Reflection & Annotations in Java: Build a Mini Framework

If you've worked with frameworks like Spring or Hibernate, you've probably wondered at some point: “How does this framework automatically execute code without me calling it?” That’s where Reflection and Annotations come into play. These two concepts are the core building blocks of modern Java frameworks. Once you understand them, you’ll stop just using frameworks — and start understanding how to build them. In this article, we’ll break things down simply and build a mini framework step by step. 🎯 Why This Topic Matters In today’s development world, writing basic code isn’t enough anymore. ✔ Developers are expected to understand framework internals ✔ Applications rely heavily on automation ✔ Clean and scalable architecture is a must ✔ Dynamic execution is everywhere Learning reflection and annotations helps you level up from developer → engineer mindset. 🔍 What is Reflection in Java? Reflection allows a Java program to inspect and manipulate itself at runtime. Instead of directly callin