REST client doesn't receive the response from PATCH API call

[sharmasourabh]

Spring Boot Version: 3.4.4

Do we need to configure something extra for using the HTTP method PATCH?
When client sends the PATCH REST call to spring boot server, controller method receives the request and sends the request back by wrapping the response in ok() method. However, client doesn't receive the response back and keep waiting for response.

The moment method mapping is replaced from PATCH to PUT. REST call works and client receives the response.

Log for PATCH call:

20:58:13.790 [http-nio-8080-exec-4] DEBUG o.s.orm.jpa.JpaTransactionManager - Initiating transaction commit
20:58:13.790 [http-nio-8080-exec-4] DEBUG o.s.orm.jpa.JpaTransactionManager - Committing JPA transaction on EntityManager [SessionImpl(1438170547<open>)]
20:58:13.790 [http-nio-8080-exec-4] DEBUG o.h.e.t.internal.TransactionImpl - committing
20:58:13.790 [http-nio-8080-exec-4] DEBUG o.s.orm.jpa.JpaTransactionManager - Not closing pre-bound JPA EntityManager after transaction
20:58:13.791 [http-nio-8080-exec-4] DEBUG o.s.w.s.m.m.a.HttpEntityMethodProcessor - Using 'application/json', given [application/json] and supported [application/json, */*]
20:58:13.791 [http-nio-8080-exec-4] DEBUG o.s.w.s.m.m.a.HttpEntityMethodProcessor - Writing [class XYZ {<EOL>    id: 1<EOL>    name: null<EOL>    field1: null<EOL>    feild2: {}<EOL>}]
20:58:13.792 [http-nio-8080-exec-4] DEBUG o.s.o.j.s.OpenEntityManagerInViewInterceptor - Closing JPA EntityManager in OpenEntityManagerInViewInterceptor
20:58:13.792 [http-nio-8080-exec-4] DEBUG o.s.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet - Completed 200 OK

Then, nothing happens and client keep waiting for response.
When request is cancelled by the client:

20:58:18.774 [http-nio-8080-exec-5] DEBUG o.a.coyote.http11.Http11Processor - Error parsing HTTP request header
java.io.EOFException: null
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.NioEndpoint$NioSocketWrapper.fillReadBuffer(NioEndpoint.java:1295)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.NioEndpoint$NioSocketWrapper.read(NioEndpoint.java:1183)
	at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11InputBuffer.fill(Http11InputBuffer.java:795)
	at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11InputBuffer.parseRequestLine(Http11InputBuffer.java:351)
	at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Processor.service(Http11Processor.java:270)
	at org.apache.coyote.AbstractProcessorLight.process(AbstractProcessorLight.java:63)
	at org.apache.coyote.AbstractProtocol$ConnectionHandler.process(AbstractProtocol.java:905)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.NioEndpoint$SocketProcessor.doRun(NioEndpoint.java:1743)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.SocketProcessorBase.run(SocketProcessorBase.java:52)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.threads.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1190)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.threads.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:659)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.threads.TaskThread$WrappingRunnable.run(TaskThread.java:63)
	at java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:1583)
20:58:18.774 [http-nio-8080-exec-5] DEBUG o.a.coyote.http11.Http11Processor - Error state [CLOSE_CONNECTION_NOW] reported while processing request
java.io.EOFException: null
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.NioEndpoint$NioSocketWrapper.fillReadBuffer(NioEndpoint.java:1295)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.NioEndpoint$NioSocketWrapper.read(NioEndpoint.java:1183)
	at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11InputBuffer.fill(Http11InputBuffer.java:795)
	at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11InputBuffer.parseRequestLine(Http11InputBuffer.java:351)
	at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Processor.service(Http11Processor.java:270)
	at org.apache.coyote.AbstractProcessorLight.process(AbstractProcessorLight.java:63)
	at org.apache.coyote.AbstractProtocol$ConnectionHandler.process(AbstractProtocol.java:905)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.NioEndpoint$SocketProcessor.doRun(NioEndpoint.java:1743)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.SocketProcessorBase.run(SocketProcessorBase.java:52)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.threads.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1190)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.threads.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:659)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.threads.TaskThread$WrappingRunnable.run(TaskThread.java:63)
	at java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:1583)

[bclozel]

Please provide a minimal sample application.

[sharmasourabh]

Please find the sample application here

$ curl --request GET \
  --url http://localhost:8080/v1/testobj/1 \
  --header 'Accept: application/json' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json'

{"id":1,"name":"name","ranks":null,"stocks":{}}

$ curl --request PATCH \
  --url http://localhost:8080/v1/testobj/1 \
  --header 'Accept: application/json' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
	"stocks": [
		 "532483","526829"
	],
	"action": "remove"
}'

PATCH request logs: (Unlike GET call, response is returned but not received by the client)

2025-04-07T12:01:53.460+05:30  INFO 49683 --- [demo] [nio-8080-exec-3] c.e.demo.controller.TestObjController    : Patch request received for id - 1
2025-04-07T12:01:53.461+05:30  INFO 49683 --- [demo] [nio-8080-exec-3] c.e.demo.controller.TestObjController    : Patch request's response being sent...

[SheikhSuhail19]

Hello @bclozel ,

If nobody is actively working on this, I can pick it up. Please let me know.
Thanks

[bclozel]

I can't reproduce the issue you're seeing. Please advise.

➜  PatchDemo git:(main) curl --version
curl 8.7.1 (x86_64-apple-darwin24.0) libcurl/8.7.1 (SecureTransport) LibreSSL/3.3.6 zlib/1.2.12 nghttp2/1.64.0
Release-Date: 2024-03-27
Protocols: dict file ftp ftps gopher gophers http https imap imaps ipfs ipns ldap ldaps mqtt pop3 pop3s rtsp smb smbs smtp smtps telnet tftp
Features: alt-svc AsynchDNS GSS-API HSTS HTTP2 HTTPS-proxy IPv6 Kerberos Largefile libz MultiSSL NTLM SPNEGO SSL threadsafe UnixSockets

➜  PatchDemo git:(main) curl --request PATCH \
  --url http://localhost:8080/v1/testobj/1 \
  --header 'Accept: application/json' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
        "stocks": [
                 "532483","526829"
        ],
        "action": "remove"
}' -v
* Host localhost:8080 was resolved.
* IPv6: ::1
* IPv4: 127.0.0.1
*   Trying [::1]:8080...
* Connected to localhost (::1) port 8080
> PATCH /v1/testobj/1 HTTP/1.1
> Host: localhost:8080
> User-Agent: curl/8.7.1
> Accept: application/json
> Content-Type: application/json
> Content-Length: 61
>
* upload completely sent off: 61 bytes
< HTTP/1.1 200
< Content-Type: application/json
< Transfer-Encoding: chunked
< Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2025 07:01:04 GMT
<
* Connection #0 to host localhost left intact
{"id":1,"name":"name","ranks":null,"stocks":{}}%

[sharmasourabh]

Thanks @bclozel for looking into it.

I am also using the same cURL version on Mac. Even I tried using Insomnia API client too. No luck. Interesting thing is all other HTTP methods work fine. Please look at the attached gif.

[bclozel]

My best guess is that this is due to your local setup. Maybe a local firewall or antivirus?

In the meantime I will close this issue as it appears unrelated to Spring.

[taarh]

Hello,

Could you please share an example using the PUT method?
As you mentioned earlier, it works with PUT, but in the demo you provided, the example uses GET.
Could you please provide an example with PUT instead?

Thank you!