1: Hibernate (30 Questions)
Basics
1. What is Hibernate?
→ ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) tool that maps Java objects to database
tables.
2. What are the advantages of Hibernate over JDBC?
→ Less boilerplate code, automatic SQL generation, caching(every time hit is not
Required), lazy loading(store data when required), portability(database
independent).
3. Explain ORM.
→ Technique to map Java objects (classes) to database tables.
4. What is the difference between Hibernate and JPA?
→ JPA is a specification; Hibernate is an implementation.
5. What is the Hibernate configuration file?
→ [Link] or [Link] contains DB connection + Hibernate
settings.
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Core Concepts
6. What is SessionFactory in Hibernate?
→ Heavy weight object that provides Session instances; created once per
application.
7. What is Session in Hibernate?
→ Lightweight object representing a single unit of work with DB.
8. Explain the difference between Session and SessionFactory.
→ SessionFactory is created once; Session is created per request/transaction.
9. What are Hibernate mappings?
→ Ways to map Java classes to DB tables (@Entity, @Table, @Column).
10. What is lazy loading in Hibernate?
→ Fetches data only when needed, not immediately.
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Annotations & Relationships
11. What are the common Hibernate annotations?
→ @Entity, @Table, @Id, @GeneratedValue, @OneToMany, @ManyToOne, etc.
12. Explain @OneToMany vs @ManyToOne.
→ @OneToMany: One entity linked to many others.
@ManyToOne: Many entities linked to one parent.
13. What is @JoinColumn?
→ Defines the foreign key column.
14. What is @Embeddable and @Embedded?
→ Used for composite fields (value objects inside entities).
15. What is cascade in Hibernate?
→ Defines how operations (persist, delete, merge) are propagated to child
entities.
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Transactions & Querying
16. How does Hibernate handle transactions?
→ Using Transaction API or declarative Spring-managed transactions.
17. What is HQL?
→ Hibernate Query Language, object-oriented query language similar to SQL.
18. Difference between HQL and SQL?
→ HQL works with entity objects, SQL works with DB tables.
19. What is Criteria API in Hibernate?
→ Type-safe, programmatic way to create queries.
20. How do you write a named query in Hibernate?
→ Using @NamedQuery annotation or [Link].
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Performance & Caching
21. What is caching in Hibernate?
→ Storing frequently used data in memory to reduce DB hits.
22. Types of caching in Hibernate?
→ First-level (Session), Second-level (SessionFactory), Query cache.
23. What is difference between first-level and second-level cache?
→ First-level is session-scoped; second-level is application-wide.
24. Explain dirty checking in Hibernate.
→ Automatically detects changes in entity objects and updates DB.
25. What is n+1 query problem in Hibernate?
→ Excessive DB queries due to lazy loading. Solved by fetch join.
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Advanced
26. How does Hibernate manage primary keys?
→ @GeneratedValue(strategy = [Link]/IDENTITY/SEQUENCE/TABLE)
27. What is optimistic vs pessimistic locking?
→ Optimistic: Multiple users can read, conflicts resolved at update.
Pessimistic: Locks row immediately when reading.
28. What is the difference between merge() and update()?
→ update(): Reattaches a detached entity.
merge(): Copies values from detached to persistent.
29. What are transient, persistent, and detached states?
→ Transient: Not in DB.
Persistent: Associated with session.
Detached: Previously persistent but session closed.
30. How to improve Hibernate performance?
→ Use caching, batch fetching, proper fetch strategies, indexes.
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2: Spring Framework (30 Questions)
Basics
1. What is Spring Framework?
→ Lightweight, modular Java framework for enterprise applications.
2. What are the core features of Spring?
→ IoC, AOP, MVC, Transaction management, Data Access.
3. What is Dependency Injection (DI)?
→ Process of injecting dependencies into objects instead of hardcoding.
4. Explain Inversion of Control (IoC).
→ Delegating object creation to the Spring container.
5. What are the advantages of Spring?
→ Loose coupling, modularity, testability, integration.
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IoC & Beans
6. What is ApplicationContext in Spring?
→ Central interface for configuring Spring app (bean factory + more features).
7. What is a Spring Bean?
→ Object managed by Spring IoC container.
8. Different scopes of Spring Beans?
→ Singleton, Prototype, Request, Session, Application.
9. How are beans defined in Spring?
→ XML, annotations (@Component, @Bean), or Java config.
10. What is @Autowired?
→ Annotation for automatic dependency injection.
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AOP (Aspect-Oriented Programming)
11. What is AOP in Spring?
→ Allows separation of cross-cutting concerns like logging, security.
12. What are AOP concepts?
→ Aspect, JoinPoint, Advice, Pointcut, Weaving.
13. Difference between @Component, @Service, @Repository, @Controller?
→ All are stereotypes, but each has a semantic meaning for layered
architecture.
