Package org.springframework.stereotype

Annotations denoting the roles of types or methods in the overall architecture (at a conceptual, rather than implementation, level).

See:
Description

Annotation Types Summary

Component	Indicates that an annotated class is a "component".
Controller	Indicates that an annotated class is a "Controller" (e.g.
Repository	Indicates that an annotated class is a "Repository", originally defined by Domain-Driven Design (Evans, 2003) as "a mechanism for encapsulating storage, retrieval, and search behavior which emulates a collection of objects".
Service	Indicates that an annotated class is a "Service", originally defined by Domain-Driven Design (Evans, 2003) as "an operation offered as an interface that stands alone in the model, with no encapsulated state."

Package org.springframework.stereotype Description

Annotations denoting the roles of types or methods in the overall architecture (at a conceptual, rather than implementation, level).

Intended for use by tools and aspects (making an ideal target for pointcuts).