Is “/error” path forbidden in Spring via RequestMapping in controller? Always causes ambiguous mapping error

Question

Note: I have only 1 controller, this is like test project, nothing more.

After some code I stumbled upon spring error page which said like "well you don't have /error so we generated one for you and on your requested route". So I tried just out of curiosity creating /error page.

This is my controller:

@Controller
public class DefaultController {
  @RequestMapping("/")
  public String index(ModelMap map) {
    map.addAttribute("name", "Bomjik");

    return "index";
  }

  @RequestMapping("/about")
  @ResponseBody
  public String about() {
    return "Info about us";
  }

  @RequestMapping("/error")
  public String error() {
    return "kek!";
  }
}

After building with gradle getting those errors when running tests:

java.lang.IllegalStateException: Failed to load ApplicationContext
    at org.springframework.test.context.cache.DefaultCacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.loadContext(DefaultCacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.java:124)
    at org.springframework.test.context.support.DefaultTestContext.getApplicationContext(DefaultTestContext.java:83)
    at org.springframework.test.context.web.ServletTestExecutionListener.setUpRequestContextIfNecessary(ServletTestExecutionListener.java:189)
    at org.springframework.test.context.web.ServletTestExecutionListener.prepareTestInstance(ServletTestExecutionListener.java:131)
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContextManager.prepareTestInstance(TestContextManager.java:230)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.createTest(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:228)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner$1.runReflectiveCall(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:287)
    at org.junit.internal.runners.model.ReflectiveCallable.run(ReflectiveCallable.java:12)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.methodBlock(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:289)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:247)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:94)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$3.run(ParentRunner.java:290)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$1.schedule(ParentRunner.java:71)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.runChildren(ParentRunner.java:288)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.access$000(ParentRunner.java:58)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$2.evaluate(ParentRunner.java:268)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.statements.RunBeforeTestClassCallbacks.evaluate(RunBeforeTestClassCallbacks.java:61)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.statements.RunAfterTestClassCallbacks.evaluate(RunAfterTestClassCallbacks.java:70)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.run(ParentRunner.java:363)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.run(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:191)
    at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.testing.junit.JUnitTestClassExecuter.runTestClass(JUnitTestClassExecuter.java:114)
    at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.testing.junit.JUnitTestClassExecuter.execute(JUnitTestClassExecuter.java:57)
    at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.testing.junit.JUnitTestClassProcessor.processTestClass(JUnitTestClassProcessor.java:66)
    at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.testing.SuiteTestClassProcessor.processTestClass(SuiteTestClassProcessor.java:51)
    at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
    at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
    at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
    at org.gradle.internal.dispatch.ReflectionDispatch.dispatch(ReflectionDispatch.java:35)
    at org.gradle.internal.dispatch.ReflectionDispatch.dispatch(ReflectionDispatch.java:24)
    at org.gradle.internal.dispatch.ContextClassLoaderDispatch.dispatch(ContextClassLoaderDispatch.java:32)
    at org.gradle.internal.dispatch.ProxyDispatchAdapter$DispatchingInvocationHandler.invoke(ProxyDispatchAdapter.java:93)
    at com.sun.proxy.$Proxy1.processTestClass(Unknown Source)
    at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.testing.worker.TestWorker.processTestClass(TestWorker.java:109)
    at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
    at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
    at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
    at org.gradle.internal.dispatch.ReflectionDispatch.dispatch(ReflectionDispatch.java:35)
    at org.gradle.internal.dispatch.ReflectionDispatch.dispatch(ReflectionDispatch.java:24)
    at org.gradle.internal.remote.internal.hub.MessageHubBackedObjectConnection$DispatchWrapper.dispatch(MessageHubBackedObjectConnection.java:146)
    at org.gradle.internal.remote.internal.hub.MessageHubBackedObjectConnection$DispatchWrapper.dispatch(MessageHubBackedObjectConnection.java:128)
    at org.gradle.internal.remote.internal.hub.MessageHub$Handler.run(MessageHub.java:404)
    at org.gradle.internal.concurrent.ExecutorPolicy$CatchAndRecordFailures.onExecute(ExecutorPolicy.java:63)
    at org.gradle.internal.concurrent.ManagedExecutorImpl$1.run(ManagedExecutorImpl.java:46)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617)