14. What is @Qualifier in Spring?
→ Used to resolve ambiguity when multiple beans of same type exist.
15. What is @Primary in Spring?
→ Marks a bean as the default choice when multiple beans match.
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Transactions & Data
16. What is Spring Transaction Management?
→ Declarative or programmatic management of transactions.
17. What is @Transactional?
→ Declares a method/class should run inside a transaction.
18. Difference between programmatic and declarative transaction management?
→ Programmatic: Explicit code.
Declarative: Using annotations/XML.
19. What is JdbcTemplate?
→ Utility class for simplifying JDBC operations.
20. Difference between checked and unchecked exceptions in Spring transactions?
→ Checked exceptions → rollback must be specified.
Unchecked exceptions → rollback by default.
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Spring MVC
21. What is DispatcherServlet in Spring MVC?
→ Front controller that handles all HTTP requests.
22. Explain Model, View, Controller in Spring MVC.
→ Model: Data, View: UI, Controller: Handles logic/requests.
23. What is @RequestMapping?
→ Maps URLs to controller methods.
24. Difference between @Controller and @RestController?
→ @Controller returns view, @RestController returns JSON/XML.
25. What is HandlerInterceptor in Spring MVC?
→ Intercepts requests for logging, authentication, etc.
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Advanced
26. What are Spring profiles?
→ Used to group beans/configs for different environments (dev, prod).
27. What is Spring Security?
→ Provides authentication, authorization, CSRF, etc.
28. Difference between Spring and Spring Boot?
→ Spring Boot simplifies setup with auto-config, embedded servers, starters.
29. What is Spring Data JPA?
→ Abstraction layer over JPA for easy CRUD repository management.
30. What is the role of ApplicationContextAware?
→ Gives access to ApplicationContext inside a bean.
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3: Spring Boot (30 Questions)
Basics
1. What is Spring Boot?
→ Extension of Spring framework to simplify configuration and deployment.
2. Advantages of Spring Boot?
→ Auto-configuration, embedded server, starters, Actuator, reduced boilerplate.
3. What are Spring Boot starters?
→ Predefined dependencies (e.g., spring-boot-starter-web, spring-boot-starter-
data-jpa).
4. What is Spring Boot auto-configuration?
→ Automatically configures beans based on classpath and settings.
5. What are Spring Boot properties files?
→ [Link] / [Link] for configuration.
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REST & Web
6. How do you create a REST API in Spring Boot?
→ Use @RestController, @RequestMapping.
7. What is @PathVariable vs @RequestParam?
→ @PathVariable: of URL, @RequestParam: query parameter.
8. What is ResponseEntity?
→ Represents HTTP response (status, headers, body).
9. What is @CrossOrigin in Spring Boot?
→ Enables CORS for APIs.
10. Difference between GET, POST, PUT, DELETE in REST?
→ CRUD mapping: GET=Read, POST=Create, PUT=Update, DELETE=Delete.
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Data & JPA
11. What is CrudRepository in Spring Boot?
→ Interface with CRUD methods for entities.
12. Difference between CrudRepository, JpaRepository, PagingAndSortingRepository?
→ JpaRepository adds pagination, batch methods.
13. How does Spring Boot connect to DB?
→ Auto-config using [Link], [Link].
14. What is @Entity in Spring Boot?
→ Marks a class as a JPA entity.
15. How does Spring Boot handle transactions?
→ With @Transactional.
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Security & Actuator
16. What is Spring Boot Actuator?
→ Provides endpoints for monitoring (health, metrics, info).
17. What is Spring Boot DevTools?
→ Automatic restart and live reload for development.
18. What is Spring Security in Boot?
→ Provides authentication and authorization support.
19. How to secure a REST API in Boot?
→ Using Spring Security, JWT, or OAuth2.
20. What is JWT and how does Boot support it?
→ JSON Web Token for stateless authentication.
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Deployment & Advanced
21. How does Spring Boot run without a [Link]?
→ Uses embedded Tomcat/Jetty server.
22. How do you change the default server port in Spring Boot?
→ [Link]=8081 in [Link].
23. What is difference between WAR and JAR deployment in Spring Boot?
→ JAR = standalone, WAR = deployable to external server.
24. How do you handle exceptions in Spring Boot?
→ @ControllerAdvice + @ExceptionHandler.
25. What are Spring Boot profiles?
→ Environment-specific configurations ([Link], application-
[Link]).
26. How do you schedule tasks in Spring Boot?
→ Using @EnableScheduling + @Scheduled.
27. How do you use externalized configuration in Boot?
→ Use [Link] or @Value.
28. What is Spring Boot CLI?
→ Command-line tool to quickly bootstrap Boot apps.
29. What is Spring Cloud in relation to Boot?
→ For microservices (config server, service discovery, load balancing).
30. How do you monitor Spring Boot applications?
→ Using Actuator + Micrometer + Prometheus/Grafana.
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