---
schema_version: "1"
id: 51adbf1a8f6eb1ab66d40ecc35d9e2890cc7914192505291385d0206ca85f2c6
title: Spring Module 2.1
collection: mulesoft
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/mulesoft/current/en-us/spring-module/2.1/index.md
canonical_url: https://docs.mulesoft.com/spring-module/2.1/
source_site: docs.mulesoft.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 520a2c8cbe8927abf3a291c3cce0d8aa7ece6adaaad549fc89740b4212e1e66c
description: MuleSoft Documentation Site
release: "2.1"
latest: false
---
---
product: Spring Module
version: 2.1
---

# Spring Module 2.1

> For the full documentation index, see: https://docs.mulesoft.com/llms.txt

Spring Module enables Mule apps to use the Spring framework.

Release Notes:
[Spring Module Release Notes](https://docs.mulesoft.com/release-notes/connector/spring-module-release-notes)  
Exchange: [Spring Module](https://www.mulesoft.com/exchange/org.mule.modules/mule-spring-module/)

## Add Spring Module to Your Project

In Anypoint Studio 7, Spring module is provided in the default configuration.

In **Mule Palette**, search for "Spring" and drag the Authorization Filter operation to the Studio
canvas.

## Configure Spring Module

1.  Add the following configuration:

    ```xml
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

    <mule xmlns:spring="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/spring"
          xmlns="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/core"
          xmlns:doc="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/documentation"
          xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
          xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/core
            http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/core/current/mule.xsd
            http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/spring
            http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/spring/current/mule-spring.xsd">

        <spring:config name="springConfig" files="beans.xml" />

    </mule>
    ```

2.  Put the `beans.xml` file in `src/main/resources`.

    The Spring configuration must be valid. Here is an example beans.xml file:

    ```xml
    <beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
        xmlns:context="http://www.springframework.org/schema/context"
        xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
        xmlns:jdbc="http://www.springframework.org/schema/jdbc"

        xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
          http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-4.2.xsd
          http://www.springframework.org/schema/jdbc
          http://www.springframework.org/schema/jdbc/spring-jdbc-4.2.xsd
          http://www.springframework.org/schema/context
          http://www.springframework.org/schema/context/spring-context-4.2.xsd
          http://www.springframework.org/schema/security
          http://www.springframework.org/schema/security/spring-security-4.2.xsd">

        <jdbc:embedded-database id="dataSource" type="DERBY">
            <jdbc:script location="classpath:db/sql/create-db.sql" />
            <jdbc:script location="classpath:db/sql/insert-data.sql" />
        </jdbc:embedded-database>

    </beans>
    ```

You must export the beans files used with the Spring module for your application to start. See
[How to Export Resources](https://docs.mulesoft.com/mule-runtime/latest/how-to-export-resources).

If you are using Anypoint Studio 7.x, you don’t need to manually update the `mule-artifact.json`
file.

Because Mule also needs a descriptor where the Spring beans are declared, so the embedded packager
within Studio automatically generates one with all the resources it picks up from the project.
However, if you choose to declare the resources you need to export, then Studio packages only those
resources.

The following example enables you to declare your `beans.xml` file in `mule-artifact.json`:

```example
{
    "name": "MyApp",
    "minMuleVersion": "4.2.1",
    "classLoaderModelLoaderDescriptor": {
        "id": "mule",
        "attributes": {
            "exportedResources": [
                "/org/mule/myapp/beans.xml"
            ]
        }
    }
  }
}
```

## Spring Objects in Mule Components

You can use Spring objects in Mule configuration components (for instance, to point to the Derby
data source created with Spring beans) as follows:

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<mule xmlns:db="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/db"
      xmlns:spring="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/spring"
      xmlns="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/core"
      xmlns:doc="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/documentation"
      xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
      xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/core
        http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/core/current/mule.xsd
        http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/spring
        http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/spring/current/mule-spring.xsd
        http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/db
        http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/db/current/mule-db.xsd">

