Spring support for @Controller given by vs

Question

I\'ve been researching what additional capabilities we have when using the mvc:annotation-driven tag and I\'m having a difficult time digesting the results, especially in re

Answer 1

The context:component-scan element lists a package that Spring should scan for @Controller annotations (in the base-package attribute).

the mvc:annotation-driven has no such attribute. This is a convenience element that installs a lot of default MVC elements into the application context. These elements are listed in section 16.14.1 of the Spring framework reference. This element does not appear to scan for @Controller annotations.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no dependancy between these elements. An @Controller without mvc:annotation-driven will function without an issue and handle HTTP requests just fine, as long as you have included context:component-scan with an appropriate base-package attribute.