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What are the main differences between ApplicationContext and BeanFactory?

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Both ApplicationContext and BeanFactory are Spring IoC (Inversion of Control) containers, but they differ in features, initialization behavior, and use cases.

Core Concept

Aspect BeanFactory ApplicationContext
Definition Basic Spring IoC container responsible for instantiating, configuring, and managing beans. Advanced container built on top of BeanFactory, adding more enterprise-level features.
Package org.springframework.beans.factory org.springframework.context
Instantiation Type Lazy initialization — beans are created only when requested. Eager initialization — beans are created at startup (unless marked lazy).
Suitable For Lightweight applications or memory-constrained environments (like mobile or embedded systems). Most typical enterprise Spring applications.

Functional Differences

Feature BeanFactory ApplicationContext
Bean Initialization Lazy — bean created when getBean() is called. Eager — beans created when context starts (by default).
Internationalization (i18n) ❌ Not supported ✅ Supported via MessageSource
Event Handling ❌ Not supported ✅ Supports event publishing and listening via ApplicationEventPublisher
Annotation Processing (@Autowired, @Value) ❌ Requires manual setup ✅ Automatic via built-in BeanPostProcessors
AOP and Transaction Management ❌ Needs manual wiring ✅ Fully supported out of the box
Context Hierarchy ❌ Not supported ✅ Supported (parent-child contexts)
Application Lifecycle Callbacks ❌ Minimal support ✅ Supports full lifecycle (ApplicationListener, ApplicationEvent, etc.)

Example Comparison

Using BeanFactory

AnnotationConfigApplicationContext context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext();
context.register(MyConfig.class);
context.refresh();

BeanFactory factory = context.getBeanFactory();
MyService service = factory.getBean(MyService.class);

Using ApplicationContext

ApplicationContext context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext(MyConfig.class);
MyService service = context.getBean(MyService.class);

Practical Summary

Category BeanFactory ApplicationContext
Initialization Lazy Eager
Performance Better startup time, slower first call Slightly slower startup, faster runtime
Features Minimal Enterprise-ready
Use Case Resource-limited environments, testing Web apps, large-scale applications

Best Practice

In modern Spring applications, always use ApplicationContext (or one of its variants like AnnotationConfigApplicationContext, ClassPathXmlApplicationContext, or WebApplicationContext).

BeanFactory is mostly kept for backward compatibility and low-level framework usage.

Quick Summary in One Line:

BeanFactory provides the basic IoC container,
ApplicationContext adds enterprise features like events, i18n, AOP, and lifecycle management.

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