[[servlet-filters-review]]
= A Review of ``Filter``s

Spring Security's Servlet support is based on Servlet ``Filter``s, so it is helpful to look at the role of ``Filter``s generally first.
The picture below shows the typical layering of the handlers for a single HTTP request.

.FilterChain
[[servlet-filterchain-figure]]
image::{figures}/filterchain.png[]

The client sends a request to the application, and the container creates a `FilterChain` which contains the ``Filter``s and `Servlet` that should process the `HttpServletRequest` based on the path of the request URI.
In a Spring MVC application the `Servlet` is an instance of https://docs.spring.io/spring/docs/current/spring-framework-reference/web.html#mvc-servlet[`DispatcherServlet`].
At most one `Servlet` can handle a single `HttpServletRequest` and `HttpServletResponse`.
However, more than one `Filter` can be used to:

* Prevent downstream ``Filter``s or the `Servlet` from being invoked.
In this instance the `Filter` will typically write the `HttpServletResponse`.
* Modify the `HttpServletRequest` or `HttpServletResponse` used by the downstream ``Filter``s and `Servlet`

The power of the `Filter` comes from the `FilterChain` that is passed into it.

.`FilterChain` Usage Example
====
[source,java]
----
public void doFilter(ServletRequest request, ServletResponse response, FilterChain chain) {
	// do something before the rest of the application
    chain.doFilter(request, response); // invoke the rest of the application
    // do something after the rest of the application
}
----
====

Since a `Filter` only impacts downstream ``Filter``s and the `Servlet`, the order each `Filter` is invoked is extremely important.
