Difference Between @Component, @Repository, @Service, and @Controller Annotations in Spring

In Spring framework, @Component, @Repository, @Service, and @Controller are all stereotype annotations used for defining Spring beans. Here are the primary differences:

• @Component: This annotation is used to mark a class as a Spring component. It is a generic stereotype annotation and can be used to define any Spring-managed component.
• @Repository: This annotation is used to indicate that a class is a Data Access Object (DAO) component. It is typically used to define repository classes that encapsulate database operations.
• @Service: This annotation is used to mark a class as a service component in the business logic layer. It is often used to define service classes that contain business logic.
• @Controller: This annotation is used to mark a class as a controller component in the presentation layer. It is used to define classes that handle user requests and return responses.

While all these annotations serve the purpose of marking classes for Spring bean creation, they provide a semantic differentiation based on the role or responsibility of the component within the application architecture.