```
@Retention(RUNTIME)
@Target(ANNOTATION_TYPE)
@Documented
public @interface Stereotype
```
Specifies that an annotation type is a stereotype.

In many systems, use of architectural patterns produces a set of recurring bean roles. A stereotype allows a framework developer to identify such a role and declare some common metadata for beans with that role in a central place.

A bean may declare zero, one or multiple stereotypes, by applying the stereotype annotation to the bean class or producer method or field.

A stereotype encapsulates any combination of:
- a default scope, and
- a set of interceptor bindings.
The default scope of a stereotype is defined by annotating the stereotype with a scope type. A stereotype may declare at most one scope. If a bean explicitly declares a scope, any default scopes declared by its stereotypes are ignored.
```
 @RequestScoped
 @Stereotype
 @Target(TYPE)
 @Retention(RUNTIME)
 public @interface Action {
 }
 
```
The interceptor bindings of a stereotype are defined by annotating the stereotype with the interceptor binding types. A stereotype may declare zero, one or multiple interceptor bindings. An interceptor binding declared by a stereotype is inherited by any bean that declares that stereotype.
```
 @RequestScoped
 @Secure
 @Transactional
 @Stereotype
 @Target(TYPE)
 @Retention(RUNTIME)
 public @interface Action {
 }
 
```
A stereotype may also specify that:
- all beans with the stereotype have defaulted bean EL names, or that
- all beans with the stereotype are alternatives, or that
- all beans with the stereotype have predefined @Priority.
A stereotype may declare an empty @Named annotation, which specifies that every bean with the stereotype has a defaulted name when a name is not explicitly specified by the bean.
```
 @RequestScoped
 @Named
 @Secure
 @Transactional
 @Stereotype
 @Target(TYPE)
 @Retention(RUNTIME)
 public @interface Action {
 }
 
```
A stereotype may declare an @Alternative annotation, which specifies that every bean with the stereotype is an alternative.
```
 @Alternative
 @Stereotype
 @Target(TYPE)
 @Retention(RUNTIME)
 public @interface Mock {
 }
 
```
A stereotype may declare a @Priority annotation, which specifies that every bean with the stereotype is enabled and has given priority.
```
 @Alternative
 @Priority(1)
 @Stereotype
 @Target(TYPE)
 @Retention(RUNTIME)
 public @interface Mock {
 }
 
```
A stereotype may declare other stereotypes. Stereotype declarations are transitive. A stereotype declared by a second stereotype is inherited by all beans and other stereotypes that declare the second stereotype.
Author:

Pete Muir, Gavin King

See Also:

the built-in stereotype Model

Annotation Type Stereotype