Both @PathVariable and @RequestParam are Spring annotations used to extract values from an HTTP request, but they serve different purposes:

@PathVariable

  • Purpose: Extracts values from the URI path (dynamic segments).
  • Use Case: When you need to capture a part of the URL.

  • Example:

    @GetMapping("/users/{id}")
public String getUserById(@PathVariable String id) {
    return "User ID: " + id;
}
// URL: /users/123 → id = "123"

@RequestParam

  • Purpose: Extracts values from query parameters in the URL.
  • Use Case: When you want to capture data passed after ? in the URL.

  • Example:

    @GetMapping("/search")
public String search(@RequestParam String keyword) {
    return "Search for: " + keyword;
}
// URL: /search?keyword=Spring → keyword = "Spring"

Key Difference

  • @PathVariable: Maps to a URI segment.
  • @RequestParam: Maps to query parameters.

Use @RequestParam for optional inputs and @PathVariable for mandatory identifiers!