrixVariable(pathVar="petId"") MultiValueMap<String, String> petMatrixVars) {

		// matrixVars: ["q" : [11,22], "r" : 12, "s" : 23]
		// petMatrixVars: ["q" : 22, "s" : 23]
	}
----

Note that you need to enable the use of matrix variables. In the MVC Java config you need
to set a `UrlPathHelper` with `removeSemicolonContent=false` via
<<mvc-config-path-matching>>. In the MVC XML namespace, use
`<mvc:annotation-driven enable-matrix-variables="true"/>`.


[[mvc-ann-requestparam]]
==== @RequestParam
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-requestparam,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Use the `@RequestParam` annotation to bind Servlet request parameters (i.e. query
parameters or form data) to a method argument in a controller.

The following code snippet shows the usage:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Controller
	@RequestMapping("/pets")
	public class EditPetForm {

		// ...

		@GetMapping
		public String setupForm(**@RequestParam("petId") int petId**, Model model) {
			Pet pet = this.clinic.loadPet(petId);
			model.addAttribute("pet", pet);
			return "petForm";
		}

		// ...

	}
----

Method parameters using this annotation are required by default, but you can specify that
a method parameter is optional by setting ``@RequestParam``'s `required` flag to `false`
or by declaring the argument with an `java.util.Optional` wrapper.

Type conversion is applied automatically if the target method parameter type is not
`String`. See <<mvc-ann-typeconversion>>.

When an `@RequestParam` annotation is declared as `Map<String, String>` or
`MultiValueMap<String, String>` argument, the map is populated with all request
parameters.

Note that use of `@RequestParam` is optional, e.g. to set its attributes.
By default any argument that is a simple value type, as determined by
{api-spring-framework}/beans/BeanUtils.html#isSimpleProperty-java.lang.Class-[BeanUtils#isSimpleProperty],
and is not resolved by any other argument resolver, is treated as if it was annotated
with `@RequestParam`.


[[mvc-ann-requestheader]]
==== @RequestHeader
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-requestheader,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Use the `@RequestHeader` annotation to bind a request header to a method argument in a
controller.

Given request with headers:

[literal]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
Host                    localhost:8080
Accept                  text/html,application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9
Accept-Language         fr,en-gb;q=0.7,en;q=0.3
Accept-Encoding         gzip,deflate
Accept-Charset          ISO-8859-1,utf-8;q=0.7,*;q=0.7
Keep-Alive              300
----

The following gets the value of the `Accept-Encoding` and `Keep-Alive` headers:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping("/demo")
	public void handle(
			**@RequestHeader("Accept-Encoding")** String encoding,
			**@RequestHeader("Keep-Alive")** long keepAlive) {
		//...
	}
----

Type conversion is applied automatically if the target method parameter type is not
`String`. See <<mvc-ann-typeconversion>>.

When an `@RequestHeader` annotation is used on a `Map<String, String>`,
`MultiValueMap<String, String>`, or `HttpHeaders` argument, the map is populated
with all header values.

[TIP]
====
Built-in support is available for converting a comma-separated string into an
array/collection of strings or other types known to the type conversion system. For
example a method parameter annotated with `@RequestHeader("Accept")` may be of type
`String` but also `String[]` or `List<String>`.
====


[[mvc-ann-cookievalue]]
==== @CookieValue
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-cookievalue,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Use the `@CookieValue` annotation to bind the value of an HTTP cookie to a method argument
in a controller.

Given request with the following cookie:

[literal]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
JSESSIONID=415A4AC178C59DACE0B2C9CA727CDD84
----

The following code sample demonstrates how to get the cookie value:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping("/demo")
	public void handle(**@CookieValue("JSESSIONID")** String cookie) {
		//...
	}
----

Type conversion is applied automatically if the target method parameter type is not
`String`. See <<mvc-ann-typeconversion>>.


[[mvc-ann-modelattrib-method-args]]
==== @ModelAttribute
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-modelattrib-method-args,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Use the `@ModelAttribute` annotation on a method argument to access an attribute from the
model, or have it instantiated if not present. The model attribute is also overlaid with
values from HTTP Servlet request parameters whose names match to field names. This is
referred to as data binding and it saves you from having to deal with parsing and
converting individual query parameters and form fields. For example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@PostMapping("/owners/{ownerId}/pets/{petId}/edit")
	public String processSubmit(**@ModelAttribute Pet pet**) { }
----

The `Pet` instance above is resolved as follows:

* From the model if already added via <<mvc-ann-modelattrib-methods>>.
* From the HTTP session via <<mvc-ann-sessionattributes>>.
* From a URI path variable passed through a `Converter` (example below).
* From the invocation of a default constructor.
* From the invocation of a "primary constructor" with arguments matching to Servlet
request parameters; argument names are determined via JavaBeans
`@ConstructorProperties` or via runtime-retained parameter names in the bytecode.

While it is common to use a <<mvc-ann-modelattrib-methods>> to populate the model with
attributes, one other alternative is to rely on a `Converter<String, T>` in combination
with a URI path variable convention. In the example below the model attribute name
"account" matches the URI path variable "account" and the `Account` is loaded by passing
the `String` account number through a registered `Converter<String, Account>`:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@PutMapping("/accounts/{account}")
	public String save(@ModelAttribute("account") Account account) {
		// ...
	}
----

After the model attribute instance is obtained, data binding is applied. The
`WebDataBinder` class matches Servlet request parameter names (query parameters and form
fields) to field names on the target Object. Matching fields are populated after type
conversion is applied where necessary. For more on data binding (and validation) see
<<core.adoc#validation, Validation>>. For more on customizing data binding see
<<mvc-ann-initbinder>>.

Data binding may result in errors. By default a `BindException` is raised but to check
for such errors in the controller method, add a `BindingResult` argument immediately next
to the `@ModelAttribute` as shown below:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@PostMapping("/owners/{ownerId}/pets/{petId}/edit")
	public String processSubmit(**@ModelAttribute("pet") Pet pet**, BindingResult result) {
		if (result.hasErrors()) {
			return "petForm";
		}
		// ...
	}
----

In some cases you may want access to a model attribute without data binding. For such
cases you can inject the `Model` into the controller and access it directly or
alternatively set `@ModelAttribute(binding=false)` as shown below:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@ModelAttribute
	public AccountForm setUpForm() {
		return new AccountForm();
	}

	@ModelAttribute
	public Account findAccount(@PathVariable String accountId) {
		return accountRepository.findOne(accountId);
	}

	@PostMapping("update")
	public String update(@Valid AccountUpdateForm form, BindingResult result,
			**@ModelAttribute(binding=false)** Account account) {
		// ...
	}
----

Validation can be applied automatically after data binding by adding the
`javax.validation.Valid` annotation or Spring's `@Validated` annotation (also see
<<core.adoc#validation-beanvalidation, Bean validation>> and
<<core.adoc#validation, Spring validation>>). For example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@PostMapping("/owners/{ownerId}/pets/{petId}/edit")
	public String processSubmit(**@Valid @ModelAttribute("pet") Pet pet**, BindingResult result) {
		if (result.hasErrors()) {
			return "petForm";
		}
		// ...
	}
----

Note that use of `@ModelAttribute` is optional, e.g. to set its attributes.
By default any argument that is not a simple value type, as determined by
{api-spring-framework}/beans/BeanUtils.html#isSimpleProperty-java.lang.Class-[BeanUtils#isSimpleProperty],
and is not resolved by any other argument resolver, is treated as if it was annotated
with `@ModelAttribute`.



[[mvc-ann-sessionattributes]]
==== @SessionAttributes
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-sessionattributes,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

`@SessionAttributes` is used to store model attributes in the HTTP Servlet session between
requests. It is a type-level annotation that declares session attributes used by a
specific controller. This will typically list the names of model attributes or types of
model attributes which should be transparently stored in the session for subsequent
requests to access.

For example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Controller
	**@SessionAttributes("pet")**
	public class EditPetForm {
		// ...
	}
----

On the first request when a model attribute with the name "pet" is added to the model,
it is automatically promoted to and saved in the HTTP Servlet session. It remains there
until another controller method uses a `SessionStatus` method argument to clear the
storage:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Controller
	**@SessionAttributes("pet")**
	public class EditPetForm {

		// ...

		@PostMapping("/pets/{id}")
		public String handle(Pet pet, BindingResult errors, SessionStatus status) {
			if (errors.hasErrors) {
				// ...
			}
				status.setComplete();
				// ...
			}
		}
	}
----


[[mvc-ann-sessionattribute]]
==== @SessionAttribute
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-sessionattribute,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

If you need access to pre-existing session attributes that are managed globally,
i.e. outside the controller (e.g. by a filter), and may or may not be present
use the `@SessionAttribute` annotation on a method parameter:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@RequestMapping("/")
	public String handle(**@SessionAttribute** User user) {
		// ...
	}
----

For use cases that require adding or removing session attributes consider injecting
`org.springframework.web.context.request.WebRequest` or
`javax.servlet.http.HttpSession` into the controller method.

For temporary storage of model attributes in the session as part of a controller
workflow consider using `SessionAttributes` as described in
<<mvc-ann-sessionattributes>>.


[[mvc-ann-requestattrib]]
==== @RequestAttribute
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-requestattrib,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Similar to `@SessionAttribute` the `@RequestAttribute` annotation can be used to
access pre-existing request attributes created earlier, e.g. by a Servlet `Filter`
or `HandlerInterceptor`:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping("/")
	public String handle(**@RequestAttribute** Client client) {
		// ...
	}
----


[[mvc-redirecting-passing-data]]
==== Redirect attributes

By default all model attributes are considered to be exposed as URI template variables in
the redirect URL. Of the remaining attributes those that are primitive types or
collections/arrays of primitive types are automatically appended as query parameters.

