What are the key differences between managed beans and CDI beans in JSF, and when would you choose one over the other?

Key Differences Between Managed Beans and CDI Beans in JSF

Managed Beans: Managed beans are part of the older Java EE standard for managing beans in JSF. They are annotated with @ManagedBean annotation and require configuration in the faces-config.xml file.

CDI Beans: CDI (Contexts and Dependency Injection) beans are part of the newer Java EE standard for handling beans in JSF. They are annotated with @Named annotation and do not require manual configuration. CDI beans provide more robust dependency injection capabilities and support advanced features like scoping and qualifiers.

Choosing Between Managed Beans and CDI Beans

When deciding between managed beans and CDI beans in JSF, you should consider the following:

• Legacy Support: If you are working on a legacy application that uses the older @ManagedBean approach, it may be more appropriate to stick with managed beans for consistency.
• Advanced Features: If your application requires advanced dependency injection features, scoping options, or qualifiers, CDI beans are the better choice.
• Future Compatibility: Considering that CDI is the newer and recommended approach, using CDI beans ensures better compatibility with future versions of Java EE and JSF.

Overall, while managed beans are still functional and widely used, CDI beans provide more flexibility and features for modern JSF applications.