Can you explain the differences between the annotations @Controller and @Component in Spring, and their purpose?

In Spring, @Component is a generic annotation used to denote a class as a component that will be managed by the Spring container (IoC). It is used for automatic detection and registration of beans.

@Controller is a specialized annotation that extends @Component and indicates that the class is intended to handle HTTP requests in an MVC application. Classes with @Controller typically contain methods with annotations like @RequestMapping for routing.

Thus:

• @Component is a general stereotype for components.
• @Controller is a specialized component for web controllers.

Example:

@Component
public class MyService {
    // business logic
}

@Controller
public class MyController {
    @RequestMapping("/hello")
    public String sayHello() {
        return "hello";
    }
}