When using Spring MVC, unlike other endpoints, controller and REST controller endpoints use Ant path matching

[wilkinsona]

When we create WebMvcEndpointHandlerMapping we use the path pattern parser from the MVC auto-configuration:

spring-boot/spring-boot-project/spring-boot-actuator-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/actuate/autoconfigure/endpoint/web/servlet/WebMvcEndpointManagementContextConfiguration.java

Lines 86 to 88 in 17bdc52

	return new WebMvcEndpointHandlerMapping(endpointMapping, webEndpoints, endpointMediaTypes,
	corsProperties.toCorsConfiguration(), new EndpointLinksResolver(allEndpoints, basePath),
	shouldRegisterLinksMapping, WebMvcAutoConfiguration.pathPatternParser);

However, when we create ControllerEndpointHandlerMapping, we don't pass in a path pattern parser:

spring-boot/spring-boot-project/spring-boot-actuator-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/actuate/autoconfigure/endpoint/web/servlet/WebMvcEndpointManagementContextConfiguration.java

Lines 116 to 117 in 17bdc52

	return new ControllerEndpointHandlerMapping(endpointMapping, controllerEndpointsSupplier.getEndpoints(),
	corsProperties.toCorsConfiguration());

As a result, the default Ant-based path matching will be used. This feels inconsistent. However, there's a risk that changing it will break users controller and rest controller endpoints if they have implementations that rely on some capabilities of the Ant-based matching that the path pattern parser doesn't support. We may decide that we can't do anything about this until 3.0.

[mbhave]

As of Spring Framework 6.0, this is the default so there isn't any change for boot to make here. This can be verified by pathPatternsCondition not being null. Closing the issue as superseded.

[vpavic]

It's a bit unclear what has this been superseded by. Is it #31700 or something else?

[wilkinsona]

It's #31700.