What is the difference between the annotations @RequestMapping and @PutMapping in Spring?

@RequestMapping is a more general annotation for mapping HTTP requests to handler methods. It can be used with various HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.) or without specifying a method, in which case it will handle all methods.

@PutMapping is a specific annotation that is a synonym for @RequestMapping(method = RequestMethod.PUT). It is specifically designed for mapping HTTP PUT requests.

Main differences:

• Scope of application: @RequestMapping is universal, @PutMapping is specialized for PUT.
• Conciseness: @PutMapping makes the code more readable and clear by explicitly indicating handling of PUT requests.
• Equivalence: @PutMapping("/resource") is equivalent to @RequestMapping(value = "/resource", method = RequestMethod.PUT).

Using @PutMapping is preferable for PUT requests as it improves code readability and clarity, following the RESTful API principle.