Explain what is meant by inversion of control in the context of using Spring Framework.

Inversion of Control (IoC) in the Spring Framework is a principle where the creation and binding of objects are delegated to the Spring container, rather than being implemented directly in the code.

Instead of the class creating its dependencies itself, Spring injects the necessary objects, managing their lifecycle. This enhances the modularity, testability, and flexibility of the application.

Example:

@Component
public class Service {
    private final Repository repository;

    @Autowired
    public Service(Repository repository) {
        this.repository = repository;
    }
}

Here, Service does not create Repository itself — Spring injects the required instance via the constructor. The Spring container manages the creation and binding of components, implementing IoC.