| org.springframework.context.access | Helper infrastructure to locate and access shared application contexts. |
| org.springframework.context.annotation | Annotation support for context configuration, including classpath scanning for autowire candidates. |
| org.springframework.context.config | Support package for advanced application context configuration, with XML schema being the primary configuration format. |
| org.springframework.context.event | Support classes for application events, like standard context events. |
| org.springframework.context.i18n | Abstraction for determining the current Locale, plus global holder that exposes a thread-bound Locale. |
| org.springframework.context.support | Classes supporting the org.springframework.context package, such as abstract base classes for ApplicationContext implementations and a MessageSource implementation. |
| org.springframework.context.weaving | Load-time weaving support for a Spring application context, building on Spring's org.springframework.instrument.classloading.LoadTimeWeaver abstraction. |
| ApplicationContext | Central interface to provide configuration for an application. | code | html |
| ApplicationContextAware | Interface to be implemented by any object that wishes to be notified of the ApplicationContext that it runs in. | code | html |
| ApplicationEventPublisher | Interface that encapsulates event publication functionality. | code | html |
| ApplicationEventPublisherAware | Interface to be implemented by any object that wishes to be notified of the ApplicationEventPublisher (typically the ApplicationContext) that it runs in. | code | html |
| ApplicationListener | Interface to be implemented by application event listeners. | code | html |
| ConfigurableApplicationContext | SPI interface to be implemented by most if not all application contexts. | code | html |
| HierarchicalMessageSource | Sub-interface of MessageSource to be implemented by objects that can resolve messages hierarchically. | code | html |
| Lifecycle | Interface defining methods for start/stop lifecycle control. | code | html |
| MessageSource | Strategy interface for resolving messages, with support for the parameterization and internationalization of such messages. | code | html |
| MessageSourceAware | Interface to be implemented by any object that wishes to be notified of the MessageSource (typically the ApplicationContext) that it runs in. | code | html |
| MessageSourceResolvable | Interface for objects that are suitable for message resolution in a MessageSource . | code | html |
| ResourceLoaderAware | Interface to be implemented by any object that wishes to be notified of the ResourceLoader (typically the ApplicationContext) that it runs in. | code | html |
| ApplicationEvent | Class to be extended by all application events. | code | html |
| ApplicationContextException | Exception thrown during application context initialization. | code | html |
| NoSuchMessageException | Exception thrown when a message can't be resolved. | code | html |
There is no necessity for Spring applications to depend on ApplicationContext or even BeanFactory functionality explicitly. One of the strengths of the Spring architecture is that application objects can often be configured without any dependency on Spring-specific APIs.