Appending primitive type attributes as query parameters may be the desired result if a
model instance was prepared specifically for the redirect. However, in annotated
controllers the model may contain additional attributes added for rendering purposes (e.g.
drop-down field values). To avoid the possibility of having such attributes appear in the
URL, an `@RequestMapping` method can declare an argument of type `RedirectAttributes` and
use it to specify the exact attributes to make available to `RedirectView`. If the method
does redirect, the content of `RedirectAttributes` is used.  Otherwise the content of the
model is used.

The `RequestMappingHandlerAdapter` provides a flag called
`"ignoreDefaultModelOnRedirect"` that can be used to indicate the content of the default
`Model` should never be used if a controller method redirects. Instead the controller
method should declare an attribute of type `RedirectAttributes` or if it doesn't do so
no attributes should be passed on to `RedirectView`. Both the MVC namespace and the MVC
Java config keep this flag set to `false` in order to maintain backwards compatibility.
However, for new applications we recommend setting it to `true`

Note that URI template variables from the present request are automatically made
available when expanding a redirect URL and do not need to be added explicitly neither
through `Model` nor `RedirectAttributes`. For example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@PostMapping("/files/{path}")
	public String upload(...) {
		// ...
		return "redirect:files/{path}";
	}
----

Another way of passing data to the redirect target is via __Flash Attributes__. Unlike
other redirect attributes, flash attributes are saved in the HTTP session (and hence do
not appear in the URL). See <<mvc-flash-attributes>> for more information.


[[mvc-flash-attributes]]
==== Flash attributes

Flash attributes provide a way for one request to store attributes intended for use in
another. This is most commonly needed when redirecting -- for example, the
__Post/Redirect/Get__ pattern. Flash attributes are saved temporarily before the
redirect (typically in the session) to be made available to the request after the
redirect and removed immediately.

Spring MVC has two main abstractions in support of flash attributes. `FlashMap` is used
to hold flash attributes while `FlashMapManager` is used to store, retrieve, and manage
`FlashMap` instances.

Flash attribute support is always "on" and does not need to enabled explicitly although
if not used, it never causes HTTP session creation. On each request there is an "input"
`FlashMap` with attributes passed from a previous request (if any) and an "output"
`FlashMap` with attributes to save for a subsequent request. Both `FlashMap` instances
are accessible from anywhere in Spring MVC through static methods in
`RequestContextUtils`.

Annotated controllers typically do not need to work with `FlashMap` directly. Instead an
`@RequestMapping` method can accept an argument of type `RedirectAttributes` and use it
to add flash attributes for a redirect scenario. Flash attributes added via
`RedirectAttributes` are automatically propagated to the "output" FlashMap. Similarly,
after the redirect, attributes from the "input" `FlashMap` are automatically added to the
`Model` of the controller serving the target URL.

.Matching requests to flash attributes
****
The concept of flash attributes exists in many other Web frameworks and has proven to be
exposed sometimes to concurrency issues. This is because by definition flash attributes
are to be stored until the next request. However the very "next" request may not be the
intended recipient but another asynchronous request (e.g. polling or resource requests)
in which case the flash attributes are removed too early.

To reduce the possibility of such issues, `RedirectView` automatically "stamps"
`FlashMap` instances with the path and query parameters of the target redirect URL. In
turn the default `FlashMapManager` matches that information to incoming requests when
looking up the "input" `FlashMap`.

This does not eliminate the possibility of a concurrency issue entirely but nevertheless
reduces it greatly with information that is already available in the redirect URL.
Therefore the use of flash attributes is recommended mainly for redirect scenarios .
****


[[mvc-multipart-forms]]
==== Multipart
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-multipart-forms,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

After a `MultipartResolver` has been <<mvc-multipart,enabled>>, the content of POST
requests with "multipart/form-data" is parsed and accessible as regular request
parameters. In the example below we access one regular form field and one uploaded
file:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
@Controller
public class FileUploadController {

	@PostMapping("/form")
	public String handleFormUpload(@RequestParam("name") String name,
			@RequestParam("file") MultipartFile file) {

		if (!file.isEmpty()) {
			byte[] bytes = file.getBytes();
			// store the bytes somewhere
			return "redirect:uploadSuccess";
		}

		return "redirect:uploadFailure";
	}

}
----

[NOTE]
====
When using Servlet 3.0 multipart parsing you can also use `javax.servlet.http.Part` as
a method argument instead of Spring's `MultipartFile`.
====

Multipart content can also be used as part of data binding to a
<<mvc-ann-modelattrib-method-args,command object>>. For example the above form field
and file could have been fields on a form object:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
class MyForm {

	private String name;

	private MultipartFile file;

	// ...

}

@Controller
public class FileUploadController {

	@PostMapping("/form")
	public String handleFormUpload(MyForm form, BindingResult errors) {

		if (!form.getFile().isEmpty()) {
			byte[] bytes = form.getFile().getBytes();
			// store the bytes somewhere
			return "redirect:uploadSuccess";
		}

		return "redirect:uploadFailure";
	}

}
----

Multipart requests can also be submitted from non-browser clients in a RESTful service
scenario. For example a file along with JSON:

[literal]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
POST /someUrl
Content-Type: multipart/mixed

--edt7Tfrdusa7r3lNQc79vXuhIIMlatb7PQg7Vp
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="meta-data"
Content-Type: application/json; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

{
	"name": "value"
}
--edt7Tfrdusa7r3lNQc79vXuhIIMlatb7PQg7Vp
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file-data"; filename="file.properties"
Content-Type: text/xml
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
... File Data ...
----

You can access the "meta-data" part with `@RequestParam` as a `String` but you'll
probably want it deserialized from JSON (similar to `@RequestBody`). Use the
`@RequestPart` annotation to access a multipart after converting it with an
<<integration.adoc#rest-message-conversion,HttpMessageConverter>>:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
@PostMapping("/")
public String handle(**@RequestPart("meta-data") MetaData metadata,
		@RequestPart("file-data") MultipartFile file**) {
	// ...
}
----

`@RequestPart` can be used in combination with `javax.validation.Valid`, or Spring's
`@Validated` annotation, which causes Standard Bean Validation to be applied.
By default validation errors cause a `MethodArgumentNotValidException` which is turned
into a 400 (BAD_REQUEST) response. Alternatively validation errors can be handled locally
within the controller through an `Errors` or `BindingResult` argument:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
@PostMapping("/")
public String handle(**@Valid** @RequestPart("meta-data") MetaData metadata,
		**BindingResult result**) {
	// ...
}
----


[[mvc-ann-requestbody]]
==== @RequestBody
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-requestbody,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Use the `@RequestBody` annotation to have the request body read and deserialized into an
Object through an <<integration.adoc#rest-message-conversion,HttpMessageConverter>>.
Below is an example with an `@RequestBody` argument:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@PostMapping("/accounts")
	public void handle(@RequestBody Account account) {
		// ...
	}
----

You can use the <<mvc-config-message-converters>> option of the <<mvc-config>> to
configure or customize message conversion.

`@RequestBody` can be used in combination with `javax.validation.Valid`, or Spring's
`@Validated` annotation, which causes Standard Bean Validation to be applied.
By default validation errors cause a `MethodArgumentNotValidException` which is turned
into a 400 (BAD_REQUEST) response. Alternatively validation errors can be handled locally
within the controller through an `Errors` or `BindingResult` argument:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@PostMapping("/accounts")
	public void handle(@Valid @RequestBody Account account, BindingResult result) {
		// ...
	}
----


[[mvc-ann-httpentity]]
==== HttpEntity
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-httpentity,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

`HttpEntity` is more or less identical to using <<mvc-ann-requestbody>> but based on a
container object that exposes request headers and body. Below is an example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@PostMapping("/accounts")
	public void handle(HttpEntity<Account> entity) {
		// ...
	}
----


[[mvc-ann-responsebody]]
==== @ResponseBody
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-responsebody,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Use the `@ResponseBody` annotation on a method to have the return serialized to the
response body through an
<<integration.adoc#rest-message-conversion,HttpMessageConverter>>. For example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping("/accounts/{id}")
	@ResponseBody
	public Account handle() {
		// ...
	}
----

`@ResponseBody` is also supported at the class level in which case it is inherited by
all controller methods. This is the effect of `@RestController` which is nothing more
than a meta-annotation marked with `@Controller` and `@ResponseBody`.

`@ResponseBody` may be used with reactive types.
See <<mvc-ann-async>> and <<mvc-ann-async-reactive-types>> for more details.

You can use the <<mvc-config-message-converters>> option of the <<mvc-config>> to
configure or customize message conversion.

`@ResponseBody` methods can be combined with JSON serialization views.
See <<mvc-ann-jackson>> for details.


