java - JsonManagedReference vs JsonBackReference

Question

I would like to know the difference between @JsonManagedReference and @JsonBackReference in Jackson?

Answer 1

@JsonManagedReference is the forward part of reference – the one that gets serialized normally. @JsonBackReference is the back part of reference – it will be omitted from serialization.

So they really depend on the direction of your relationship

public class User {
    public int id;
    public String name;

    @JsonBackReference
    public List<Item> userItems; 
} 

public class Item {
    public int id;
    public String itemName;

    @JsonManagedReference
    public User owner; 
 }