FactoryBean
is an interface in Spring Framework that serves as a factory for creating bean instances. It allows you to define custom logic for creating and configuring objects that can be managed by the Spring container.
Here's a brief overview of FactoryBean
:
-
Definition:
FactoryBean
is an interface with a single methodgetObject()
, which is responsible for creating and returning an instance of the target object. -
Customization: Implementing the
FactoryBean
interface allows you to define custom logic for creating and configuring bean instances. This can be useful when the creation logic of a bean is complex or requires additional customization. -
Type Safety: The
FactoryBean
interface is parameterized with the type of object it produces. This provides type safety when using the factory bean to obtain instances of the target object. -
Lifecycle Management:
FactoryBean
implementations can also implement other Spring lifecycle interfaces likeInitializingBean
andDisposableBean
, allowing you to perform initialization and cleanup logic. -
Example: Here's a simple example of a
FactoryBean
implementation:
import org.springframework.beans.factory.FactoryBean;
public class MyBeanFactory implements FactoryBean<MyBean> {
@Override
public MyBean getObject() throws Exception {
// Custom logic to create and configure MyBean instance
MyBean myBean = new MyBean();
myBean.setProperty("value");
return myBean;
}
@Override
public Class<?> getObjectType() {
return MyBean.class;
}
@Override
public boolean isSingleton() {
return true;
}
}
In this example, MyBeanFactory
implements the FactoryBean<MyBean>
interface and provides custom logic in the getObject()
method to create and configure a MyBean
instance. The getObjectType()
method returns the type of object produced by the factory, and the isSingleton()
method indicates whether the factory produces singleton or prototype objects.
Overall, FactoryBean
provides a flexible mechanism for creating and configuring bean instances in a Spring application context. It is commonly used when you need to customize the creation process of beans beyond what is possible with traditional bean definitions.