[[mvc-ann-responseentity]]
==== ResponseEntity
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-responseentity,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

`ResponseEntity` is more or less identical to using <<mvc-ann-responsebody>> but based
on a container object that specifies request headers and body. Below is an example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@PostMapping("/something")
	public ResponseEntity<String> handle() {
		// ...
		URI location = ...
		return new ResponseEntity.created(location).build();
	}
----


[[mvc-ann-jackson]]
==== Jackson JSON

[[mvc-ann-jsonview]]
===== Jackson serialization views
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-jsonview,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Spring MVC provides built-in support for
http://wiki.fasterxml.com/JacksonJsonViews[Jackson's Serialization Views]
which allows rendering only a subset of all fields in an Object. To use it with
`@ResponseBody` or `ResponseEntity` controller methods, use Jackson's
`@JsonView` annotation to activate a serialization view class:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@RestController
	public class UserController {

		@GetMapping("/user")
		@JsonView(User.WithoutPasswordView.class)
		public User getUser() {
			return new User("eric", "7!jd#h23");
		}
	}

	public class User {

		public interface WithoutPasswordView {};
		public interface WithPasswordView extends WithoutPasswordView {};

		private String username;
		private String password;

		public User() {
		}

		public User(String username, String password) {
			this.username = username;
			this.password = password;
		}

		@JsonView(WithoutPasswordView.class)
		public String getUsername() {
			return this.username;
		}

		@JsonView(WithPasswordView.class)
		public String getPassword() {
			return this.password;
		}
	}
----

[NOTE]
====
`@JsonView` allows an array of view classes but you can only specify only one per
controller method. Use a composite interface if you need to activate multiple views.
====

For controllers relying on view resolution, simply add the serialization view class
to the model:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Controller
	public class UserController extends AbstractController {

		@GetMapping("/user")
		public String getUser(Model model) {
			model.addAttribute("user", new User("eric", "7!jd#h23"));
			model.addAttribute(JsonView.class.getName(), User.WithoutPasswordView.class);
			return "userView";
		}
	}
----

[[mvc-ann-jsonp]]
===== Jackson JSONP

In order to enable http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSONP[JSONP] support for `@ResponseBody`
and `ResponseEntity` methods, declare an `@ControllerAdvice` bean that extends
`AbstractJsonpResponseBodyAdvice` as shown below where the constructor argument indicates
the JSONP query parameter name(s):

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@ControllerAdvice
	public class JsonpAdvice extends AbstractJsonpResponseBodyAdvice {

		public JsonpAdvice() {
			super("callback");
		}
	}
----

For controllers relying on view resolution, JSONP is automatically enabled when the
request has a query parameter named `jsonp` or `callback`. Those names can be
customized through `jsonpParameterNames` property.



[[mvc-ann-modelattrib-methods]]
=== Model Methods
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-modelattrib-methods,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

The `@ModelAttribute` annotation can be used on `@RequestMapping`
<<mvc-ann-modelattrib-method-args,method arguments>> to create or access an Object
from the model and bind it to the request. `@ModelAttribute` can also be used as a
method-level annotation on controller methods whose purpose is not to handle requests
but to add commonly needed model attributes prior to request handling.

A controller can have any number of `@ModelAttribute` methods. All such methods are
invoked before `@RequestMapping` methods in the same controller. A `@ModelAttribute`
method can also be shared across controllers via `@ControllerAdvice`. See the section on
<<mvc-ann-controller-advice>> for more details.

`@ModelAttribute` methods have flexible method signatures. They support many of the same
arguments as `@RequestMapping` methods except for `@ModelAttribute` itself nor anything
related to the request body.

An example `@ModelAttribute` method:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@ModelAttribute
	public void populateModel(@RequestParam String number, Model model) {
		model.addAttribute(accountRepository.findAccount(number));
		// add more ...
	}
----

To add one attribute only:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@ModelAttribute
	public Account addAccount(@RequestParam String number) {
		return accountRepository.findAccount(number);
	}
----

[NOTE]
====
When a name is not explicitly specified, a default name is chosen based on the Object
type as explained in the Javadoc for
{api-spring-framework}/core/Conventions.html[Conventions].
You can always assign an explicit name by using the overloaded `addAttribute` method or
through the name attribute on `@ModelAttribute` (for a return value).
====

`@ModelAttribute` can also be used as a method-level annotation on `@RequestMapping`
methods in which case the return value of the `@RequestMapping` method is interpreted as a
model attribute. This is typically not required, as it is the default behavior in HTML
controllers, unless the return value is a `String` which would otherwise be interpreted
as a view name (also see <<mvc-coc-r2vnt>>). `@ModelAttribute` can also help to customize
the model attribute name:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping("/accounts/{id}")
	@ModelAttribute("myAccount")
	public Account handle() {
		// ...
		return account;
	}
----





[[mvc-ann-initbinder]]
=== Binder Methods
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-initbinder,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

`@InitBinder` methods in an `@Controller` or `@ControllerAdvice` class can be used to
customize type conversion for method arguments that represent String-based request values
(e.g. request parameters, path variables, headers, cookies, and others). Type conversion
also applies during data binding of request parameters onto `@ModelAttribute` arguments
(i.e. command objects).

`@InitBinder` methods can register controller-specific `java.bean.PropertyEditor`, or
Spring `Converter` and `Formatter` components. In addition, the
<<mvc-config-conversion,MVC config>> can be used to register `Converter` and `Formatter`
types in a globally shared `FormattingConversionService`.


`@InitBinder` methods support many of the same arguments that a `@RequestMapping` methods
do, except for `@ModelAttribute` (command object) arguments. Typically they're are declared
with a `WebDataBinder` argument, for registrations, and a `void` return value.
Below is an example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Controller
	public class FormController {

		**@InitBinder**
		public void initBinder(WebDataBinder binder) {
			SimpleDateFormat dateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd");
			dateFormat.setLenient(false);
			binder.registerCustomEditor(Date.class, new CustomDateEditor(dateFormat, false));
		}

		// ...
	}
----

Alternatively when using a `Formatter`-based setup through a shared
`FormattingConversionService`, you could re-use the same approach and register
controller-specific ``Formatter``'s:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Controller
	public class FormController {

		**@InitBinder**
		protected void initBinder(WebDataBinder binder) {
			binder.addCustomFormatter(new DateFormatter("yyyy-MM-dd"));
		}

		// ...
	}
----



[[mvc-ann-exceptionhandler]]
=== Exception Methods

`@ExceptionHandler` methods in an `@Controller` can be used to handle exceptions during
request handling from the same controller. An `@ExceptionHandler` can also be declared
in an <<mvc-ann-controller-advice,@ControllerAdvice class>> to apply across controllers.
Support for `@ExceptionHandler` methods in Spring MVC is provided through the
<<mvc-exceptionhandlers,HandlerExceptionResolver>> mechanism.

Below is an example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Controller
	public class SimpleController {

		// ...

		@ExceptionHandler(IOException.class)
		public ResponseEntity<String> handle(IOException ex) {
			// ...
		}

	}
----

The value of the `@ExceptionHandler` annotation can be set to an array of Exception types
to match to. Or if the annotation value is not set, then the exception type declared in
the method signature is used instead. `@ExceptionHandler` methods can declare other
arguments too, e.g. the `HttpServletRequest`. The return value type can be a `String`,
which is interpreted as a view name, a `ModelAndView` object, a `ResponseEntity`, or you
can also add the `@ResponseBody` annotation.

For `@ExceptionHandler` methods, a root exception match will be preferred to just
matching a cause of the current exception, among the handler methods of a particular
controller or advice bean. However, a cause match on a higher-priority `@ControllerAdvice`
will still be preferred to a any match (whether root or cause level) on a lower-priority
advice bean. As a consequence, when using a multi-advice arrangement, please declare your
primary root exception mappings on a prioritized advice bean with a corresponding order!

[[mvc-ann-rest-exceptions]]
==== REST API exceptions

A common requirement for REST services is to include error details in the body of the
response. The Spring Framework does not automatically do this because the representation
of error details in the response body is application specific. However a
`@RestController` may use `@ExceptionHandler` methods with a `ResponseEntity` return
value to set the status and the body of the response. Such methods may also be declared
in `@ControllerAdvice` classes to apply them globally.

Applications that implement global exception handling with error details in the response
body should consider extending
{api-spring-framework}/web/servlet/mvc/method/annotation/ResponseEntityExceptionHandler.html[ResponseEntityExceptionHandler]
which provides handling for exceptions that Spring MVC raises along with hooks to
customize the response body. To make use of this, create a sub-class of
`ResponseEntityExceptionHandler`, annotate with `@ControllerAdvice`, override the
necessary methods, and declare it as a Spring bean.



[[mvc-ann-controller-advice]]
=== Controller Advice
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-ann-controller-advice,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Typically `@ExceptionHandler`, `@InitBinder`, and `@ModelAttribute` methods apply within
the `@Controller` class (or class hierarchy) they are declared in. If you want such
methods to apply more globally, across controllers, you can declare them in a class
marked with `@ControllerAdvice` or `@RestControllerAdvice`.

`@ControllerAdvice` is marked with `@Component` which means such classes can be registered
as Spring beans via <<core.adoc#beans-java-instantiating-container-scan,component scanning>>.
`@RestControllerAdvice` is also a meta-annotation marked with both `@ControllerAdvice` and
`@ResponseBody` which essentially means `@ExceptionHandler` methods are rendered to the
response body via message conversion (vs view resolution/template rendering).

On startup, the infrastructure classes for `@RequestMapping` and `@ExceptionHandler` methods
detect Spring beans of type `@ControllerAdvice`, and then apply their methods at runtime.
Global `@ExceptionHandler` methods (from an `@ControllerAdvice`) are applied *after* local
ones (from the `@Controller`). By contrast global `@ModelAttribute` and `@InitBinder`
methods are applied *before* local ones.

By default `@ControllerAdvice` methods apply to every request, i.e. all controllers, but
you can narrow that down to a subset of controllers via attributes on the annotation:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	// Target all Controllers annotated with @RestController
	@ControllerAdvice(annotations = RestController.class)
	public class ExampleAdvice1 {}

	// Target all Controllers within specific packages
	@ControllerAdvice("org.example.controllers")
	public class ExampleAdvice2 {}

	// Target all Controllers assignable to specific classes
	@ControllerAdvice(assignableTypes = {ControllerInterface.class, AbstractController.class})
	public class ExampleAdvice3 {}
----

Keep in mind the above selectors are evaluated at runtime and may negatively impact
performance if used extensively. See the
{api-spring-framework}/web/bind/annotation/ControllerAdvice.html[@ControllerAdvice]
Javadoc for more details.




[[mvc-uri-building]]
== URI Links
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#mvc-uri-building,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

This section describes various options available in the Spring Framework to prepare URIs.



include::web-uris.adoc[leveloffset=+2]



[[mvc-servleturicomponentsbuilder]]
=== Servlet request relative

You can use `ServletUriComponentsBuilder` to create URIs relative to the current request:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	HttpServletRequest request = ...

	// Re-uses host, scheme, port, path and query string...

