Actuator endpoints overview in Spring Boot - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Actuator Endpoints Overview in Spring Boot

📖 Scenario: You are building a Spring Boot application that needs monitoring and management features. To do this, you will use Spring Boot Actuator endpoints which provide useful information about the running application.

🎯 Goal: Learn how to enable and access basic Spring Boot Actuator endpoints to monitor application health, metrics, and info.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a Spring Boot application with Actuator dependency

Configure Actuator endpoints exposure

Access health and info endpoints

Understand the purpose of common Actuator endpoints

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Spring Boot Actuator endpoints help developers and operators monitor and manage applications in production environments easily.

💼 Career

Knowing how to enable and use Actuator endpoints is essential for backend developers working with Spring Boot to ensure application health and diagnostics.

1

Add Actuator dependency

Add the Spring Boot Actuator dependency to your build.gradle file inside dependencies block: implementation 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-actuator'

Spring Boot

// Add the Actuator dependency inside dependencies block
// Your code here

Hint

This dependency enables Actuator features in your Spring Boot app.

2

Configure Actuator endpoints exposure

In src/main/resources/application.properties, add the line management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=health,info to expose the health and info endpoints over HTTP.

Spring Boot

dependencies {
    implementation 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-actuator'
}

# Add the property to expose health and info endpoints
# Your code here

Hint

This property controls which Actuator endpoints are accessible via HTTP.

3

Access health and info endpoints

Run your Spring Boot application and access http://localhost:8080/actuator/health and http://localhost:8080/actuator/info in your browser or API client to see the JSON responses.

Spring Boot

dependencies {
    implementation 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-actuator'
}

# src/main/resources/application.properties
management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=health,info

# Run the app and access the endpoints
# Your code here

Hint

Use a browser or tool like curl or Postman to see the JSON output from these endpoints.

4

Add custom info properties

In src/main/resources/application.properties, add info.app.name=MyApp and info.app.description=Demo application to add custom information to the info endpoint.

Spring Boot

dependencies {
    implementation 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-actuator'
}

# src/main/resources/application.properties
management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=health,info

# Add custom info properties below
# Your code here

Hint

These properties will appear in the JSON response of the info endpoint.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of Spring Boot Actuator endpoints?

easy

A. To handle user authentication and authorization

B. To serve static web content like images and CSS

C. To manage database connections automatically

D. To provide information about the application's health and status

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Actuator endpoints role

   Actuator endpoints are designed to give quick info about the app's health and status.

2. Step 2: Compare with other options

   Authentication, database management, and static content serving are not the main roles of Actuator.

3. Final Answer:

   To provide information about the application's health and status -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Actuator endpoints = app health info [OK]

Hint: Remember: Actuator = app health and metrics info [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Actuator with security features
• Thinking Actuator manages database connections
• Assuming Actuator serves static files

2. Which property enables the exposure of all Actuator endpoints in Spring Boot?

easy

A. management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=*

B. spring.boot.actuator.enabled=true

C. management.endpoint.health.enabled=true

D. server.port=8080

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify property to expose endpoints

   The property management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=* exposes all Actuator endpoints.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   spring.boot.actuator.enabled is not a valid property; health endpoint enabling is specific, and server.port sets the server port.

3. Final Answer:

   management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=* -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Expose all endpoints = management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=* [OK]

Hint: Use '*' in exposure.include to enable all endpoints [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using incorrect property names
• Confusing enabling endpoints with enabling server
• Trying to enable endpoints individually without exposure property

3. Given the following configuration:

management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=health,info

Which endpoints will be accessible via HTTP?

medium

A. Only /health and /info endpoints

B. All Actuator endpoints

C. No endpoints are accessible

D. Only /metrics endpoint

Solution

1. Step 1: Read the exposure.include property

   The property lists health and info, so only these endpoints are exposed.

2. Step 2: Understand what exposure.include controls

   It controls which endpoints are accessible via HTTP; others remain hidden.

3. Final Answer:

   Only /health and /info endpoints -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Exposure include = health,info means only those endpoints [OK]

Hint: Check exposure.include list to know accessible endpoints [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming all endpoints are exposed by default
• Confusing exposure.include with enabling endpoints
• Thinking metrics endpoint is included without listing it

4. You configured management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=health,metrics but the /metrics endpoint returns 404. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. The metrics endpoint is disabled by default and needs explicit enabling

B. The health endpoint is conflicting with metrics

C. The application is missing the actuator dependency

D. The server port is incorrect

Solution

1. Step 1: Check if actuator dependency is present

   Without the actuator library, endpoints like /metrics won't exist, causing 404.

2. Step 2: Verify other options

   Metrics endpoint is enabled by exposure.include; health does not conflict; server port affects access but not endpoint existence.

3. Final Answer:

   The application is missing the actuator dependency -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Missing actuator dependency = 404 on endpoints [OK]

Hint: Always add actuator dependency to use Actuator endpoints [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming endpoints work without actuator dependency
• Blaming port or conflicts instead of missing library
• Thinking exposure.include enables endpoints without actuator

5. You want to monitor your Spring Boot app's health, info, and metrics endpoints but only expose health and info publicly. How do you configure this securely?

hard

A. Set management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=health,info,metrics and disable security

B. Set management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=health,info and secure /metrics with authentication

C. Expose all endpoints with * and rely on firewall rules

D. Disable all endpoints except metrics

Solution

1. Step 1: Expose only health and info endpoints publicly

   Use management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=health,info to expose only those endpoints.

2. Step 2: Secure metrics endpoint separately

   Keep metrics endpoint enabled internally and protect it with authentication or network rules.

3. Final Answer:

   Set management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=health,info and secure /metrics with authentication -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Expose only needed endpoints publicly, secure others [OK]

Hint: Expose only needed endpoints publicly; secure sensitive ones [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Exposing all endpoints without security
• Disabling security to simplify access
• Exposing metrics publicly without protection