Duplicate dependency declaration in ':module:spring-boot-jackson2' build.gradle

[jxblum]

In reviewing the dependencies declared in :module:spring-boot-jackson2 build.gradle, I noticed an api (here) AND an optional (here) dependency declaration on org.springframework:spring-web.

This is benign, but I believe the api declaration is sufficient. Although, outside of generating an "<optional>true</optional>" dependency declaration in the final Maven POM, ATM, I don't recall all the other facilities provided/supported by Spring Boot's custom optional configuration.

In any case, when I look at the final generated and published Maven POM for org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-jackson2 in Maven Central, it is correct. There is only a single compile-time dependency on org.springframework:spring-web as I would expect.

Therefore, I think the optional declaration is safe to remove.

[jxblum]

Quick note...

I was curious, so I compared :module:spring-boot-jackson2 (build.gradle) with :module:spring-boot-jackson (build.gradle), for Jackson 3, and org.springframework:spring-web is actually only an optional dependency in :module:spring-boot-jackson.

In other words, should spring-boot-jackson2 simply declare spring-web as only an optional dependency rather than an (exported) api dependency?

[jxblum]

I am guessing the dependency declarations got copied over from the previous org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-json in Sprint Boot 3.x (for instance) where org.springframework:spring-web was an api dependency.

[wilkinsona]

It should be an api dependency as Jackson2ObjectMapperBuilder from spring-web is part of the module's public API.