	ServletUriComponentsBuilder ucb = ServletUriComponentsBuilder.fromRequest(request)
			.replaceQueryParam("accountId", "{id}").build()
			.expand("123")
			.encode();
----

You can create URIs relative to the context path:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	// Re-uses host, port and context path...

	ServletUriComponentsBuilder ucb = ServletUriComponentsBuilder.fromContextPath(request)
			.path("/accounts").build()
----

You can create URIs relative to a Servlet (e.g. `/main/{asterisk}`):

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	// Re-uses host, port, context path, and Servlet prefix...

	ServletUriComponentsBuilder ucb = ServletUriComponentsBuilder.fromServletMapping(request)
			.path("/accounts").build()
----

[CAUTION]
====
`ServletUriComponentsBuilder` detects and uses information from the "Forwarded",
"X-Forwarded-Host", "X-Forwarded-Port", and "X-Forwarded-Proto" headers, so the resulting
links reflect the original request. You need to ensure that your application is behind
a trusted proxy which filters out such headers coming from outside. Also consider using
the <<filters-forwarded-headers,ForwardedHeaderFilter>> which processes such headers once
per request, and also provides an option to remove and ignore such headers.
====



[[mvc-links-to-controllers]]
=== Links to controllers

Spring MVC provides a mechanism to prepare links to controller methods. For example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Controller
	@RequestMapping("/hotels/{hotel}")
	public class BookingController {

		@GetMapping("/bookings/{booking}")
		public String getBooking(@PathVariable Long booking) {
			// ...
		}
	}
----

You can prepare a link by referring to the method by name:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	UriComponents uriComponents = MvcUriComponentsBuilder
		.fromMethodName(BookingController.class, "getBooking", 21).buildAndExpand(42);

	URI uri = uriComponents.encode().toUri();
----

In the above example we provided actual method argument values, in this case the long value 21,
to be used as a path variable and inserted into the URL. Furthermore, we provided the
value 42 in order to fill in any remaining URI variables such as the "hotel" variable inherited
from the type-level request mapping. If the method had more arguments you can supply null for
arguments not needed for the URL. In general only `@PathVariable` and `@RequestParam` arguments
are relevant for constructing the URL.

There are additional ways to use `MvcUriComponentsBuilder`. For example you can use a technique
akin to mock testing through proxies to avoid referring to the controller method by name
(the example assumes static import of `MvcUriComponentsBuilder.on`):

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	UriComponents uriComponents = MvcUriComponentsBuilder
		.fromMethodCall(on(BookingController.class).getBooking(21)).buildAndExpand(42);

	URI uri = uriComponents.encode().toUri();
----

The above examples use static methods in `MvcUriComponentsBuilder`. Internally they rely
on `ServletUriComponentsBuilder` to prepare a base URL from the scheme, host, port,
context path and servlet path of the current request. This works well in most cases,
however sometimes it may be insufficient. For example you may be outside the context of
a request (e.g. a batch process that prepares links) or perhaps you need to insert a path
prefix (e.g. a locale prefix that was removed from the request path and needs to be
re-inserted into links).

For such cases you can use the static "fromXxx" overloaded methods that accept a
`UriComponentsBuilder` to use base URL. Or you can create an instance of `MvcUriComponentsBuilder`
with a base URL and then use the instance-based "withXxx" methods. For example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	UriComponentsBuilder base = ServletUriComponentsBuilder.fromCurrentContextPath().path("/en");
	MvcUriComponentsBuilder builder = MvcUriComponentsBuilder.relativeTo(base);
	builder.withMethodCall(on(BookingController.class).getBooking(21)).buildAndExpand(42);

	URI uri = uriComponents.encode().toUri();
----

[CAUTION]
====
`MvcUriComponentsBuilder` detects and uses information from the "Forwarded",
"X-Forwarded-Host", "X-Forwarded-Port", and "X-Forwarded-Proto" headers, so the resulting
links reflect the original request. You need to ensure that your application is behind
a trusted proxy which filters out such headers coming from outside. Also consider using
the <<filters-forwarded-headers,ForwardedHeaderFilter>> which processes such headers once
per request, and also provides an option to remove and ignore such headers.
====




[[mvc-links-to-controllers-from-views]]
=== Links in views

You can also build links to annotated controllers from views such as JSP, Thymeleaf,
FreeMarker. This can be done using the `fromMappingName` method in `MvcUriComponentsBuilder`
which refers to mappings by name.

Every `@RequestMapping` is assigned a default name based on the capital letters of the
class and the full method name. For example, the method `getFoo` in class `FooController`
is assigned the name "FC#getFoo". This strategy can be replaced or customized by creating
an instance of `HandlerMethodMappingNamingStrategy` and plugging it into your
`RequestMappingHandlerMapping`. The default strategy implementation also looks at the
name attribute on `@RequestMapping` and uses that if present. That means if the default
mapping name assigned conflicts with another (e.g. overloaded methods) you can assign
a name explicitly on the `@RequestMapping`.

[NOTE]
====
The assigned request mapping names are logged at TRACE level on startup.
====

The Spring JSP tag library provides a function called `mvcUrl` that can be used to
prepare links to controller methods based on this mechanism.

For example given:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@RequestMapping("/people/{id}/addresses")
	public class PersonAddressController {

		@RequestMapping("/{country}")
		public HttpEntity getAddress(@PathVariable String country) { ... }
	}
----

You can prepare a link from a JSP as follows:

[source,jsp,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
<%@ taglib uri="http://www.springframework.org/tags" prefix="s" %>
...
<a href="${s:mvcUrl('PAC#getAddress').arg(0,'US').buildAndExpand('123')}">Get Address</a>
----

The above example relies on the `mvcUrl` JSP function declared in the Spring tag library
(i.e. META-INF/spring.tld). For more advanced cases (e.g. a custom base URL as explained
in the previous section), it is easy to define your own function, or use a custom tag file,
in order to use a specific instance of `MvcUriComponentsBuilder` with a custom base URL.




[[mvc-ann-async]]
== Async Requests
[.small]#<<mvc-ann-async-vs-webflux,Compared to WebFlux>>#

Spring MVC has an extensive integration with Servlet 3.0 asynchronous request
<<mvc-ann-async-processing,processing>>:

* <<mvc-ann-async-deferredresult>> and <<mvc-ann-async-callable>> return values in
controller method provide basic support for a single asynchronous return value.
* Controllers can <<mvc-ann-async-http-streaming,stream>> multiple values including
<<mvc-ann-async-sse,SSE>> and <<mvc-ann-async-output-stream,raw data>>.
* Controllers can use reactive clients and return
<<mvc-ann-async-reactive-types,reactive types>> for response handling.



[[mvc-ann-async-deferredresult]]
=== `DeferredResult`
[.small]#<<mvc-ann-async-vs-webflux,Compared to WebFlux>>#

Once the asynchronous request processing feature is
<<mvc-ann-async-configuration,enabled>> in the Servlet container, controller methods can
wrap any supported controller method return value with `DeferredResult`:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping("/quotes")
	@ResponseBody
	public DeferredResult<String> quotes() {
		DeferredResult<String> deferredResult = new DeferredResult<String>();
		// Save the deferredResult somewhere..
		return deferredResult;
	}

	// From some other thread...
	deferredResult.setResult(data);
----

The controller can produce the return value asynchronously, from a different thread, for
example in response to an external event (JMS message), a scheduled task, or other.



[[mvc-ann-async-callable]]
=== `Callable`
[.small]#<<mvc-ann-async-vs-webflux,Compared to WebFlux>>#

A controller may also wrap any supported return value with `java.util.concurrent.Callable`:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@PostMapping
	public Callable<String> processUpload(final MultipartFile file) {

		return new Callable<String>() {
			public String call() throws Exception {
				// ...
				return "someView";
			}
		};

	}
----

The return value will then be obtained by executing the the given task through the
<<mvc-ann-async-configuration-spring-mvc,configured>> `TaskExecutor`.



[[mvc-ann-async-processing]]
=== Processing
[.small]#<<mvc-ann-async-vs-webflux,Compared to WebFlux>>#

Here is a very concise overview of Servlet asynchronous request processing:

* A `ServletRequest` can be put in asynchronous mode by calling `request.startAsync()`.
  The main effect of doing so is that the Servlet, as well as any Filters, can exit but
  the response will remain open to allow processing to complete later.
* The call to `request.startAsync()` returns `AsyncContext` which can be used for
  further control over async processing. For example it provides the method `dispatch`,
  that is similar to a forward from the Servlet API except it allows an
  application to resume request processing on a Servlet container thread.
* The `ServletRequest` provides access to the current `DispatcherType` that can
  be used to distinguish between processing the initial request, an async
  dispatch, a forward, and other dispatcher types.

`DeferredResult` processing:

* Controller returns a `DeferredResult` and saves it in some in-memory
  queue or list where it can be accessed.
* Spring MVC calls `request.startAsync()`.
* Meanwhile the `DispatcherServlet` and all configured Filter's exit the request
  processing thread but the response remains open.
* The application sets the `DeferredResult` from some thread and Spring MVC
  dispatches the request back to the Servlet container.
* The `DispatcherServlet` is invoked again and processing resumes with the
  asynchronously produced return value.

`Callable` processing:

* Controller returns a `Callable`.
* Spring MVC calls `request.startAsync()` and submits the `Callable` to
  a `TaskExecutor` for processing in a separate thread.
* Meanwhile the `DispatcherServlet` and all Filter's exit the Servlet container thread
  but the response remains open.
* Eventually the `Callable` produces a result and Spring MVC dispatches the request back
  to the Servlet container to complete processing.
* The `DispatcherServlet` is invoked again and processing resumes with the
  asynchronously produced return value from the `Callable`.

For further background and context you can also read
https://spring.io/blog/2012/05/07/spring-mvc-3-2-preview-introducing-servlet-3-async-support[the
blog posts] that introduced asynchronous request processing support in Spring MVC 3.2.


