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In a Spring application, choose a Servlet Filter for HTTP request/response work around the Servlet chain, a HandlerInterceptor when you need the selected Spring MVC handler, and AOP when behavior should wrap selected method executions. They occupy different lifecycle points, so the right choice depends on what context the code needs—not on which name sounds most general.
How the three mechanisms differ
| Mechanism | Where it runs | Context and scope | Can it stop further work? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Servlet Filter | Around the remaining Servlet filter chain and target Servlet. | HTTP request and response; not inherently tied to a mapped Spring MVC handler. Filter mappings and chain placement determine which requests it covers. | Yes. A filter can choose not to continue the chain. |
| Spring MVC HandlerInterceptor | During MVC request handling, in relation to the mapped handler. | The selected MVC handler and request lifecycle around its handling. | Yes. Its pre-handler stage can prevent the handler from executing. |
| Spring AOP | Around matched method-execution join points. | Method executions selected by a pointcut, including executions across multiple objects. | Around advice can choose not to proceed to the method; other advice types have narrower roles. |
When to choose a Servlet Filter
Use a filter when the concern belongs at the HTTP/Servlet boundary: it needs to inspect or transform the request or response, or it must run before or after MVC handler machinery. A filter surrounds the rest of the configured Servlet chain and the target Servlet, which makes its scope broader than a particular MVC controller method.
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Filter behavior depends on its mapping and position in the chain. It is not automatically associated with a Spring MVC handler, so it is a poor fit for logic that needs to know which controller or handler was selected.
One documented example is Spring’s FormContentFilter, which handles URL-encoded form bodies for PUT, PATCH, and DELETE by wrapping the request so its parameters can be read.
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When to choose a HandlerInterceptor
Use a Spring MVC HandlerInterceptor when logic depends on the handler selected by MVC or needs to run before or after that handler’s processing. Its pre-handler stage can stop the handler from running, making it useful for handler-aware checks or request-specific MVC behavior.
An interceptor is later in the request lifecycle and more MVC-specific than a Servlet Filter. It should not be treated as the earliest security boundary. Spring’s HandlerInterceptor API guidance recommends Spring Security, or an equivalent solution integrated with the Servlet filter chain and applied as early as possible, for security concerns.
When to choose AOP
Use Spring AOP when the same behavior should apply declaratively to selected method executions across classes or objects. A pointcut defines which executions receive advice; this is a method-level cross-cutting mechanism, not a substitute for processing the raw HTTP request or choosing behavior based on an MVC handler.
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A practical decision sequence
- Identify the needed context. If you need the raw Servlet request or response, consider a Filter. If you need the mapped MVC handler, choose a HandlerInterceptor. If you need a method execution selected by a pointcut, choose AOP.
- Check the lifecycle boundary. For work that must surround Servlet processing or happen before MVC dispatch, use a Filter. For work specifically tied to MVC handling, use an interceptor.
- Check the scope. For behavior that should apply to selected methods across objects, use AOP and define the target executions with a pointcut.
- For security, use an early integrated boundary. Prefer Spring Security or an equivalent solution in the Servlet filter chain, applied as early as practical.
- Keep AOP advice as specific as possible. Use around advice only when its additional control over method invocation is needed.
Do not assume the names mean the same thing in every framework
These distinctions describe Spring’s Servlet and MVC stack and Spring AOP. In ASP.NET Core 10.0, filters belong to the MVC action invocation pipeline after action selection; authorization, resource, action, exception, and result filters occupy framework-defined stages. See Microsoft’s ASP.NET Core filters documentation. Do not carry Spring lifecycle descriptions over to ASP.NET Core unchanged.
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