Bean Scopes
Singleton, prototype, request, and session scopes.
Bean Scopes is a free Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 3 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 Microservices & REST APIs learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.
What a Scope Controls
A bean’s scope determines how many instances the container creates and how long each lives. The default and most common scope is singleton.
Choosing the right scope matters for state, memory, and thread safety.
Singleton Scope
With singleton scope, the container creates exactly one instance per ApplicationContext and returns it for every injection point. This is ideal for stateless services.
@Service // singleton by default
public class PricingService {
public BigDecimal price(Order o) { /* stateless */ }
}Singletons Must Be Thread-Safe
Because one singleton serves all concurrent requests, it must not hold mutable per-request state in fields. Keep singletons stateless, or guard shared state carefully.
- Good: read-only config, injected collaborators
- Bad: a mutable field updated per request
Prototype Scope
Prototype scope creates a new instance every time the bean is requested or injected. Use it for stateful, short-lived helpers that should not be shared.
@Component
@Scope("prototype")
public class ReportBuilder {
private final List<String> rows = new ArrayList<>();
public void addRow(String r) { rows.add(r); }
}The Prototype-in-Singleton Trap
If you inject a prototype into a singleton via the constructor, you get one instance, captured once — not a fresh one per use. The singleton is built only once, so the prototype is resolved only once.
Getting Fresh Prototypes
To obtain a new prototype each time inside a singleton, inject an ObjectProvider (or a lookup) and call it on demand.
@Service
public class ReportService {
private final ObjectProvider<ReportBuilder> builders;
public ReportService(ObjectProvider<ReportBuilder> builders) {
this.builders = builders;
}
public Report build() {
ReportBuilder rb = builders.getObject(); // fresh each call
return rb.toReport();
}
}Web Scopes Overview
In a web application, two extra scopes tie a bean’s lifetime to an HTTP interaction: request and session. They exist only while a request or session is active.
Request Scope
A request-scoped bean is created once per HTTP request and discarded when it completes. Useful for per-request context like a correlation id or accumulated request data.
@Component
@Scope(value = "request", proxyMode = ScopedProxyMode.TARGET_CLASS)
public class RequestContext {
private String correlationId;
// getters/setters
}Session Scope
A session-scoped bean lives for the duration of a user’s HTTP session, holding per-user state across multiple requests, such as a shopping cart in a server-rendered app.
@Component
@Scope(value = "session", proxyMode = ScopedProxyMode.TARGET_CLASS)
public class UserCart {
private final List<Item> items = new ArrayList<>();
}Why Scoped Proxies
Injecting a short-lived scoped bean into a long-lived singleton needs a proxy. The proxy is injected once but delegates each call to the correct current-request or current-session instance.
That is why request/session beans use proxyMode = TARGET_CLASS.
Choosing a Scope
Guidelines:
- singleton — default; stateless shared services
- prototype — stateful, per-use helpers
- request — per-HTTP-request context
- session — per-user state across requests
Quick Check
Test your understanding of scopes.
Recap
Scope controls instance count and lifetime.
- singleton (default) — one per context, keep stateless
- prototype — new instance per request; beware the singleton trap
- request/session — web scopes needing scoped proxies
- Use
ObjectProviderfor fresh prototypes inside singletons
Frequently asked questions
Is the “Bean Scopes” lesson free?
Yes — the full text of “Bean Scopes” is free to read here on the web, and the Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs 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 Microservices & REST APIs course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.
What will I learn in “Bean Scopes”?
Singleton, prototype, request, and session scopes. You practise Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs 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 Microservices & REST APIs?
No prior experience is required. Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 3 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.
How long does the “Bean Scopes” 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 Microservices & REST APIs lesson?
Yes. Every Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs 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.