[[mvc-ann-async-exceptions]]
==== Exception handling

When using a `DeferredResult` you can choose whether to call `setResult` or
`setErrorResult` with an exception. In both cases Spring MVC dispatches the request back
to the Servlet container to complete processing. It is then treated either as if the
controller method returned the given value, or as if it produced the given exception.
The exception then goes through the regular exception handling mechanism, e.g. invoking
`@ExceptionHandler` methods.

When using `Callable`, similar processing logic follows. The main difference being that
the result is returned from the `Callable` or an exception is raised by it.


[[mvc-ann-async-interception]]
==== Interception

``HandlerInterceptor``'s can also be `AsyncHandlerInterceptor` in order to receive the
`afterConcurrentHandlingStarted` callback on the initial request that starts asynchronous
processing instead of `postHandle` and `afterCompletion`.

``HandlerInterceptor``'s can also register a `CallableProcessingInterceptor`
or a `DeferredResultProcessingInterceptor` in order to integrate more deeply with the
lifecycle of an asynchronous request for example to handle a timeout event. See
{api-spring-framework}/web/servlet/AsyncHandlerInterceptor.html[AsyncHandlerInterceptor]
for more details.

`DeferredResult` provides `onTimeout(Runnable)` and `onCompletion(Runnable)` callbacks.
See the Javadoc of `DeferredResult` for more details. `Callable` can be substituted for
`WebAsyncTask` that exposes additional methods for timeout and completion callbacks.


[[mvc-ann-async-vs-webflux]]
==== Compared to WebFlux

The Servlet API was originally built for making a single pass through the Filter-Servlet
chain. Asynchronous request processing, added in Servlet 3.0, allows applications to exit
the Filter-Servlet chain but leave the response open for further processing. The Spring MVC
async support is built around that mechanism. When a controller returns a `DeferredResult`,
the Filter-Servlet chain is exited and the Servlet container thread is released. Later when
the `DeferredResult` is set, an ASYNC dispatch (to the same URL) is made during which the
controller is mapped again but rather than invoking it, the `DeferredResult` value is used
(as if the controller returned it) to resume processing.

By contrast Spring WebFlux is neither built on the Servlet API, nor does it need such an
asynchronous request processing feature because it is asynchronous by design. Asynchronous
handling is built into all framework contracts and is intrinsically supported through ::
stages of request processing.

From a programming model perspective, both Spring MVC and Spring WebFlux support
asynchronous and <<mvc-ann-async-reactive-types>> as return values in controller methods.
Spring MVC even supports streaming, including reactive back pressure. However individual
writes to the response remain blocking (and performed on a separate thread) unlike WebFlux
that relies on non-blocking I/O and does not need an extra thread for each write.

Another fundamental difference is that Spring MVC does not support asynchronous or
reactive types in controller method arguments, e.g. `@RequestBody`, `@RequestPart`, and
others, nor does it have any explicit support for asynchronous and reactive types as
model attributes. Spring WebFlux does support all that.



[[mvc-ann-async-http-streaming]]
=== HTTP Streaming
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-codecs-streaming,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

`DeferredResult` and `Callable` can be used for a single asynchronous return value.
What if you want to produce multiple asynchronous values and have those written to the
response?


[[mvc-ann-async-objects]]
==== Objects

The `ResponseBodyEmitter` return value can be used to produce a stream of Objects, where
each Object sent is serialized with an
<<integration.adoc#rest-message-conversion,HttpMessageConverter>> and written to the
response. For example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping("/events")
	public ResponseBodyEmitter handle() {
		ResponseBodyEmitter emitter = new ResponseBodyEmitter();
		// Save the emitter somewhere..
		return emitter;
	}

	// In some other thread
	emitter.send("Hello once");

	// and again later on
	emitter.send("Hello again");

	// and done at some point
	emitter.complete();
----

`ResponseBodyEmitter` can also be used as the body in a `ResponseEntity` allowing you to
customize the status and headers of the response.

When an `emitter` throws an `IOException` (e.g. if the remote client went away) applications
are not responsible for cleaning up the connection, and should not invoke `emitter.complete`
or `emitter.completeWithError`. Instead the servlet container automatically initiates an
`AsyncListener` error notification in which Spring MVC makes a `completeWithError` call,
which in turn performs one a final ASYNC dispatch to the application during which Spring MVC
invokes the configured exception resolvers and completes the request.


[[mvc-ann-async-sse]]
==== SSE

`SseEmitter` is a sub-class of `ResponseBodyEmitter` that provides support for
http://www.w3.org/TR/eventsource/[Server-Sent Events] where events sent from the server
are formatted according to the W3C SSE specification. In order to produce an SSE
stream from a controller simply return `SseEmitter`:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping(path="/events", produces=MediaType.TEXT_EVENT_STREAM_VALUE)
	public SseEmitter handle() {
		SseEmitter emitter = new SseEmitter();
		// Save the emitter somewhere..
		return emitter;
	}

	// In some other thread
	emitter.send("Hello once");

	// and again later on
	emitter.send("Hello again");

	// and done at some point
	emitter.complete();
----

While SSE is the main option for streaming into browsers, note that Internet Explorer
does not support Server-Sent Events. Consider using Spring's
<<web.adoc#websocket,WebSocket messaging>> with
<<web.adoc#websocket-fallback,SockJS fallback>> transports (including SSE) that target
a wide range of browsers.

Also see <<mvc-ann-async-objects,previous section>> for notes on exception handling.


[[mvc-ann-async-output-stream]]
==== Raw data

Sometimes it is useful to bypass message conversion and stream directly to the response
`OutputStream` for example for a file download. Use the of the `StreamingResponseBody`
return value type to do that:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping("/download")
	public StreamingResponseBody handle() {
		return new StreamingResponseBody() {
			@Override
			public void writeTo(OutputStream outputStream) throws IOException {
				// write...
			}
		};
	}
----

`StreamingResponseBody` can be used as the body in a `ResponseEntity` allowing you to
customize the status and headers of the response.



[[mvc-ann-async-reactive-types]]
=== Reactive types
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-codecs-streaming,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Spring MVC supports use of reactive client libraries in a controller. This includes the
`WebClient` from `spring-webflux` and others such as Spring Data reactive data
repositories. In such scenarios it is convenient to be able to return reactive types
from the controller method .

Reactive return values are handled as follows:

* A single-value promise is adapted to, and similar to using `DeferredResult`. Examples
include `Mono` (Reactor) or `Single` (RxJava).
* A multi-value stream, with a streaming media type such as `"application/stream+json"`
or `"text/event-stream"`, is adapted to, and similar to using `ResponseBodyEmitter` or
`SseEmitter`. Examples include `Flux` (Reactor) or `Observable` (RxJava).
Applications can also return `Flux<ServerSentEvent>` or `Observable<ServerSentEvent>`.
* A multi-value stream, with any other media type (e.g. "application/json"), is adapted
to, and similar to using `DeferredResult<List<?>>`.

[TIP]
====
Spring MVC supports Reactor and RxJava through the
{api-spring-framework}/core/ReactiveAdapterRegistry.html[ReactiveAdapterRegistry] from
`spring-core` which allows it to adapt from multiple reactive libraries.
====

When streaming to the response via reactive types, Spring MVC supports reactive back
pressure, but still needs to use blocking I/O to perform actual writes. This is done
through the <<mvc-ann-async-configuration-spring-mvc,configured>> MVC `TaskExecutor` on
a separate thread in order to avoid blocking the upstream source (e.g. a `Flux` returned
from the `WebClient`). By default a `SyncTaskExecutor` is used which is not suitable for
production. https://jira.spring.io/browse/SPR-16203[SPR-16203] will provide better
defaults in Spring Framework 5.1. In the mean time please configure the executor through
the <<mvc-ann-async-configuration-spring-mvc,MVC config>>.



[[mvc-ann-async-disconnects]]
=== Disconnects
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-codecs-streaming,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

The Servlet API does not provide any notification when a remote client goes away.
Therefore while streaming to the response, whether via <<mvc-ann-async-sse,SseEmitter>> or
<<mvc-ann-async-reactive-types,reactive types>, it is important to send data periodically,
since the write would fail if the client has disconnected. The send could take the form
of an empty (comment-only) SSE event, or any other data that the other side would have to
to interpret as a heartbeat and ignore.

Alternatively consider using web messaging solutions such as
<<websocket-stomp,STOMP over WebSocket>> or WebSocket with <<websocket-fallback,SockJS>>
that have a built-in heartbeat mechanism.



[[mvc-ann-async-configuration]]
=== Configuration
[.small]#<<mvc-ann-async-vs-webflux,Compared to WebFlux>>#

The async request processing feature must be enabled at the Servlet container level.
The MVC config also exposes several options for asynchronous requests.


[[mvc-ann-async-configuration-servlet3]]
==== Servlet container

Filter and Servlet declarations have an `asyncSupported` that needs to be set to true
in order enable asynchronous request processing. In addition, Filter mappings should be
declared to handle the ASYNC `javax.servlet.DispatchType`.

In Java configuration, when you use `AbstractAnnotationConfigDispatcherServletInitializer`
to initialize the Servlet container, this is done automatically.

In `web.xml` configuration, add `<async-supported>true</async-supported>` to the
`DispatcherServlet` and to `Filter` declarations, and also add
`<dispatcher>ASYNC</dispatcher>` to filter mappings.


[[mvc-ann-async-configuration-spring-mvc]]
==== Spring MVC

The MVC config exposes options related to async request processing:

* Java config -- use the `configureAsyncSupport` callback on `WebMvcConfigurer`.
* XML namespace -- use the `<async-support>` element under `<mvc:annotation-driven>`.

You can configure the following:

* Default timeout value for async requests, which if not set, depends
on the underlying Servlet container (e.g. 10 seconds on Tomcat).
* `AsyncTaskExecutor` to use for blocking writes when streaming with
<<mvc-ann-async-reactive-types>>, and also for executing ``Callable``'s returned from
controller methods. It is highly recommended to configure this property if you're
streaming with reactive types or have controller methods that return `Callable` since
by default it is a `SimpleAsyncTaskExecutor`.
* ``DeferredResultProcessingInterceptor``'s and ``CallableProcessingInterceptor``'s.

