Using @Named vs. @ManagedBean

I was looking through some JSF controllers and it was a mix of @Named and @ManagedBean annotations. These annotations provide similar dependency injections, but there are important differences.

Containers

• @ManagedBean – javax.faces.bean.ManagedBean – managed by JSF container
• @Named – javax.faces.bean – CDI bean managed by application server

This means @Named beans are visible to the whole JEE container, while @ManagedBean are visible only to the JSF container. The visibility issue is covered in this table:

* – only if scope of injected bean is broader

One problem is that @Named requires that you use a JEE enabled container – so you have to use TomEE instead of Tomcat.

Scope

A further problem in earlier CDI versions was that there was no CDI equivalent of @ViewScoped. This has now been resolved with  @javax.faces.view.ViewScope.

You also need to be very careful with mixing JSF and CDI as they use different packages – javax.faces.bean vs. javax.enterprise.context.

So What Approach Should You Use?

This is a non-question as from JSF2.3 onwards @ManagedBean is being phased out and the recommended approach is @Named. It is also important not to mix CDI with JSP scopes

However there are circumstances when I would still use @ManagedBean at present:

• Existing Code is using @ManagedBean – I would stick with @ManagedBean until a migration path is determined
• Web Container – You just want to use a web container – then sticking with JSF ManagedBeans would be easier

Reference

http://germanescobar.net/2010/04/4-areas-of-possible-confusion-in-jee6.html