For the latest stable version, please use Spring Framework 6.2.0!

Meta-Annotation Support for Testing

You can use most test-related annotations as meta-annotations to create custom composed annotations and reduce configuration duplication across a test suite.

You can use each of the following as a meta-annotation in conjunction with the TestContext framework.

  • @BootstrapWith

  • @ContextConfiguration

  • @ContextHierarchy

  • @ActiveProfiles

  • @TestPropertySource

  • @DirtiesContext

  • @WebAppConfiguration

  • @TestExecutionListeners

  • @Transactional

  • @BeforeTransaction

  • @AfterTransaction

  • @Commit

  • @Rollback

  • @Sql

  • @SqlConfig

  • @SqlMergeMode

  • @SqlGroup

  • @Repeat (only supported on JUnit 4)

  • @Timed (only supported on JUnit 4)

  • @IfProfileValue (only supported on JUnit 4)

  • @ProfileValueSourceConfiguration (only supported on JUnit 4)

  • @SpringJUnitConfig (only supported on JUnit Jupiter)

  • @SpringJUnitWebConfig (only supported on JUnit Jupiter)

  • @TestConstructor (only supported on JUnit Jupiter)

  • @NestedTestConfiguration (only supported on JUnit Jupiter)

  • @EnabledIf (only supported on JUnit Jupiter)

  • @DisabledIf (only supported on JUnit Jupiter)

Consider the following example:

  • Java

  • Kotlin

@RunWith(SpringRunner.class)
@ContextConfiguration({"/app-config.xml", "/test-data-access-config.xml"})
@ActiveProfiles("dev")
@Transactional
public class OrderRepositoryTests { }

@RunWith(SpringRunner.class)
@ContextConfiguration({"/app-config.xml", "/test-data-access-config.xml"})
@ActiveProfiles("dev")
@Transactional
public class UserRepositoryTests { }
@RunWith(SpringRunner::class)
@ContextConfiguration("/app-config.xml", "/test-data-access-config.xml")
@ActiveProfiles("dev")
@Transactional
class OrderRepositoryTests { }

@RunWith(SpringRunner::class)
@ContextConfiguration("/app-config.xml", "/test-data-access-config.xml")
@ActiveProfiles("dev")
@Transactional
class UserRepositoryTests { }

If we discover that we are repeating the preceding configuration across our JUnit 4-based test suite, we can reduce the duplication by introducing a custom composed annotation that centralizes the common test configuration for Spring, as follows:

  • Java

  • Kotlin

@Target(ElementType.TYPE)
@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
@ContextConfiguration({"/app-config.xml", "/test-data-access-config.xml"})
@ActiveProfiles("dev")
@Transactional
public @interface TransactionalDevTestConfig { }
@Target(AnnotationTarget.TYPE)
@Retention(AnnotationRetention.RUNTIME)
@ContextConfiguration("/app-config.xml", "/test-data-access-config.xml")
@ActiveProfiles("dev")
@Transactional
annotation class TransactionalDevTestConfig { }

Then we can use our custom @TransactionalDevTestConfig annotation to simplify the configuration of individual JUnit 4 based test classes, as follows:

  • Java

  • Kotlin

@RunWith(SpringRunner.class)
@TransactionalDevTestConfig
public class OrderRepositoryTests { }

@RunWith(SpringRunner.class)
@TransactionalDevTestConfig
public class UserRepositoryTests { }
@RunWith(SpringRunner::class)
@TransactionalDevTestConfig
class OrderRepositoryTests

@RunWith(SpringRunner::class)
@TransactionalDevTestConfig
class UserRepositoryTests

If we write tests that use JUnit Jupiter, we can reduce code duplication even further, since annotations in JUnit 5 can also be used as meta-annotations. Consider the following example:

  • Java

  • Kotlin

@ExtendWith(SpringExtension.class)
@ContextConfiguration({"/app-config.xml", "/test-data-access-config.xml"})
@ActiveProfiles("dev")
@Transactional
class OrderRepositoryTests { }

@ExtendWith(SpringExtension.class)
@ContextConfiguration({"/app-config.xml", "/test-data-access-config.xml"})
@ActiveProfiles("dev")
@Transactional
class UserRepositoryTests { }
@ExtendWith(SpringExtension::class)
@ContextConfiguration("/app-config.xml", "/test-data-access-config.xml")
@ActiveProfiles("dev")
@Transactional
class OrderRepositoryTests { }

@ExtendWith(SpringExtension::class)
@ContextConfiguration("/app-config.xml", "/test-data-access-config.xml")
@ActiveProfiles("dev")
@Transactional
class UserRepositoryTests { }

If we discover that we are repeating the preceding configuration across our JUnit Jupiter-based test suite, we can reduce the duplication by introducing a custom composed annotation that centralizes the common test configuration for Spring and JUnit Jupiter, as follows:

  • Java

  • Kotlin

@Target(ElementType.TYPE)
@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
@ExtendWith(SpringExtension.class)
@ContextConfiguration({"/app-config.xml", "/test-data-access-config.xml"})
@ActiveProfiles("dev")
@Transactional
public @interface TransactionalDevTestConfig { }
@Target(AnnotationTarget.TYPE)
@Retention(AnnotationRetention.RUNTIME)
@ExtendWith(SpringExtension::class)
@ContextConfiguration("/app-config.xml", "/test-data-access-config.xml")
@ActiveProfiles("dev")
@Transactional
annotation class TransactionalDevTestConfig { }

Then we can use our custom @TransactionalDevTestConfig annotation to simplify the configuration of individual JUnit Jupiter based test classes, as follows:

  • Java

  • Kotlin

@TransactionalDevTestConfig
class OrderRepositoryTests { }

@TransactionalDevTestConfig
class UserRepositoryTests { }
@TransactionalDevTestConfig
class OrderRepositoryTests { }

@TransactionalDevTestConfig
class UserRepositoryTests { }

Since JUnit Jupiter supports the use of @Test, @RepeatedTest, ParameterizedTest, and others as meta-annotations, you can also create custom composed annotations at the test method level. For example, if we wish to create a composed annotation that combines the @Test and @Tag annotations from JUnit Jupiter with the @Transactional annotation from Spring, we could create an @TransactionalIntegrationTest annotation, as follows:

  • Java

  • Kotlin

@Target(ElementType.METHOD)
@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
@Transactional
@Tag("integration-test") // org.junit.jupiter.api.Tag
@Test // org.junit.jupiter.api.Test
public @interface TransactionalIntegrationTest { }
@Target(AnnotationTarget.TYPE)
@Retention(AnnotationRetention.RUNTIME)
@Transactional
@Tag("integration-test") // org.junit.jupiter.api.Tag
@Test // org.junit.jupiter.api.Test
annotation class TransactionalIntegrationTest { }

Then we can use our custom @TransactionalIntegrationTest annotation to simplify the configuration of individual JUnit Jupiter based test methods, as follows:

  • Java

  • Kotlin

@TransactionalIntegrationTest
void saveOrder() { }

@TransactionalIntegrationTest
void deleteOrder() { }
@TransactionalIntegrationTest
fun saveOrder() { }

@TransactionalIntegrationTest
fun deleteOrder() { }

For further details, see the Spring Annotation Programming Model wiki page.