Note that the default timeout value can also be set on a `DeferredResult`,
`ResponseBodyEmitter` and `SseEmitter`. For a `Callable`, use `WebAsyncTask` to provide
a timeout value.




include::webmvc-cors.adoc[leveloffset=+1]




[[mvc-web-security]]
== Web Security
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-web-security,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

The http://projects.spring.io/spring-security/[Spring Security] project provides support
for protecting web applications from malicious exploits. Check out the Spring Security
reference documentation including:

* {doc-spring-security}/html5/#mvc[Spring MVC Security]
* {doc-spring-security}/html5/#test-mockmvc[Spring MVC Test Support]
* {doc-spring-security}/html5/#csrf[CSRF protection]
* {doc-spring-security}/html5/#headers[Security Response Headers]

http://hdiv.org/[HDIV] is another web security framework that integrates with Spring MVC.




[[mvc-caching]]
== HTTP Caching

A good HTTP caching strategy can significantly improve the performance of a web application
and the experience of its clients. The `'Cache-Control'` HTTP response header is mostly
responsible for this, along with conditional headers such as `'Last-Modified'` and `'ETag'`.

The `'Cache-Control'` HTTP response header advises private caches (e.g. browsers) and
public caches (e.g. proxies) on how they can cache HTTP responses for further reuse.

An http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_ETag[ETag] (entity tag) is an HTTP response header
returned by an HTTP/1.1 compliant web server used to determine change in content at a
given URL. It can be considered to be the more sophisticated successor to the
`Last-Modified` header. When a server returns a representation with an ETag header, the
client can use this header in subsequent GETs, in an `If-None-Match` header. If the
content has not changed, the server returns `304: Not Modified`.

This section describes the different choices available to configure HTTP caching in a
Spring Web MVC application.



[[mvc-caching-cachecontrol]]
=== Cache-Control

Spring Web MVC supports many use cases and ways to configure "Cache-Control" headers for
an application. While https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7234#section-5.2.2[RFC 7234 Section 5.2.2]
completely describes that header and its possible directives, there are several ways to
address the most common cases.

Spring Web MVC uses a configuration convention in several of its APIs:
`setCachePeriod(int seconds)`:

* A `-1` value won't generate a `'Cache-Control'` response header.
* A `0` value will prevent caching using the `'Cache-Control: no-store'` directive.
* An `n > 0` value will cache the given response for `n` seconds using the
`'Cache-Control: max-age=n'` directive.

The {api-spring-framework}/http/CacheControl.html[`CacheControl`] builder
class simply describes the available "Cache-Control" directives and makes it easier to
build your own HTTP caching strategy. Once built, a `CacheControl` instance can then be
accepted as an argument in several Spring Web MVC APIs.


[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	// Cache for an hour - "Cache-Control: max-age=3600"
	CacheControl ccCacheOneHour = CacheControl.maxAge(1, TimeUnit.HOURS);

	// Prevent caching - "Cache-Control: no-store"
	CacheControl ccNoStore = CacheControl.noStore();

	// Cache for ten days in public and private caches,
	// public caches should not transform the response
	// "Cache-Control: max-age=864000, public, no-transform"
	CacheControl ccCustom = CacheControl.maxAge(10, TimeUnit.DAYS)
										.noTransform().cachePublic();
----



[[mvc-caching-static-resources]]
=== Static resources

Static resources should be served with appropriate `'Cache-Control'` and conditional
headers for optimal performance.
<<mvc-config-static-resources,Configuring a `ResourceHttpRequestHandler`>> for serving
static resources not only natively writes `'Last-Modified'` headers by reading a file's
metadata, but also `'Cache-Control'` headers if properly configured.

You can set the `cachePeriod` attribute on a `ResourceHttpRequestHandler` or use
a `CacheControl` instance, which supports more specific directives:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		@Override
		public void addResourceHandlers(ResourceHandlerRegistry registry) {
			registry.addResourceHandler("/resources/**")
					.addResourceLocations("/public-resources/")
					.setCacheControl(CacheControl.maxAge(1, TimeUnit.HOURS).cachePublic());
		}

	}
----

And in XML:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim"]
----
	<mvc:resources mapping="/resources/**" location="/public-resources/">
		<mvc:cache-control max-age="3600" cache-public="true"/>
	</mvc:resources>
----



[[mvc-caching-etag-lastmodified]]
=== @Controller caching

Controllers can support `'Cache-Control'`, `'ETag'`, and/or `'If-Modified-Since'` HTTP requests;
this is indeed recommended if a `'Cache-Control'` header is to be set on the response.
This involves calculating a lastModified `long` and/or an Etag value for a given request,
comparing it against the `'If-Modified-Since'` request header value, and potentially returning
a response with status code 304 (Not Modified).

As described in <<mvc-ann-httpentity>>, controllers can interact with the request/response using
`HttpEntity` types. Controllers returning `ResponseEntity` can include HTTP caching information
in responses like this:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@GetMapping("/book/{id}")
	public ResponseEntity<Book> showBook(@PathVariable Long id) {

		Book book = findBook(id);
		String version = book.getVersion();

		return ResponseEntity
					.ok()
					.cacheControl(CacheControl.maxAge(30, TimeUnit.DAYS))
					.eTag(version) // lastModified is also available
					.body(book);
	}
----

Doing this will not only include `'ETag'` and `'Cache-Control'` headers in the response, it will **also convert the
response to an `HTTP 304 Not Modified` response with an empty body** if the conditional headers sent by the client
match the caching information set by the Controller.

An `@RequestMapping` method may also wish to support the same behavior.
This can be achieved as follows:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@RequestMapping
	public String myHandleMethod(WebRequest webRequest, Model model) {

		long lastModified = // 1. application-specific calculation

		if (request.checkNotModified(lastModified)) {
			// 2. shortcut exit - no further processing necessary
			return null;
		}

		// 3. or otherwise further request processing, actually preparing content
		model.addAttribute(...);
		return "myViewName";
	}
----

There are two key elements here: calling `request.checkNotModified(lastModified)` and
returning `null`. The former sets the appropriate response status and headers
before it returns `true`.
The latter, in combination with the former, causes Spring MVC to do no further
processing of the request.

Note that there are 3 variants for this:

* `request.checkNotModified(lastModified)` compares lastModified with the
`'If-Modified-Since'` or `'If-Unmodified-Since'` request header
* `request.checkNotModified(eTag)` compares eTag with the `'If-None-Match'` request header
* `request.checkNotModified(eTag, lastModified)` does both, meaning that both
conditions should be valid

When receiving conditional `'GET'`/`'HEAD'` requests, `checkNotModified` will check
that the resource has not been modified and if so, it will result in a `HTTP 304 Not Modified`
response. In case of conditional `'POST'`/`'PUT'`/`'DELETE'` requests, `checkNotModified`
will check that the resource has not been modified and if it has been, it will result in a
`HTTP 409 Precondition Failed` response to prevent concurrent modifications.



[[mvc-httpcaching-shallowetag]]
=== ETag Filter

Support for ETags is provided by the Servlet filter `ShallowEtagHeaderFilter`. It is a
plain Servlet Filter, and thus can be used in combination with any web framework. The
`ShallowEtagHeaderFilter` filter creates so-called shallow ETags by caching the content
written to the response and generating an MD5 hash over that to send as an ETag header.
The next time a client sends a request for the same resource, it uses that hash as the
`If-None-Match` value. The filter detects this, lets the request be processed as usual, and
at the end compares the two hashes. If they are equal, a `304` is returned.

Note that this strategy saves network bandwidth but not CPU, as the full response must be
computed for each request. Other strategies at the controller level, described above, can
avoid computation.

This filter has a `writeWeakETag` parameter that configures the filter to write Weak ETags,
like this: `W/"02a2d595e6ed9a0b24f027f2b63b134d6"`, as defined in
https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7232#section-2.3[RFC 7232 Section 2.3].




include::webmvc-view.adoc[leveloffset=+1]




[[mvc-config]]
== MVC Config
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-config,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

The MVC Java config and the MVC XML namespace provide default configuration suitable for most
applications along with a configuration API to customize it.

For more advanced customizations, not available in the configuration API, see
<<mvc-config-advanced-java>> and <<mvc-config-advanced-xml>>.

You do not need to understand the underlying beans created by the MVC Java config and the
MVC namespace but if you want to learn more, see <<mvc-servlet-special-bean-types>> and
<<mvc-servlet-config>>.


[[mvc-config-enable]]
=== Enable MVC Config
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-config-enable,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

In Java config use the `@EnableWebMvc` annotation:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig {
	}
----

In XML use the `<mvc:annotation-driven>` element:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
	<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
		xmlns:mvc="http://www.springframework.org/schema/mvc"
		xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
		xsi:schemaLocation="
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/mvc
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/mvc/spring-mvc.xsd">

		<mvc:annotation-driven/>

	</beans>
----

The above registers a number of Spring MVC
<<mvc-servlet-special-bean-types,infrastructure beans>> also adapting to dependencies
available on the classpath: e.g. payload converters for JSON, XML, etc.



[[mvc-config-customize]]
=== MVC Config API
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-config-customize,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

In Java config implement `WebMvcConfigurer` interface:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		// Implement configuration methods...
	}
----

In XML check attributes and sub-elements of `<mvc:annotation-driven/>`. You can view the
http://schema.spring.io/mvc/spring-mvc.xsd[Spring MVC XML schema] or use the code
completion feature of your IDE to discover what attributes and sub-elements are
available.



[[mvc-config-conversion]]
=== Type conversion
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-config-conversion,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

By default formatters for `Number` and `Date` types are installed, including support for
the `@NumberFormat` and `@DateTimeFormat` annotations. Full support for the Joda Time
formatting library is also installed if Joda Time is present on the classpath.

