Customizing Spring Boot banner not working

If you've ever worked with Spring Boot, you're probably familiar with the default banner that shows up in the console when the application starts. This banner provides information about the application and adds a bit of branding to the startup process. However, there may be instances where you want to customize this banner to reflect your own branding or to convey a specific message.

By default, when you start a Spring Boot application, you'll see a banner that looks something like this:

  .   ____          _            __ _ _
 /\\ / ___'_ __ _ _(_)_ __  __ _ \ \ \ \
( ( )\___ | '_ | '_| | '_ \/ _` | \ \ \ \
 \\/  ___)| |_)| | | | | || (_| |  ) ) ) )
  '  |____| .__|_| |_|_| |_\__, | / / / /
 =========|_|==============|___/ / / / /
 :: Spring Boot ::        (v2.6.3)

This default banner isn't particularly customizable, and if you want to change it, you might encounter issues. Let's explore how to address this problem effectively.

Customizing the Spring Boot banner can give your application a more professional look and feel. It allows you to showcase your brand or convey a specific message every time the application starts. This can be particularly helpful when the application is being used by clients or customers, as it adds a personalized touch to the user experience.

The Problem

You may have tried to customize the banner in your Spring Boot application by placing a banner.txt file in the src/main/resources directory, only to find that the custom banner didn't show up when you started the application. This can be frustrating, especially if you're not sure why it's not working as expected.

The Solution

When customizing the Spring Boot banner, it's important to understand that there are certain rules and best practices to follow. Here's a step-by-step guide to customizing the banner and ensuring that it works as intended:

Create a banner.txt file and place it in the src/main/resources directory of your Spring Boot project. You can use ASCII art or simple text to create your custom banner. Here's an example:

  _____ _                 _   _____                    _   
 |_   _| |               | | |_   _|                  | |  
   | | | |__   __ _ _ __ | |__ | |  _ __  _   _  _ __ | |_ 
   | | | '_ \ / _` | '_ \| '_ \| | | '_ \| | | || '_ \| __|
  _| |_| | | | (_| | | | | | | | | | | | | |_| || | | | |_ 
 |_____|_| |_|\__,_|_| |_|_| |_| \_/_| |_|\__,_||_| |_|\__|

Step 2: Check File Encoding

Make sure the banner.txt file is encoded in ASCII or UTF-8 format. Non-standard characters or encoding can cause the banner not to display as expected.

Step 3: Check Spring Boot Configuration

In some cases, Spring Boot's auto-configuration may interfere with the custom banner. To ensure that your custom banner is used, you can disable the spring banner by setting spring.main.banner-mode property to off in your application.properties or application.yml file.

Example using application.properties:

spring.main.banner-mode=off

Step 4: Verify Classpath Resource

When placing the banner.txt in the src/main/resources directory, ensure that it is being included in the classpath during the build process. You can verify this by checking the build output or the packaged JAR/WAR file to ensure that the banner.txt is included.

Step 5: Test and Debug

After following the above steps, you can start your Spring Boot application and check if the custom banner is displayed as expected. If it still doesn't work, check the console for any error messages related to the banner. This can provide valuable insights into why the customization is not working.

Lessons Learned

Customizing the Spring Boot banner can add a personalized touch to your application's startup process. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure that your custom banner displays accurately and effectively reflect your branding or messaging. Remember to create the banner.txt file, check its encoding, adjust Spring Boot configuration if necessary, verify its inclusion in the classpath, and test thoroughly. With these steps, you'll be able to successfully customize the Spring Boot banner in your application.

For further reading on customizing Spring Boot banners and other advanced configurations, you can refer to the official Spring Boot documentation.

Customizing Spring Boot banner not working

Customizing Spring Boot Banner Not Working

The Default Spring Boot Banner

Why Customize the Banner?