Description: A Bean Factory is an interface in the Spring framework that provides the configuration framework for managing beans. In the context of Spring, a ‘bean’ is an object that is part of the Spring container and is managed by it. The Bean Factory allows for the creation, configuration, and lifecycle management of these objects, facilitating dependency injection and promoting cleaner, more modular design. This interface is fundamental to the implementation of the Inversion of Control (IoC) design pattern, which is one of the cornerstones of the Spring framework. By using a Bean Factory, developers can define how beans are created and configured, specifying their dependencies and lifecycle scope. This improves code maintainability and allows for greater flexibility and component reuse. The Bean Factory can be configured using XML files or annotations in the code, providing developers with the option to choose the approach that best suits their needs. In summary, the Bean Factory is a powerful tool within the Spring ecosystem that simplifies object management and promotes good development practices.