java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/springframework/context/ApplicationContext

Question

I've faced problems for deploying my project which I use jsf/spring/hibernate as a faramework, I added the necessary jars specially org.springframework.web-3.1.0.CI-1162, The error is:

SEVERE: Error configuring application listener of class org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener
java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/springframework/context/ApplicationContext
    at java.lang.Class.getDeclaredConstructors0(Native Method)
    at java.lang.Class.privateGetDeclaredConstructors(Unknown Source)
    at java.lang.Class.getConstructor0(Unknown Source)
    at java.lang.Class.newInstance0(Unknown Source)
    at java.lang.Class.newInstance(Unknown Source)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.listenerStart(StandardContext.java:4150)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.start(StandardContext.java:4705)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChildInternal(ContainerBase.java:799)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChild(ContainerBase.java:779)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.addChild(StandardHost.java:601)
    at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployDescriptor(HostConfig.java:675)
    at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployDescriptors(HostConfig.java:601)
    at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployApps(HostConfig.java:502)
    at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.start(HostConfig.java:1317)
    at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.lifecycleEvent(HostConfig.java:324)
    at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleSupport.fireLifecycleEvent(LifecycleSupport.java:142)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.start(ContainerBase.java:1065)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.start(StandardHost.java:840)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.start(ContainerBase.java:1057)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngine.start(StandardEngine.java:463)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardService.start(StandardService.java:525)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardServer.start(StandardServer.java:754)
    at org.apache.catalina.startup.Catalina.start(Catalina.java:595)
    at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
    at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
    at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Unknown Source)
    at org.apache.catalina.startup.Bootstrap.start(Bootstrap.java:289)
    at org.apache.catalina.startup.Bootstrap.main(Bootstrap.java:414)

and the list of jars added:

antlr-2.7.6.jar

commons-dbcb-1.4.jar

commons-collections-3.1.jar

commons-pool.1.6.jar

commons-logging-1.1.jar

dom4j-1.6.1.jar

hibernate3.jar

hibernate-jpa-2.0-api-1.0.1.Final.jar

iText-5.0.4.jar (For Primefaces)

javassist-3.9.0.GA.jar

com.springsource.org.jboss-el-2.0.0.GA.jar (Optional for running on Tomcat 6)

jsf-api.jar (Mojarra 2.0.4)

jsf-impl.jar (Mojarra 2.04)

jta-1.1.jar

log4j-1.2.11.jar

mysql-connector-java-5.0.5.jar (For MySQL)

org.springframework.aop-3.1.0.CI-1162.jar

org.springframework.asm-3.1.0.CI-1162.jar

org.springframework.aspects-3.1.0.CI-1162.jar

org.springframework.beans-3.1.0.CI-1162.jar

org.springframework.context-3.1.0.CI-1162.jar

org.springframework.context.support-3.1.0.CI-1162.jar

org.springframework.core-3.1.0.CI-1162.jar

org.springframework.expression-3.1.0.CI-1162.jar

org.springframework.jdbc-3.1.0.CI-1162.jar

org.springframework.orm-3.1.0.CI-1162.jar

org.springframework.oxm-3.1.0.M1.jar

org.springframework.transaction-3.1.0.CI-1162.jar

org.springframework.web-3.1.0.CI-1162.jar

org.springframework.web.portlet-3.1.0.M1.jar

org.springframework.web.servlet-3.1.0.CI-1162.jar

poi-3.2-FINAL-20081019.jar (For Primefaces)

primefaces-3.5jar

slf4j-api-1.6.1.jar

slf4j-jdk14-1.6.1.jar

qlfj4-log4j12-1.6.4.jar

If you found the correct answer here, please mark it as correct so that it might help future visitors with similar issues. Thank you — KingFeming

KingFeming KingFeming · Accepted Answer · 2014-09-16T09:59:01

For this error, there can be different solutions. I have noted down the ones that had worked for me.

Solution 1. This is always happened in deployment and debugging environment. In deployment environment, just make sure your server classpath has included the Spring jar library (e.g spring-4.0.4.jar).

In debugging environment, the steps may vary from different IDE, but the solution is same. In Eclipse, developers usually will create a tomcat, jboss…whatever application server for debugging, just make sure the correct Spring jars are included.

Double click on your debugging server
Click on the “Open launch configuration” to access the server environment
Click on the classpath tab
Include the Spring jar file here , it may also required common log jar due to Spring dependency.
Done, run your application again.

.

Solution 2. If you are using Maven as a build tool and downloading dependencies using it, there can be some jar conflict. Because Tomcat servers normally provide some jars such as servlet-api and jpa-api. So if you again included them using maven; there will be problems in identifying them.

Solution 3. If you are using Eclipse as your IDE and using Maven as your build tool and tomcat as your server; remember Tomcat server will not look on the jars which are just inside the folders. For that there's a small trick,

Right click on your project and select properties
From the displayed window, select Deployment Assembly
Select Add
Add Maven dependencies
Click Apply and Click OK

Hope one of these solutions would help you to solve your problem. Happy Coding and make sure that is using Java.

java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/springframework/context/ApplicationContext

6 Answers