spring-boot-lombok

Spring Boot Lombok Contract

These rules apply to real application modules. A module that does not yet compile Lombok annotations does not need the dependency until it does.

Maven setup

• Add org.projectlombok:lombok with provided scope so it is available at compile time and never packaged into the application jar.
• Place it in the third-party dependency group, alphabetically by artifactId.
• Declare an explicit maven-compiler-plugin annotationProcessorPaths entry for Lombok. Do not omit it: current Java no longer discovers annotation processors from the classpath automatically.
• Do not set a Lombok version when Spring Boot's parent BOM already manages it.
• When MapStruct is also present, always add lombok-mapstruct-binding to annotationProcessorPaths along with lombok and mapstruct-processor, in that order (lombok, lombok-mapstruct-binding, mapstruct-processor), so generated mappers see Lombok accessors. Pin lombok-mapstruct-binding with an explicit version property; Spring Boot's parent BOM does not manage it.

Spring-managed classes

• When Lombok is adopted by the module, obtain the logger with @Slf4j and inject dependencies with @RequiredArgsConstructor and private final fields.
• If Lombok is not adopted, use the Java style contract's explicit constructor injection and logging contract without adding Lombok solely to avoid writing a constructor.
• Follow the class-level annotation order in the Java style contract (@Slf4j, then stereotype, then @RequiredArgsConstructor).
• Never put @Data, @Value, @Builder, @Getter, @Setter, @AllArgsConstructor, or @NoArgsConstructor on services, repositories, controllers, or other Spring-managed business classes.

Data types

• Prefer Java records for immutable DTOs, domain/value models, and configuration properties holders.
• Do not use @Data, @Value, @Builder, @Getter, or @Setter on types that can be records.
• Mutable MVC form-backing objects that the binder must populate may use @Getter and @Setter, plus @NoArgsConstructor when a no-arg constructor is required. Do not use @Data for that case; @Data also generates equals/hashCode/toString and a required-args constructor that you did not ask for.
• Use @NonNull only when a Lombok-generated constructor must reject a null field. Do not use it as a substitute for Bean Validation on API or form input.