Spring Boot - AOP After Advice

In Spring AOP, After Advice is used to execute code after a target method finishes execution. It is defined using the @After annotation. The advice method runs regardless of whether the method executes successfully or throws an exception. This makes it useful for tasks like logging, resource cleanup, or auditing after method execution.

• Executes after a target method finishes, regardless of its outcome.
• Can be applied using the @After annotation on a defined join point.
• Useful for post-processing tasks like logging or resource cleanup.

Syntax

@After("execution(* package_name.class_name.method_name(..))")
public void afterAdviceMethod(JoinPoint joinPoint) {
// code to run after method execution
}

Steps to Implement After Advice in Spring Boot

Follow these steps to configure and apply After Advice in a Spring Boot application using AOP.

Step 1: Create a Spring Boot Project

Open Spring Initializr and provide the following details:

• Group: com.after_advice
• Artifact: aop-after-advice-example
• Dependencies: Spring Web

Download the project and extract the ZIP file.

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Step 2: Import the Project into IDE

Import the project using: File -> Import -> Existing Maven Project -> Select Project Folder -> Finish.

pom.xml file:

Note: If the jars are not added properly, you may get some errors.

Step 3: Create Model Class

Create package com.after_advice.model and add Student.java class to store student details such as firstName and secondName.

Student class:

Step 4: Create Service Class

Create package com.after_advice.service and add StudentService.java. This class contains the addStudent() method which creates and returns a student object.

StudentService class:

 Step 5: Create Controller Class

Create package com.after_advice.controller and add StudentController.java. This controller handles GET request /add and calls the StudentService method.

StudentController class:

Step 7: Create Aspect Class

Create package com.after_advice.aspect and add StudentServiceAspect.java.

• Define a Pointcut to target service methods.
• Add @After advice so that the advice runs after the service method execution.

StudentServiceAspect class:

Step 8: Run the Application

Run the project as Spring Boot Application and open the browser.

Example URL:

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For a demo, we are hitting URL with fname as Harry and sname as Potter. In this case, the method will be executed normally.

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Output Explanation 

Case 1: Normal Execution

1. StudentService.addStudent() method executes and creates the student object.
2. @After Advice runs after the method execution.
3. The controller returns the student details as the response.

Case 2: Exception Occurs

1. The service method throws an exception (for example when firstName = Tom).
2. Even though an exception occurs, @After Advice still executes.
3. The advice logs the method execution or performs cleanup tasks.

When we hit URL with fname as Tom, the service method will throw an exception. The After advice will be executed.

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As seen in the output, the advice method is called after the service method is executed successfully or any exception is raised.