✅ Top 20 Spring Boot Transaction
Interview Questions with Detailed
Answers
1. What is @Transactional in Spring?
@Transactional is an annotation used in Spring to manage transaction boundaries. It
ensures that the annotated method is executed within a database transaction. If an exception
occurs, the transaction is rolled back.
2. What is the default propagation behavior of @Transactional?
The default propagation is Propagation.REQUIRED. This means if a transaction already
exists, the method will join it; otherwise, a new transaction will be started.
3. What are the different propagation types in Spring?
● REQUIRED – Uses the existing transaction or starts a new one. (Default)
● REQUIRES_NEW – Suspends the existing transaction and starts a new one.
● NESTED – Executes within a nested transaction.
● SUPPORTS – Joins the current transaction if available.
● NOT_SUPPORTED – Suspends any transaction and executes non-transactionally.
● MANDATORY – Must run within an existing transaction.
● NEVER – Must run without a transaction.
4. How does rollback work in Spring @Transactional?
By default, Spring rolls back a transaction only for unchecked exceptions (i.e., subclasses of
RuntimeException and Error). You can override this using the rollbackFor attribute.
@Transactional(rollbackFor = Exception.class)
5. What is the isolation level in Spring transactions?
Isolation defines how transaction integrity is visible to other transactions. Spring supports:
● DEFAULT
● READ_UNCOMMITTED
● READ_COMMITTED
● REPEATABLE_READ
● SERIALIZABLE
These correspond to standard SQL isolation levels.
6. What is the default isolation level in Spring?
Isolation.DEFAULT, which uses the default isolation level of the underlying database
(commonly READ_COMMITTED in most databases).
7. Can we apply @Transactional at the class level?
Yes. When applied at the class level, all public methods within the class are transactional
unless overridden at the method level.
8. Can we use @Transactional on private methods?
No. Spring uses proxies to implement transactions, so @Transactional only works on
public methods.
9. What is the difference between checked and unchecked exceptions in transaction
management?
● Unchecked (RuntimeException): Rollback by default.
● Checked (Exception): Not rolled back by default unless specified using rollbackFor.
10. What is the use of @EnableTransactionManagement?
This annotation enables Spring's annotation-driven transaction management capability. It's
typically added to a configuration class.
@EnableTransactionManagement
@Configuration
public class AppConfig { }
11. How does Spring manage transactions internally?
Spring uses AOP (Aspect-Oriented Programming) to create proxies around transactional
methods and manage transaction boundaries (begin, commit, rollback).
12. What is PlatformTransactionManager?
It is the central interface in Spring's transaction infrastructure. Implementations include:
● DataSourceTransactionManager
● JpaTransactionManager
● HibernateTransactionManager
13. What happens when one method annotated with @Transactional calls another in the
same class?
The internal method call bypasses the proxy, so transaction management does not apply.
This is called the self-invocation issue.
14. What is the difference between @Transactional(propagation=REQUIRES_NEW) and
REQUIRED?
● REQUIRED: Joins existing transaction or starts a new one.
● REQUIRES_NEW: Suspends any existing transaction and always starts a new one.
15. How can you test transactional behavior in a Spring Boot test?
Use @Transactional on test methods to rollback database changes after test execution.
@SpringBootTest
@Transactional
public class MyServiceTest { ... }
16. What is the use of TransactionTemplate in Spring?
TransactionTemplate provides a programmatic way to handle transactions, useful when
you need fine-grained control.
transactionTemplate.execute(status -> {
// your code
return result;
});
17. Can we use @Transactional in REST controllers?
Yes, but it's not recommended for complex transaction logic. Services should handle
transactions, and controllers should only delegate.
18. What is @TransactionalEventListener?
It allows listening to events within a transaction lifecycle. You can configure it to run after
transaction commit or rollback.
@TransactionalEventListener(phase = TransactionPhase.AFTER_COMMIT)
public void handleEvent(MyEvent event) {
// Logic after transaction commits
}
19. What is the difference between @Transactional and @Modifying in Spring Data JPA?
● @Transactional: Defines transaction boundaries.
● @Modifying: Used on repository methods to indicate a modifying query (e.g.,
update/delete). Often used together with @Transactional.
20. What is the use of propagation NESTED?
It creates a savepoint within the existing transaction. If an exception occurs, only the nested
part rolls back, not the entire transaction.
Bonus :
Watch Spring Transactions Playlist For Detailed Understanding
Spring Transactions
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-bgVzzRdaPimI4ERQ9gOtUKLEIALmoFL
