Spring Boot Auto-Configuration

@Target(ElementType.TYPE)
@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
@Documented
@Inherited
@SpringBootConfiguration
@EnableAutoConfiguration
@ComponentScan(excludeFilters = {
        @Filter(type = FilterType.CUSTOM, classes = TypeExcludeFilter.class),
        @Filter(type = FilterType.CUSTOM, classes = AutoConfigurationExcludeFilter.class) })
public @interface SpringBootApplication {
    ...
}

@SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
@Target(ElementType.TYPE)
@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
@Documented
@Inherited
@AutoConfigurationPackage
@Import(EnableAutoConfigurationImportSelector.class)
public @interface EnableAutoConfiguration {
    ...
}

public class AutoConfigurationImportSelector
        implements DeferredImportSelector, BeanClassLoaderAware, ResourceLoaderAware,
        BeanFactoryAware, EnvironmentAware, Ordered {

    ...

    @Override
    public String[] selectImports(AnnotationMetadata annotationMetadata) {
        if (!isEnabled(annotationMetadata)) {
            return NO_IMPORTS;
        }
        try {
            AutoConfigurationMetadata autoConfigurationMetadata = AutoConfigurationMetadataLoader
                    .loadMetadata(this.beanClassLoader);
            AnnotationAttributes attributes = getAttributes(annotationMetadata);
            List<String> configurations = getCandidateConfigurations(annotationMetadata,
                    attributes);
            configurations = removeDuplicates(configurations);
            configurations = sort(configurations, autoConfigurationMetadata);
            Set<String> exclusions = getExclusions(annotationMetadata, attributes);
            checkExcludedClasses(configurations, exclusions);
            configurations.removeAll(exclusions);
            configurations = filter(configurations, autoConfigurationMetadata);
            fireAutoConfigurationImportEvents(configurations, exclusions);
            return configurations.toArray(new String[configurations.size()]);
        }
        catch (IOException ex) {
            throw new IllegalStateException(ex);
        }
    }
    
    protected List<String> getCandidateConfigurations(AnnotationMetadata metadata,
            AnnotationAttributes attributes) {
        List<String> configurations = SpringFactoriesLoader.loadFactoryNames(
                getSpringFactoriesLoaderFactoryClass(), getBeanClassLoader());
        return configurations;
    }
    
    protected Class<?> getSpringFactoriesLoaderFactoryClass() {
        return EnableAutoConfiguration.class;
    }
    
    ...
    
}

class ConfigurationClassParser {

    private void processDeferredImportSelectors() {
        List<DeferredImportSelectorHolder> deferredImports = this.deferredImportSelectors;
        this.deferredImportSelectors = null;
        Collections.sort(deferredImports, DEFERRED_IMPORT_COMPARATOR);

        for (DeferredImportSelectorHolder deferredImport : deferredImports) {
            ConfigurationClass configClass = deferredImport.getConfigurationClass();
            try {
                String[] imports = deferredImport.getImportSelector().selectImports(configClass.getMetadata());
                processImports(configClass, asSourceClass(configClass), asSourceClasses(imports), false);
            }
            ...
        }
    }

    private void processImports(ConfigurationClass configClass, SourceClass currentSourceClass,
                Collection<SourceClass> importCandidates, boolean checkForCircularImports) throws IOException {

        if (importCandidates.isEmpty()) {
            return;
        }

        if (checkForCircularImports && isChainedImportOnStack(configClass)) {
            this.problemReporter.error(new CircularImportProblem(configClass, this.importStack));
        }
        else {
            this.importStack.push(configClass);
            try {
                for (SourceClass candidate : importCandidates) {
                    if (candidate.isAssignable(ImportSelector.class)) {
                        // Candidate class is an ImportSelector -> delegate to it to determine imports
                        Class<?> candidateClass = candidate.loadClass();
                        ImportSelector selector = BeanUtils.instantiateClass(candidateClass, ImportSelector.class);
                        ParserStrategyUtils.invokeAwareMethods(
                                selector, this.environment, this.resourceLoader, this.registry);
                        if (this.deferredImportSelectors != null && selector instanceof DeferredImportSelector) {
                            this.deferredImportSelectors.add(
                                    new DeferredImportSelectorHolder(configClass, (DeferredImportSelector) selector));
                        }
                        else {
                            String[] importClassNames = selector.selectImports(currentSourceClass.getMetadata());
                            Collection<SourceClass> importSourceClasses = asSourceClasses(importClassNames);
                            processImports(configClass, currentSourceClass, importSourceClasses, false);
                        }
                    }
                    else if (candidate.isAssignable(ImportBeanDefinitionRegistrar.class)) {
                        // Candidate class is an ImportBeanDefinitionRegistrar ->
                        // delegate to it to register additional bean definitions
                        Class<?> candidateClass = candidate.loadClass();
                        ImportBeanDefinitionRegistrar registrar =
                                BeanUtils.instantiateClass(candidateClass, ImportBeanDefinitionRegistrar.class);
                        ParserStrategyUtils.invokeAwareMethods(
                                registrar, this.environment, this.resourceLoader, this.registry);
                        configClass.addImportBeanDefinitionRegistrar(registrar, currentSourceClass.getMetadata());
                    }
                    else {
                        // Candidate class not an ImportSelector or ImportBeanDefinitionRegistrar ->
                        // process it as an @Configuration class
                        this.importStack.registerImport(
                                currentSourceClass.getMetadata(), candidate.getMetadata().getClassName());
                        processConfigurationClass(candidate.asConfigClass(configClass));
                    }
                }
            }
            ...
        }
    }
    
}