    <spring:config name="springConfig" files="beans.xml" />

    <db:config name="derbyConfig" doc:name="Database Config"  >
        <db:derby-connection database="datasource" create="true" />
    </db:config>
</mule>
```

## Spring Properties Placeholders

You cannot use the properties defined by Spring properties placeholders within your Mule app
configuration; you can use them only in Spring configuration files. However, you can use properties
defined in Mule through `<configuration-properties/>` within Spring configuration files.

## Limitations of Spring Objects

To use Spring module, consider implementation and injection limits:

- Spring objects cannot implement Mule API lifecycle methods.

- Spring objects cannot be injected with Mule API services. The only service that can be used is the
  `org.mule.runtime.api.artifact.Registry`, which can be used to access any other service within the
  Mule API. This can be accomplished by using `@PostConstruct` over a method to initialize the
  object and retrieve the Mule API service.

## Use Spring Security as a Security Manager

> [!IMPORTANT] If you use Spring Framework 5.x with plain text passwords, you must prefix the
> password value with `{noop}`. For example, the password `admin` would be `{noop}admin` instead.

The Spring module supports the use of Spring security as a security manager in Mule apps. You must
define an authentication manager in the Spring configuration file:

```xml
<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
  xmlns:context="http://www.springframework.org/schema/context"
  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
  xmlns:jdbc="http://www.springframework.org/schema/jdbc"
  xmlns:ss="http://www.springframework.org/schema/security"

  xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
      http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-4.2.xsd
      http://www.springframework.org/schema/jdbc
      http://www.springframework.org/schema/jdbc/spring-jdbc-4.2.xsd
      http://www.springframework.org/schema/context
      http://www.springframework.org/schema/context/spring-context-4.2.xsd
      http://www.springframework.org/schema/security
      http://www.springframework.org/schema/security/spring-security-4.2.xsd">

  <ss:authentication-manager alias="authenticationManager">
    <ss:authentication-provider>
      <ss:user-service id="userService">
        <ss:user name="admin" password="admin" authorities="ROLE_ADMIN" />
        <ss:user name="joe" password="secret" authorities="ROLE_ADMIN" />
        <ss:user name="anon" password="anon" authorities="ROLE_ANON" />
        <ss:user name="user" password="password" authorities="ROLE_ANON" />
        <ss:user name="ross" password="ross" authorities="ROLE_ANON" />
        <ss:user name="marie" password="marie" authorities="ROLE_ANON" />
      </ss:user-service>
    </ss:authentication-provider>
  </ss:authentication-manager>

</beans>
```

You can define a security manager within a Mule app that makes use of the Spring authentication
manager like this:

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<mule
  xmlns:spring="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/spring"
  xmlns="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/core"
  xmlns:doc="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/documentation"
  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
  xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-current.xsd
    http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/core
    http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/core/current/mule.xsd
    http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/spring
    http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/spring/current/mule-spring.xsd">

  <spring:config name="springConfig" files="beans.xml" />

  <spring:security-manager>
    <spring:delegate-security-provider
      name="memory-provider"
      delegate-ref="authenticationManager" />
  </spring:security-manager>

</mule>
```

## Validate Authentication with the Spring Authorization Filter

The Spring module adds support for a filter that fails if authentication cannot be validated using
the Mule Security Manager:

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<mule
  xmlns:http="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/http"
  xmlns:db="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/db"
  xmlns:spring="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/spring"
  xmlns="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/core"
  xmlns:doc="http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/documentation"
  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
  xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-current.xsd
    http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/core
    http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/core/current/mule.xsd
    http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/spring
    http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/spring/current/mule-spring.xsd
    http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/db
    http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/db/current/mule-db.xsd
    http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/http
    http://www.mulesoft.org/schema/mule/http/current/mule-http.xsd">

  <spring:config name="springConfig" files="beans.xml" />

  <spring:security-manager>
    <spring:delegate-security-provider
      name="memory-provider"
      delegate-ref="authenticationManager" />
  </spring:security-manager>

  <http:listener-config
    name="HTTP_Listener_config"
     doc:name="HTTP Listener config"  >
      <http:listener-connection
        host="0.0.0.0"
        port="9090" />
  </http:listener-config>

  <flow name="spring-exampleFlow"  >
    <http:listener
      config-ref="HTTP_Listener_config"
      path="/"
      doc:name="Listener"  />
    <http:basic-security-filter
      realm="mule" />
      <spring:authorization-filter
        requiredAuthorities="ROLE_ADMIN" />
  </flow>
</mule>
```

The `http:basic-security-filter` tries to authenticate the user using basic authentication. If the
request is authenticated successfully, Mule retrieves the username and uses it in the Spring
`authorization-filter` to search for that user and to try to authorize the request against the
authority ROLE\_ADMIN.

## See Also

- [Property Placeholders in Mule Apps](https://docs.mulesoft.com/mule-runtime/latest/configuring-properties)

- [Migrate the Spring Module to Mule 4](https://docs.mulesoft.com/mule-runtime/latest/)

- [Salesforce Help](https://help.salesforce.com)