From [this Spring documentation](http://docs.spring.io/spring/docs/3.2.6.RELEASE/spring-framework-reference/htmlsingle/#beans-factory-autowire) I know that when I use @Bean, the default is already equivalent to:

@Bean(autowire = Autowire.NO)

> 
> (Default) No autowiring. Bean references must be defined via a ref element. Changing the default setting is not recommended for larger deployments, because specifying collaborators explicitly gives greater control and clarity. To some extent, it documents the structure of a system.
> 
> 
> 

I am just trying to understand what this means for me. If my system is 100% Java Config **and has no XML configuration**, then from what I can tell, when I use @Bean, the 'Autowire.no' has no impact whatsoever. 

**EDIT**

By "no impact" I mean that other @Autowired references to this bean ARE autowired (in other Java Config classes). I suspect that is because with Java Config there is no explicit 'ref element' defined, so this (default) setting has no effect.

Example:

First Config:

```
package a.b.c;

@Configuration
public class AlphaConfig {

    @Bean(autowire = Autowire.NO)
    public AlphaBeanType alphaBean() {
        return new AlphaBeanType();
    }
}

```

Then in second config:

```
package d.e.f;

import a.b.c.AlphaBeanType;

@Configuration
public class AnotherConfig {

    @Autowire
    private AlphaBeanType alphaBeanType;

    @Bean
    . . .
}

```

What I see is that 'alphaBeanType' is always autowired in the second config class - which seems to be in conflict with the documentation - hence my question.

**end edit**

Of course, I can't quite tell from the documentation! Does anyone know for sure?
['https://Stackoverflow.com/questions/21020187', 'https://Stackoverflow.com', 'https://Stackoverflow.com/users/1538856/']
Setting `Autowire.NO` does not mean that the bean cannot be injected in other beans via `@Autowire`. `@Autowire` works by default by type, and can also work by name using `@Qualifier`.

So if your bean has the right type or name, it will get inject in other beans, that's normal.

`Autowire.NO` means something like:

> 
> Don't inject the properties of **THIS** bean being declared with `@Bean` neither by type or by name. If the bean properties are not set in the `@Bean` method code, leave them unfilled.
> 
> 
> 

This a code example of how this works, let's define two beans:

```
public class MyBeanTwo {

    public MyBeanTwo() {
        System.out.println(">>> MY Bean 2 created!");
    }
}

public class MyBean {

    private MyBeanTwo myBeanTwo;

    public MyBean() {
        System.out.println(">>>MyBean created !!");
    }

    public void setMyBeanTwo(MyBeanTwo myBeanTwo) {
        System.out.println(">>> Injecting MyBeanTwo INTO MyBeanOne !!!");
        this.myBeanTwo = myBeanTwo;
    }
}

```

And some configuration:

```
@Configuration
public class SimpleConfigOne {

    @Bean
    public MyBean createMyBean()   {
        return new MyBean();
    }

    @Bean
    public MyBeanTwo createMyBeanTwo() {
        return new MyBeanTwo();
    }
}

```

With this configuration, the startup of this application gives this log:

```
>>>MyBean created !!
>>> MY Bean 2 created!

```

Meaning one instance of each bean was created, but `MyBean` did NOT get injected with `MyBeanTwo`, even tough a bean with the correct type existed.

By declaring `MyBean` like this:

```
@Bean(autowire = Autowire.BY_TYPE)
public MyBean createMyBean()   {
    return new MyBean();
}

```

`MyBeanOne` is now eligible to have it's properties set via autowiring by type. 

The startup log becomes:

```
>>>MyBean created !!
>>> MY Bean 2 created!
>>> Injecting MyBeanTwo INTO MyBeanOne !!!

```

This shows that `MyBean` had `MyBeanTwo` injected by type via a by type injection.

**Reason why Autowire.NO is the default:**

Usually we don't want to autowire the properties of beans created with `@Bean`. What we usually do is set the properties explicitly via code for readability, as a form of documentation and to make sure the property is set with the correct value.
The `autowire` element of the `@Bean` annotation (as well as the `autowire` attribute of the `bean` element in xml-based config) determines the autowiring status of the **bean's own properties** and has no relation to how a bean which is marked with the `@Bean` annotation will be injected into other beans. 

On the other hand the `@Autowired` annotation explicitly 

> 
> marks a constructor, field, setter method or config method as to be autowired by Spring's dependency injection facilities.
> 
> 
> 

So in your case the `@Bean` annotation declared on the `alphaBean` method with the default `Autowire.NO` mode disables automatic (that is implicit) injection of the properties (if any) of the `AlphaBeanType` bean. While the `@Autowired` annotation indicates that an `AlphaBeanType` bean should be injected into `AnotherConfig` configuration object.