What is BeanFactory and ApplicationContext in Spring

     Here  are  the  differences of  BeanFactory and ApplicationContext

 
   

Property	BeanFactory	ApplicationContext
Annotation support	No	Yes
BeanPostProcessor Registration	Manual	Automatic
Implementation	XMLBeanFactory	ClassPath/FileSystem/WebXmlApplicationContext|
Internationalization	No	Yes
Enterprise services	No	Yes
ApplicationEvent publication	No	Yes

                        

       

  This  picture  shows  hierarchy  of  the   BeanFactory  and  Application  Context.

• FileSystemXmlApplicationContext Beans loaded through the full path.
• ClassPathXmlApplicationContext Beans loaded through the CLASSPATH
• XMLWebApplicationContext and AnnotationConfigWebApplicationContext beans loaded through the web application context.
• AnnotationConfigApplicationContext Loading Spring beans from Annotation based configuration.