In Java config, register custom formatters and converters:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		@Override
		public void addFormatters(FormatterRegistry registry) {
			// ...
		}
	}
----

In XML, the same:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
	<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
		xmlns:mvc="http://www.springframework.org/schema/mvc"
		xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
		xsi:schemaLocation="
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/mvc
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/mvc/spring-mvc.xsd">

		<mvc:annotation-driven conversion-service="conversionService"/>

		<bean id="conversionService"
				class="org.springframework.format.support.FormattingConversionServiceFactoryBean">
			<property name="converters">
				<set>
					<bean class="org.example.MyConverter"/>
				</set>
			</property>
			<property name="formatters">
				<set>
					<bean class="org.example.MyFormatter"/>
					<bean class="org.example.MyAnnotationFormatterFactory"/>
				</set>
			</property>
			<property name="formatterRegistrars">
				<set>
					<bean class="org.example.MyFormatterRegistrar"/>
				</set>
			</property>
		</bean>

	</beans>
----

[NOTE]
====
See <<core.adoc#format-FormatterRegistrar-SPI,FormatterRegistrar SPI>>
and the `FormattingConversionServiceFactoryBean` for more information on when to use FormatterRegistrars.
====



[[mvc-config-validation]]
=== Validation
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-config-validation,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

By default if <<core.adoc#validation-beanvalidation-overview,Bean Validation>> is present
on the classpath -- e.g. Hibernate Validator, the `LocalValidatorFactoryBean` is registered
as a global <<core.adoc#validator,Validator>> for use with `@Valid` and `Validated` on
controller method arguments.

In Java config, you can customize the global `Validator` instance:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		@Override
		public Validator getValidator(); {
			// ...
		}
	}
----

In XML, the same:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
	<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
		xmlns:mvc="http://www.springframework.org/schema/mvc"
		xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
		xsi:schemaLocation="
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/mvc
			http://www.springframework.org/schema/mvc/spring-mvc.xsd">

		<mvc:annotation-driven validator="globalValidator"/>

	</beans>
----

Note that you can also register ``Validator``'s locally:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Controller
	public class MyController {

		@InitBinder
		protected void initBinder(WebDataBinder binder) {
			binder.addValidators(new FooValidator());
		}

	}
----

[TIP]
====
If you need to have a `LocalValidatorFactoryBean` injected somewhere, create a bean and
mark it with `@Primary` in order to avoid conflict with the one declared in the MVC config.
====



[[mvc-config-interceptors]]
=== Interceptors

In Java config, register interceptors to apply to incoming requests:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		@Override
		public void addInterceptors(InterceptorRegistry registry) {
			registry.addInterceptor(new LocaleInterceptor());
			registry.addInterceptor(new ThemeInterceptor()).addPathPatterns("/**").excludePathPatterns("/admin/**");
			registry.addInterceptor(new SecurityInterceptor()).addPathPatterns("/secure/*");
		}
	}
----

In XML, the same:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim"]
----
	<mvc:interceptors>
		<bean class="org.springframework.web.servlet.i18n.LocaleChangeInterceptor"/>
		<mvc:interceptor>
			<mvc:mapping path="/**"/>
			<mvc:exclude-mapping path="/admin/**"/>
			<bean class="org.springframework.web.servlet.theme.ThemeChangeInterceptor"/>
		</mvc:interceptor>
		<mvc:interceptor>
			<mvc:mapping path="/secure/*"/>
			<bean class="org.example.SecurityInterceptor"/>
		</mvc:interceptor>
	</mvc:interceptors>
----



[[mvc-config-content-negotiation]]
=== Content Types
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-config-content-negotiation,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

You can configure how Spring MVC determines the requested media types from the request --
e.g. `Accept` header, URL path extension, query parameter, etc.

By default the URL path extension is checked first -- with `json`, `xml`, `rss`, and `atom`
registered as known extensions depending on classpath dependencies, and the "Accept" header
is checked second.

Consider changing those defaults to `Accept` header only and if you must use URL-based
content type resolution consider the query parameter strategy over the path extensions. See
<<mvc-ann-requestmapping-suffix-pattern-match>> and <<mvc-ann-requestmapping-rfd>> for
more details.

In Java config, customize requested content type resolution:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		@Override
		public void configureContentNegotiation(ContentNegotiationConfigurer configurer) {
			configurer.mediaType("json", MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON);
		}
	}
----

In XML, the same:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<mvc:annotation-driven content-negotiation-manager="contentNegotiationManager"/>

	<bean id="contentNegotiationManager" class="org.springframework.web.accept.ContentNegotiationManagerFactoryBean">
		<property name="mediaTypes">
			<value>
				json=application/json
				xml=application/xml
			</value>
		</property>
	</bean>
----



[[mvc-config-message-converters]]
=== Message Converters
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-config-message-codecs,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Customization of `HttpMessageConverter` can be achieved in Java config by overriding
{api-spring-framework}/web/servlet/config/annotation/WebMvcConfigurer.html#configureMessageConverters-java.util.List-[`configureMessageConverters()`]
if you want to replace the default converters created by Spring MVC, or by overriding
{api-spring-framework}/web/servlet/config/annotation/WebMvcConfigurer.html#extendMessageConverters-java.util.List-[`extendMessageConverters()`]
if you just want to customize them or add additional converters to the default ones.

Below is an example that adds Jackson JSON and XML converters with a customized
`ObjectMapper` instead of default ones:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfiguration implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		@Override
		public void configureMessageConverters(List<HttpMessageConverter<?>> converters) {
			Jackson2ObjectMapperBuilder builder = new Jackson2ObjectMapperBuilder()
					.indentOutput(true)
					.dateFormat(new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd"))
					.modulesToInstall(new ParameterNamesModule());
			converters.add(new MappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter(builder.build()));
			converters.add(new MappingJackson2XmlHttpMessageConverter(builder.xml().build()));
		}
	}
----

In this example,
{api-spring-framework}/http/converter/json/Jackson2ObjectMapperBuilder.html[Jackson2ObjectMapperBuilder]
is used to create a common configuration for both `MappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter` and
`MappingJackson2XmlHttpMessageConverter` with indentation enabled, a customized date format
and the registration of
https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-module-parameter-names[jackson-module-parameter-names]
that adds support for accessing parameter names (feature added in Java 8).

This builder customizes Jackson's default properties with the following ones:

. http://fasterxml.github.io/jackson-databind/javadoc/2.6/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/DeserializationFeature.html#FAIL_ON_UNKNOWN_PROPERTIES[`DeserializationFeature.FAIL_ON_UNKNOWN_PROPERTIES`] is disabled.
. http://fasterxml.github.io/jackson-databind/javadoc/2.6/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/MapperFeature.html#DEFAULT_VIEW_INCLUSION[`MapperFeature.DEFAULT_VIEW_INCLUSION`] is disabled.

It also automatically registers the following well-known modules if they are detected on the classpath:

. https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-datatype-jdk7[jackson-datatype-jdk7]: support for Java 7 types like `java.nio.file.Path`.
. https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-datatype-joda[jackson-datatype-joda]: support for Joda-Time types.
. https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-datatype-jsr310[jackson-datatype-jsr310]: support for Java 8 Date & Time API types.
. https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-datatype-jdk8[jackson-datatype-jdk8]: support for other Java 8 types like `Optional`.

[NOTE]
====
Enabling indentation with Jackson XML support requires
http://search.maven.org/#search%7Cgav%7C1%7Cg%3A%22org.codehaus.woodstox%22%20AND%20a%3A%22woodstox-core-asl%22[`woodstox-core-asl`]
dependency in addition to http://search.maven.org/#search%7Cga%7C1%7Ca%3A%22jackson-dataformat-xml%22[`jackson-dataformat-xml`] one.
====

Other interesting Jackson modules are available:

. https://github.com/zalando/jackson-datatype-money[jackson-datatype-money]: support for `javax.money` types (unofficial module)
. https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-datatype-hibernate[jackson-datatype-hibernate]: support for Hibernate specific types and properties (including lazy-loading aspects)

It is also possible to do the same in XML:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<mvc:annotation-driven>
		<mvc:message-converters>
			<bean class="org.springframework.http.converter.json.MappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter">
				<property name="objectMapper" ref="objectMapper"/>
			</bean>
			<bean class="org.springframework.http.converter.xml.MappingJackson2XmlHttpMessageConverter">
				<property name="objectMapper" ref="xmlMapper"/>
			</bean>
		</mvc:message-converters>
	</mvc:annotation-driven>

	<bean id="objectMapper" class="org.springframework.http.converter.json.Jackson2ObjectMapperFactoryBean"
		  p:indentOutput="true"
		  p:simpleDateFormat="yyyy-MM-dd"
		  p:modulesToInstall="com.fasterxml.jackson.module.paramnames.ParameterNamesModule"/>

	<bean id="xmlMapper" parent="objectMapper" p:createXmlMapper="true"/>
----



[[mvc-config-view-controller]]
=== View Controllers

This is a shortcut for defining a `ParameterizableViewController` that immediately
forwards to a view when invoked. Use it in static cases when there is no Java controller
logic to execute before the view generates the response.

An example of forwarding a request for `"/"` to a view called `"home"` in Java:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		@Override
		public void addViewControllers(ViewControllerRegistry registry) {
			registry.addViewController("/").setViewName("home");
		}
	}
----

And the same in XML use the `<mvc:view-controller>` element:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<mvc:view-controller path="/" view-name="home"/>
----



[[mvc-config-view-resolvers]]
=== View Resolvers
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-config-view-resolvers,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

The MVC config simplifies the registration of view resolvers.

