- Are
applicationContext.xml
andspring-servlet.xml
related anyhow in Spring Framework? - Will the properties files declared in
applicationContext.xml
be available toDispatcherServlet
? - On a related note, why do I need a
*-servlet.xml
at all? Why isapplicationContext.xml
alone insufficient?
Java – Difference between applicationContext.xml and spring-servlet.xml in Spring Framework
javaspring
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Best Answer
Spring lets you define multiple contexts in a parent-child hierarchy.
The
applicationContext.xml
defines the beans for the "root webapp context", i.e. the context associated with the webapp.The
spring-servlet.xml
(or whatever else you call it) defines the beans for one servlet's app context. There can be many of these in a webapp, one per Spring servlet (e.g.spring1-servlet.xml
for servletspring1
,spring2-servlet.xml
for servletspring2
).Beans in
spring-servlet.xml
can reference beans inapplicationContext.xml
, but not vice versa.All Spring MVC controllers must go in the
spring-servlet.xml
context.In most simple cases, the
applicationContext.xml
context is unnecessary. It is generally used to contain beans that are shared between all servlets in a webapp. If you only have one servlet, then there's not really much point, unless you have a specific use for it.