This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Ashifur nahid
If you’ve ever duplicated the same logging, validation, or security code across multiple services, congratulations — you’ve met cross-cutting concerns. AOP solves this problem beautifully. Instead of scattering boilerplate everywhere, you write the logic once and let Spring weave it into your application automatically. This article will show you how AOP actually works, when to use it, and how it can make your codebase dramatically cleaner.
Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) is a programming technique used to separate cross-cutting concerns from the main logic of an application. In simpler terms, it's a way to add extra functionality to certain parts of your code without changing the core logic.
What is a "Cross-Cutting Concern"?
Cross-cutting concerns are tasks that are needed across many parts of an application but are not the main business logic. Common examples include:
Logging: Tracking actions taken by the system, like logging method calls.
Security: Checking if a user has the right permissions.
Transaction Management: Ensuring data consistency in database operations.
Error Handling: Managing exceptions across the application.
Let’s look at a practical scenario where AOP eliminates boilerplate and keeps our code clean and focused.
Imagine you need to add logging to 50 methods across your application:
public void transferMoney(Account from, Account to, BigDecimal amount) {
logger.info("Starting transfer"); // Repeated in every method
from.debit(amount);
to.credit(amount);
logger.info("Transfer completed"); // Repeated in every method
}
public void createUser(User user) {
logger.info("Starting user creation"); // Repeated again!
userRepository.save(user);
logger.info("User created"); // Repeated again!
}
We can do the same this with AOP :
// Just write your business logic
public void transferMoney(Account from, Account to, BigDecimal amount) {
from.debit(amount);
to.credit(amount);
}
public void createUser(User user) {
userRepository.save(user);
}
// AOP automatically adds logging to ALL service methods
@Aspect
@Component
public class LoggingAspect {
@Around("execution(* com.example.service.*.*(..))")
public Object addLogging(ProceedingJoinPoint joinPoint) throws Throwable {
System.out.println("Starting: " + joinPoint.getSignature().getName());
Object result = joinPoint.proceed();
System.out.println("Completed: " + joinPoint.getSignature().getName());
return result;
}
}
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Ashifur nahid
Ashifur nahid | Sciencx (2025-11-22T13:11:09+00:00) A Beginner’s Guide to Aspect-Oriented Programming in Spring. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/11/22/a-beginners-guide-to-aspect-oriented-programming-in-spring-2/
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