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In a Spring Boot REST controller, how can you return a 404 Not Found status along with a JSON error message in the response body?

hard📝 Application Q8 of 15

Spring Boot - Request and Response Handling

In a Spring Boot REST controller, how can you return a 404 Not Found status along with a JSON error message in the response body?

AUse @ResponseStatus(HttpStatus.NOT_FOUND) on the controller method without a response body

BThrow new RuntimeException("Resource not found") and rely on default error handling

CReturn new ResponseEntity<>("Resource not found", 404)

DReturn ResponseEntity.status(HttpStatus.NOT_FOUND).body(Map.of("error", "Resource not found"))

Step-by-Step Solution

Solution:

Step 1: Use ResponseEntity with status
ResponseEntity allows setting both status and body explicitly.
Step 2: Set status to NOT_FOUND
Use HttpStatus.NOT_FOUND enum for clarity and correctness.
Step 3: Provide a JSON body
Returning a Map or object will serialize to JSON with the error message.
Final Answer:
Return ResponseEntity.status(HttpStatus.NOT_FOUND).body(Map.of("error", "Resource not found")) -> Option D
Quick Check:
ResponseEntity with status and body returns custom status and message [OK]

Quick Trick: Use ResponseEntity.status() with body for custom status and message [OK]

Common Mistakes:

Using raw integer 404 instead of HttpStatus enum
Throwing exceptions without custom handlers for message
Using @ResponseStatus without response body

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