    at org.gradle.internal.concurrent.ThreadFactoryImpl$ManagedThreadRunnable.run(ThreadFactoryImpl.java:55)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:748)
Caused by: org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'requestMappingHandlerMapping' defined in class path resource [org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/web/WebMvcAutoConfiguration$EnableWebMvcConfiguration.class]: Invocation of init method failed; nested exception is java.lang.IllegalStateException: Ambiguous mapping. Cannot map 'basicErrorController' method 
public org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity<java.util.Map<java.lang.String, java.lang.Object>> org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.web.BasicErrorController.error(javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest)
to {[/error]}: There is already 'defaultController' bean method
public java.lang.String com.tattoo.app.controllers.DefaultController.error() mapped.
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.initializeBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1628)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.doCreateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:555)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.createBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:483)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory$1.getObject(AbstractBeanFactory.java:306)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.getSingleton(DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.java:230)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.doGetBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:302)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.getBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:197)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultListableBeanFactory.preInstantiateSingletons(DefaultListableBeanFactory.java:761)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.finishBeanFactoryInitialization(AbstractApplicationContext.java:867)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.refresh(AbstractApplicationContext.java:543)
    at org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication.refresh(SpringApplication.java:693)
    at org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication.refreshContext(SpringApplication.java:360)
    at org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication.run(SpringApplication.java:303)
    at org.springframework.boot.test.context.SpringBootContextLoader.loadContext(SpringBootContextLoader.java:120)
    at org.springframework.test.context.cache.DefaultCacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.loadContextInternal(DefaultCacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.java:98)
    at org.springframework.test.context.cache.DefaultCacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.loadContext(DefaultCacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.java:116)
    ... 48 more
Caused by: java.lang.IllegalStateException: Ambiguous mapping. Cannot map 'basicErrorController' method 
public org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity<java.util.Map<java.lang.String, java.lang.Object>> org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.web.BasicErrorController.error(javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest)
to {[/error]}: There is already 'defaultController' bean method
public java.lang.String com.tattoo.app.controllers.DefaultController.error() mapped.
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.handler.AbstractHandlerMethodMapping$MappingRegistry.assertUniqueMethodMapping(AbstractHandlerMethodMapping.java:576)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.handler.AbstractHandlerMethodMapping$MappingRegistry.register(AbstractHandlerMethodMapping.java:540)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.handler.AbstractHandlerMethodMapping.registerHandlerMethod(AbstractHandlerMethodMapping.java:264)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.handler.AbstractHandlerMethodMapping.detectHandlerMethods(AbstractHandlerMethodMapping.java:250)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.handler.AbstractHandlerMethodMapping.initHandlerMethods(AbstractHandlerMethodMapping.java:214)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.handler.AbstractHandlerMethodMapping.afterPropertiesSet(AbstractHandlerMethodMapping.java:184)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerMapping.afterPropertiesSet(RequestMappingHandlerMapping.java:127)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.invokeInitMethods(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1687)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.initializeBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1624)
    ... 63 more

Answer 1

Spring Boot automatically registers a BasicErrorController bean, if you don't register it yourself manually and in there is /error endpoint.

To make an /error endpoint yourself you have to make a controller that implements ErrorController (or extends a class that implements it)

For example:

@RestController
public class MyErrorController implements ErrorController {
    private static final String PATH = "/error";

    @Override
    public String getErrorPath() {
       return PATH;
    }

    @RequestMapping(value = PATH)
    public String error() {
        return "kek!";
    }
}