What Is the Difference Between @EntityScan and @ComponentScan in Spring?

What is the difference between @EntityScan and @ComponentScan in Spring framework?

@Configuration
@EntityScan("some.known.persistence")
@ComponentScan({ "some.known.persistence"})
public class ApiConfig {
}

In the Spring framework, both @EntityScan and @ComponentScan are annotations used to specify packages that Spring should scan for components, but they serve different purposes in the context of the application configuration, particularly regarding persistence and component management.

@Configuration
@EntityScan("com.example.models")
@ComponentScan("com.example.services")
public class AppConfig {
}

Causes

• @EntityScan is specifically designed to identify JPA entity classes by scanning the specified package and its subpackages.
• @ComponentScan is a more general-purpose annotation that searches for Spring components, such as services and controllers, across specified packages.

Solutions

• Use @EntityScan when you want to explicitly identify JPA entities that should be included in the persistence context.
• Use @ComponentScan to include various Spring-managed components like services, repositories, and controllers that are not necessarily JPA entities.

Mistake: Assuming @ComponentScan handles entity management without @EntityScan.

Solution: Always use @EntityScan for JPA entities to ensure they are properly recognized by the Spring context.

Mistake: Not specifying the right package in @EntityScan leading to entity resolution issues.

Solution: Ensure the correct package containing your entity classes is specified in @EntityScan.