The following is a Java config example that configures content negotiation view
resolution using FreeMarker HTML templates and Jackson as a default `View` for
JSON rendering:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		@Override
		public void configureViewResolvers(ViewResolverRegistry registry) {
			registry.enableContentNegotiation(new MappingJackson2JsonView());
			registry.jsp();
		}
	}
----

And the same in XML:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<mvc:view-resolvers>
		<mvc:content-negotiation>
			<mvc:default-views>
				<bean class="org.springframework.web.servlet.view.json.MappingJackson2JsonView"/>
			</mvc:default-views>
		</mvc:content-negotiation>
		<mvc:jsp/>
	</mvc:view-resolvers>
----

Note however that FreeMarker, Tiles, Groovy Markup and script templates also require
configuration of the underlying view technology.

The MVC namespace provides dedicated elements. For example with FreeMarker:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----

	<mvc:view-resolvers>
		<mvc:content-negotiation>
			<mvc:default-views>
				<bean class="org.springframework.web.servlet.view.json.MappingJackson2JsonView"/>
			</mvc:default-views>
		</mvc:content-negotiation>
		<mvc:freemarker cache="false"/>
	</mvc:view-resolvers>

	<mvc:freemarker-configurer>
		<mvc:template-loader-path location="/freemarker"/>
	</mvc:freemarker-configurer>

----

In Java config simply add the respective "Configurer" bean:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		@Override
		public void configureViewResolvers(ViewResolverRegistry registry) {
			registry.enableContentNegotiation(new MappingJackson2JsonView());
			registry.freeMarker().cache(false);
		}

		@Bean
		public FreeMarkerConfigurer freeMarkerConfigurer() {
			FreeMarkerConfigurer configurer = new FreeMarkerConfigurer();
			configurer.setTemplateLoaderPath("/WEB-INF/");
			return configurer;
		}
	}
----



[[mvc-config-static-resources]]
=== Static Resources
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-config-static-resources,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

This option provides a convenient way to serve static resources from a list of
{api-spring-framework}/core/io/Resource.html[Resource]-based locations.

In the example below, given a request that starts with `"/resources"`, the relative path is
used to find and serve static resources relative to "/public" under the web application
root or on the classpath under `"/static"`. The resources are served with a 1-year future
expiration to ensure maximum use of the browser cache and a reduction in HTTP requests
made by the browser. The `Last-Modified` header is also evaluated and if present a `304`
status code is returned.

In Java config:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		@Override
		public void addResourceHandlers(ResourceHandlerRegistry registry) {
			registry.addResourceHandler("/resources/**")
				.addResourceLocations("/public", "classpath:/static/")
				.setCachePeriod(31556926);
		}
	}
----

In XML:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<mvc:resources mapping="/resources/**"
		location="/public, classpath:/static/"
		cache-period="31556926" />
----

See also
<<mvc-caching-static-resources, HTTP caching support for static resources>>.

The resource handler also supports a chain of
{api-spring-framework}/web/servlet/resource/ResourceResolver.html[ResourceResolver]'s and
{api-spring-framework}/web/servlet/resource/ResourceTransformer.html[ResourceResolver]'s.
which can be used to create a toolchain for working with optimized resources.

The `VersionResourceResolver` can be used for versioned resource URLs based on an MD5 hash
computed from the content, a fixed application version, or other. A
`ContentVersionStrategy` (MD5 hash) is a good choice with some notable exceptions such as
JavaScript resources used with a module loader.

For example in Java config;

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		@Override
		public void addResourceHandlers(ResourceHandlerRegistry registry) {
			registry.addResourceHandler("/resources/**")
					.addResourceLocations("/public/")
					.resourceChain(true)
					.addResolver(new VersionResourceResolver().addContentVersionStrategy("/**"));
		}
	}
----

In XML, the same:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim"]
----
<mvc:resources mapping="/resources/**" location="/public/">
	<mvc:resource-chain>
		<mvc:resource-cache/>
		<mvc:resolvers>
			<mvc:version-resolver>
				<mvc:content-version-strategy patterns="/**"/>
			</mvc:version-resolver>
		</mvc:resolvers>
	</mvc:resource-chain>
</mvc:resources>
----

You can use `ResourceUrlProvider` to rewrite URLs and apply the full chain of resolvers and
transformers -- e.g. to insert versions. The MVC config provides a `ResourceUrlProvider`
bean so it can be injected into others. You can also make the rewrite transparent with the
`ResourceUrlEncodingFilter` for Thymeleaf, JSPs, FreeMarker, and others with URL tags that
rely on `HttpServletResponse#encodeURL`.

http://www.webjars.org/documentation[WebJars] is also supported via `WebJarsResourceResolver`
and automatically registered when `"org.webjars:webjars-locator"` is present on the
classpath. The resolver can re-write URLs to include the version of the jar and can also
match to incoming URLs without versions -- e.g. `"/jquery/jquery.min.js"` to
`"/jquery/1.2.0/jquery.min.js"`.



[[mvc-default-servlet-handler]]
=== Default Servlet

This allows for mapping the `DispatcherServlet` to "/" (thus overriding the mapping
of the container's default Servlet), while still allowing static resource requests to be
handled by the container's default Servlet. It configures a
`DefaultServletHttpRequestHandler` with a URL mapping of "/**" and the lowest priority
relative to other URL mappings.

This handler will forward all requests to the default Servlet. Therefore it is important
that it remains last in the order of all other URL `HandlerMappings`. That will be the
case if you use `<mvc:annotation-driven>` or alternatively if you are setting up your
own customized `HandlerMapping` instance be sure to set its `order` property to a value
lower than that of the `DefaultServletHttpRequestHandler`, which is `Integer.MAX_VALUE`.

To enable the feature using the default setup use:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		@Override
		public void configureDefaultServletHandling(DefaultServletHandlerConfigurer configurer) {
			configurer.enable();
		}
	}
----

Or in XML:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<mvc:default-servlet-handler/>
----

The caveat to overriding the "/" Servlet mapping is that the `RequestDispatcher` for the
default Servlet must be retrieved by name rather than by path. The
`DefaultServletHttpRequestHandler` will attempt to auto-detect the default Servlet for
the container at startup time, using a list of known names for most of the major Servlet
containers (including Tomcat, Jetty, GlassFish, JBoss, Resin, WebLogic, and WebSphere).
If the default Servlet has been custom configured with a different name, or if a
different Servlet container is being used where the default Servlet name is unknown,
then the default Servlet's name must be explicitly provided as in the following example:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		@Override
		public void configureDefaultServletHandling(DefaultServletHandlerConfigurer configurer) {
			configurer.enable("myCustomDefaultServlet");
		}

	}
----

Or in XML:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<mvc:default-servlet-handler default-servlet-name="myCustomDefaultServlet"/>
----



[[mvc-config-path-matching]]
=== Path Matching
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-config-path-matching,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

This allows customizing options related to URL matching and treatment of the URL.
For details on the individual options check out the
{api-spring-framework}/web/servlet/config/annotation/PathMatchConfigurer.html[PathMatchConfigurer] API.

Example in Java config:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Configuration
	@EnableWebMvc
	public class WebConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {

		@Override
		public void configurePathMatch(PathMatchConfigurer configurer) {
			configurer
				.setUseSuffixPatternMatch(true)
				.setUseTrailingSlashMatch(false)
				.setUseRegisteredSuffixPatternMatch(true)
				.setPathMatcher(antPathMatcher())
				.setUrlPathHelper(urlPathHelper());
		}

		@Bean
		public UrlPathHelper urlPathHelper() {
			//...
		}

		@Bean
		public PathMatcher antPathMatcher() {
			//...
		}

	}
----

In XML, the same:

[source,xml,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	<mvc:annotation-driven>
		<mvc:path-matching
			suffix-pattern="true"
			trailing-slash="false"
			registered-suffixes-only="true"
			path-helper="pathHelper"
			path-matcher="pathMatcher"/>
	</mvc:annotation-driven>

	<bean id="pathHelper" class="org.example.app.MyPathHelper"/>
	<bean id="pathMatcher" class="org.example.app.MyPathMatcher"/>
----



[[mvc-config-advanced-java]]
=== Advanced Java Config
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-config-advanced-java,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

`@EnableWebMvc` imports `DelegatingWebMvcConfiguration` that (1) provides default Spring
configuration for Spring MVC applications and (2) detects and delegates to
``WebMvcConfigurer``'s to customize that configuration.

For advanced mode, remove `@EnableWebMvc` and extend directly from
`DelegatingWebMvcConfiguration` instead of implementing `WebMvcConfigurer`:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Configuration
	public class WebConfig extends DelegatingWebMvcConfiguration {

		// ...

	}
----

You can keep existing methods in `WebConfig` but you can now also override bean declarations
from the base class and you can still have any number of other ``WebMvcConfigurer``'s on
the classpath.



[[mvc-config-advanced-xml]]
=== Advanced XML Config

The MVC namespace does not have an advanced mode. If you need to customize a property on
a bean that you can't change otherwise, you can use the `BeanPostProcessor` lifecycle
hook of the Spring `ApplicationContext`:

[source,java,indent=0]
[subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@Component
	public class MyPostProcessor implements BeanPostProcessor {

		public Object postProcessBeforeInitialization(Object bean, String name) throws BeansException {
			// ...
		}
	}
----

Note that `MyPostProcessor` needs to be declared as a bean either explicitly in XML or
detected through a `<component scan/>` declaration.




[[mvc-http2]]
== HTTP/2
[.small]#<<web-reactive.adoc#webflux-http2,Same in Spring WebFlux>>#

Servlet 4 containers are required to support HTTP/2 and Spring Framework 5 is compatible
with Servlet API 4. From a programming model perspective there is nothing specific that
applications need to do. However there are considerations related to server configuration.
For more details please check out the
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/wiki/HTTP-2-support[HTTP/2 wiki page].

The Servlet API does expose one construct related to HTTP/2. The
`javax.servlet.http.PushBuilder` can used to proactively push resources to clients and it
is supported as a <<mvc-ann-arguments,method argument>> to `@RequestMapping` methods.
