@Controller vs @RestController in Spring Boot | MVC, Thymeleaf & REST Explained
This is the next video in the Spring Boot Project Series, where we clear one of the most confusing concepts for beginners:
👉 What is the difference between @Controller and @RestController?
In this video, we visually and practically demonstrate how Spring Boot MVC works and how REST APIs are different.
🐱 What you’ll learn in this video
What MVC (Model–View–Controller) architecture is:
How Spring Boot traditionally handled frontend using template engines
Creating a simple MVC flow using:
@Controller
Model
View (HTML)
Rendering dynamic data using Thymeleaf
How data flows from:
Controller → Model → View
Difference between:
@Controller (returns HTML / View)
@RestController (returns data / JSON)
Understanding @ResponseBody
Why @RestController = @Controller + @ResponseBody
When to use MVC vs REST APIs in real projects
Why this is important
Many beginners: Mix MVC and REST
Don’t understand why HTML renders in one case but JSON in another
Get confused when templates don’t load
This video removes that confusion completely.
🚀 What’s coming next
Moving fully into REST APIs
Using JPA & PostgreSQL
Real backend architecture (Controller → Service → Repository)
If this video helped you:
👍 Like the video
📌 Subscribe for the upcoming Spring Boot project videos
🔔 Turn on notifications so you don’t miss the next part
On this page of the site you can watch the video online @Controller vs @RestController in Spring Boot | MVC, Thymeleaf & REST Explained with a duration of hours minute second in good quality, which was uploaded by the user Geek24 17 March 2026, share the link with friends and acquaintances, this video has already been watched 73 times on youtube and it was liked by 2 viewers. Enjoy your viewing!
