How does Spring MVC choose which controller method handles a request?

Explains path, HTTP method, parameters, headers, consumed and produced media types, specificity, and ambiguous mappings.

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TL;DR

Spring MVC combines class-level and method-level request mappings, then matches conditions such as path, HTTP method, query parameters, headers, consumed media types, and produced media types. @GetMapping, @PostMapping, and the other shortcuts make the HTTP method explicit. If more than one mapping matches, Spring compares specificity; incompatible duplicates can fail during startup or produce an ambiguous mapping error. A path match alone does not guarantee the method will be selected.

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Request-condition composition, explicit HTTP methods, media constraints, and mapping diagnostics.

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Core answer
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Overview
A handler mapping matches the complete request condition, not only the visible URL path.
Spring MVC combines class-level and method-level request mappings, then matches conditions such as path, HTTP method, query parameters, headers, consumed media types, and produced media types. @GetMapping, @PostMapping, and the other shortcuts make the HTTP method explicit. If more than one mapping matches, Spring compares specificity; incompatible duplicates can fail during startup or produce an ambiguous mapping error. A path match alone does not guarantee the method will be selected.
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Stronger answer
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A 404 usually means no path mapping matched, while 405 means the path is known but the HTTP method is not allowed. A mismatch can produce 415, and a or mismatch can produce 406. I keep shared prefixes at class level and avoid clever overlapping patterns that depend on subtle precedence. Route design should remain readable to clients and operators, not merely resolvable by the framework.

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Details

Matching only on the path in the mental model.
Using unrestricted @RequestMapping for every method.
Creating overlapping routes that depend on accidental specificity.

How does Spring MVC choose which controller method handles a request?

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