Spring: @Value reads a property, with a default after the colon

The default makes the app start without the property being set anywhere.

Code

@Value("${app.page-size:20}")
private int pageSize;

@Value("${app.tags:a,b,c}")
private List<String> tags;      // comma-separated binds to a List

@Value("#{systemEnvironment['HOME']}")
private String home;            // SpEL

Output

pageSize = 20 when app.page-size is absent
tags = [a, b, c]

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Published 2026-08-11