Meta‑annotation

Java Captain

Apr 21, 2025 · Backend Development

Understanding Java Annotations and Reflection: Built‑in Annotations, Meta‑annotations, Custom Annotations, Class Loading and Runtime Reflection

This article explains Java annotations—including built‑in, meta‑ and custom annotations—covers how they are used in Spring, describes the Java reflection mechanism, class loading process, ways to obtain Class objects, and demonstrates retrieving generic and annotation information at runtime with code examples.