How to Parse a Quoted String in a JSON Request Body Using Spring Boot 2

How can I parse a request body that contains a quoted string as JSON in Spring Boot 2?

@PostMapping("/example")
public ResponseEntity<String> handleJsonRequest(@RequestBody String jsonString) {
    // Implementation here
}

Parsing a quoted string as JSON in a Spring Boot application requires proper handling of the request body. This involves using appropriate annotations and ensuring that the JSON structure is correctly formatted for the application to interpret it as a valid JSON object rather than a simple string.

import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;

@PostMapping("/parse")
public ResponseEntity<MyDataClass> parseRequest(@RequestBody String jsonString) {
    ObjectMapper objectMapper = new ObjectMapper();
    MyDataClass data = objectMapper.readValue(jsonString, MyDataClass.class);
    return ResponseEntity.ok(data);
}

Causes

• The incoming request body is not being serialized to a Java object.
• Misconfiguration of media types in the request header.
• Incorrect parsing logic in the request mapping method.

Solutions

• Ensure the client sends the right 'Content-Type' header with 'application/json'.
• Use @RequestBody annotation to handle the JSON data effectively.
• Utilize the ObjectMapper class to deserialize the quoted JSON string into a Java object.

Mistake: Not using the correct Content-Type in the request header.

Solution: Make sure your request has 'Content-Type: application/json'.

Mistake: Forgetting to include the @RequestBody annotation.

Solution: Always annotate your method parameter with @RequestBody to correctly read the JSON data.