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Spring Boot 4 Complete Guide · Lesson

Handling HTTP Requests & Responses

Learn to process request parameters, path variables, request bodies, and craft appropriate HTTP responses.

Handling HTTP Requests & Responses is a free Spring Boot 4 Complete Guide lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 2 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Spring Boot 4 Complete Guide learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

Requests & Responses

When you interact with a web application, your browser sends an HTTP Request to a server. The server then processes it and sends back an HTTP Response.

In Spring Boot, we write code to listen for these requests, extract information, perform actions, and then craft a suitable response.

Getting Query Params: @RequestParam

Sometimes, extra data is sent in the URL after a ?, like /search?keyword=java. These are query parameters.

Spring Boot uses the @RequestParam annotation to easily extract these values into your method parameters.

Live Demo: @RequestParam

Try running this example. After the app starts, open your browser or a tool like Postman and visit http://localhost:8080/hello?name=Coddy. See what happens!

import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestParam;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;

@SpringBootApplication
@RestController
public class Main {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    SpringApplication.run(Main.class, args);
  }

  @GetMapping("/hello")
  public String sayHello(
      @RequestParam(defaultValue = "Guest") String name) {
    return "Hello, " + name + "!";
  }
}

Extracting from Path: @PathVariable

Other times, important data is part of the URL path itself, like /users/123. Here, 123 is an ID.

The @PathVariable annotation lets you capture these dynamic segments from the URL directly into your method parameters.

Live Demo: @PathVariable

Run this app, then visit http://localhost:8080/items/apple or http://localhost:8080/items/banana in your browser.

import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.PathVariable;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;

@SpringBootApplication
@RestController
public class Main {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    SpringApplication.run(Main.class, args);
  }

  @GetMapping("/items/{itemName}")
  public String getItemDetails(@PathVariable String itemName) {
    return "You requested item: " + itemName;
  }
}

Query vs. Path: When to Use?

  • @RequestParam: Use for optional filtering, sorting, or pagination (e.g., /products?category=books&page=1).
  • @PathVariable: Use for identifying a specific resource (e.g., /users/{id}, /products/{sku}). It's essential for the resource's identity.

Handling Data Payloads: @RequestBody

For operations like creating or updating resources (POST, PUT requests), clients often send complex data (like JSON or XML) in the request body.

The @RequestBody annotation automatically converts this body content into a Java object for you, thanks to Spring's built-in message converters.

Live Demo: @RequestBody

Run this. Use a tool like Postman to send a POST request to http://localhost:8080/users with a JSON body:

{"id":1, "name":"Coddy"}

import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.PostMapping;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestBody;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;

@SpringBootApplication
@RestController
public class Main {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    SpringApplication.run(Main.class, args);
  }

  // Define a simple User class
  public static class User {
    private Long id;
    private String name;

    // Getters and setters for JSON mapping
    public Long getId() { return id; }
    public void setId(Long id) { this.id = id; }
    public String getName() { return name; }
    public void setName(String name) { this.name = name; }
  }

  @PostMapping("/users")
  public String createUser(@RequestBody User user) {
    return "User created: ID=" + user.getId() +
           ", Name=" + user.getName();
  }
}

Custom Responses: ResponseEntity

By default, Spring often returns a String or a Java object, which Spring converts to JSON/XML with a 200 OK status.

For more control, especially over HTTP status codes (like 201 Created, 404 Not Found), use ResponseEntity. It lets you specify the body, status, and headers explicitly.

Quick Check: Request Handling

Consider a Spring Boot REST endpoint designed to fetch a user by their unique ID, like /api/users/5. Which annotation is best suited to extract the 5 from the URL?

Lesson Summary

We've covered how Spring Boot makes handling HTTP requests easy:

  • @RequestParam for query parameters (optional data).
  • @PathVariable for path variables (resource identifiers).
  • @RequestBody for deserializing request body content into Java objects.
  • ResponseEntity for fine-grained control over HTTP responses, including status codes.

Mastering these annotations is key to building robust RESTful APIs!

Frequently asked questions

Is the “Handling HTTP Requests & Responses” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Handling HTTP Requests & Responses” is free to read here on the web, and the Spring Boot 4 Complete Guide course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Spring Boot 4 Complete Guide course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “Handling HTTP Requests & Responses”?

Learn to process request parameters, path variables, request bodies, and craft appropriate HTTP responses. You practise Spring Boot 4 Complete Guide with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start Spring Boot 4 Complete Guide?

No prior experience is required. Spring Boot 4 Complete Guide on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 2 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “Handling HTTP Requests & Responses” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this Spring Boot 4 Complete Guide lesson?

Yes. Every Spring Boot 4 Complete Guide lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

All lessons in this course

  1. Creating REST Controllers
  2. Handling HTTP Requests & Responses
  3. Input Validation & Error Handling
  4. Documenting REST APIs with OpenAPI and Swagger
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