AbstractMethodError in SessionFactoryImpl when upgrading to Hibernate 5

Question

We're using Spring ORM 4.2.1.RELEASE to interact with Hibernate via JPA. Everything works fine with Hibernate 4.3.11.Final, but when we try to upgrade to Hibernate 5, it breaks with an AbstractMethodError when constructing the SessionFactory.

According to the release notes, Spring 4.2.1 does support Hibernate 5. Examining the Maven dependency tree didn't show any duplicate or obsolete versions of Hibernate or Spring. The specific line that is reported (https://github.com/hibernate/hibernate-orm/blob/master/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/SessionFactoryImpl.java line 278) is iterating over Hibernate integrators, but we don't use any, so the list of integrators should logically be empty (and thus not iterate).

Does anyone know whether this is a bug (or lack of support) in Spring, or if we're doing something wrong?

Extract from application log:

2015-09-08 13:17:45,452 [main] INFO  org.springframework.test.context.support.DefaultTestContextBootstrapper - Using TestExecutionListeners: [org.springframework.test.context.web.ServletTestExecutionListener@20f0461e, org.springframework.test.context.support.DirtiesContextBeforeModesTestExecutionListener@7e8b6c76, org.springframework.test.context.support.DependencyInjectionTestExecutionListener@737df7e1, org.springframework.test.context.support.DirtiesContextTestExecutionListener@531d1003, org.springframework.test.context.transaction.TransactionalTestExecutionListener@19065f96, org.springframework.test.context.jdbc.SqlScriptsTestExecutionListener@716d7daf] 2015-09-08 13:17:45,460 [main] INFO  org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader - Loading XML bean definitions from class path resource [dataContext.xml] 2015-09-08 13:17:45,689 [main] INFO  org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader - Loading XML bean definitions from class path resource [systemContext.xml] 2015-09-08 13:17:45,779 [main] INFO  org.springframework.context.support.GenericApplicationContext - Refreshing org.springframework.context.support.GenericApplicationContext@4b56a656: startup date [Tue Sep 08 13:17:45 AEST 2015]; root of context hierarchy 2015-09-08 13:17:45,846 [main] INFO  org.springframework.context.support.PropertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer - Loading properties file from class path resource [application.properties] 2015-09-08 13:17:45,900 [MLog-Init-Reporter] INFO  com.mchange.v2.log.MLog - MLog clients using slf4j logging. 2015-09-08 13:17:45,921 [main] INFO  com.mchange.v2.c3p0.C3P0Registry - Initializing c3p0-0.9.5.1 [built 16-June-2015 00:06:36 -0700; debug? true; trace: 10] 2015-09-08 13:17:46,046 [main] INFO  org.springframework.orm.jpa.LocalContainerEntityManagerFactoryBean - Building JPA container EntityManagerFactory for persistence unit 'default' 2015-09-08 13:17:46,060 [main] INFO  org.hibernate.jpa.internal.util.LogHelper - HHH000204: Processing PersistenceUnitInfo [     name: default     ...] 2015-09-08 13:17:46,136 [main] INFO  org.hibernate.Version - HHH000412: Hibernate Core {5.0.1.Final} 2015-09-08 13:17:46,137 [main] INFO  org.hibernate.cfg.Environment - HHH000206: hibernate.properties not found 2015-09-08 13:17:46,138 [main] INFO  org.hibernate.cfg.Environment - HHH000021: Bytecode provider name : javassist 2015-09-08 13:17:46,166 [main] INFO  org.hibernate.annotations.common.Version - HCANN000001: Hibernate Commons Annotations {5.0.0.Final} 2015-09-08 13:17:46,274 [main] INFO  com.mchange.v2.c3p0.impl.AbstractPoolBackedDataSource - Initializing c3p0 pool... com.mchange.v2.c3p0.ComboPooledDataSource [ acquireIncrement -> 3, acquireRetryAttempts -> 30, acquireRetryDelay -> 1000, autoCommitOnClose -> false, automaticTestTable -> null, breakAfterAcquireFailure -> false, checkoutTimeout -> 0, connectionCustomizerClassName -> null, connectionTesterClassName -> com.mchange.v2.c3p0.impl.DefaultConnectionTester, contextClassLoaderSource -> caller, dataSourceName -> z8kfsx9b1bfny2k11h75wx|4aa092d5, debugUnreturnedConnectionStackTraces -> false, description -> null, driverClass -> org.hsqldb.jdbcDriver, extensions -> {}, factoryClassLocation -> null, forceIgnoreUnresolvedTransactions -> false, forceSynchronousCheckins -> false, forceUseNamedDriverClass -> false, identityToken -> z8kfsx9b1bfny2k11h75wx|4aa092d5, idleConnectionTestPeriod -> 30, initialPoolSize -> 3, jdbcUrl -> jdbc:hsqldb:mem:testDB, maxAdministrativeTaskTime -> 0, maxConnectionAge -> 0, maxIdleTime -> 0, maxIdleTimeExcessConnections -> 0, maxPoolSize -> 15, maxStatements -> 0, maxStatementsPerConnection -> 0, minPoolSize -> 3, numHelperThreads -> 3, preferredTestQuery -> null, privilegeSpawnedThreads -> false, properties -> {user=******, password=******}, propertyCycle -> 0, statementCacheNumDeferredCloseThreads -> 0, testConnectionOnCheckin -> true, testConnectionOnCheckout -> true, unreturnedConnectionTimeout -> 0, userOverrides -> {}, usesTraditionalReflectiveProxies -> false ] 2015-09-08 13:17:46,396 [main] INFO  org.hibernate.dialect.Dialect - HHH000400: Using dialect: org.hibernate.dialect.HSQLDialect 2015-09-08 13:17:46,429 [main] INFO  org.hibernate.engine.jdbc.env.internal.LobCreatorBuilderImpl - HHH000423: Disabling contextual LOB creation as JDBC driver reported JDBC version [3] less than 4 2015-09-08 13:17:46,592 [main] WARN  org.springframework.context.support.GenericApplicationContext - Exception encountered during context initialization - cancelling refresh attempt org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'entityManagerFactory' defined in class path resource [dataContext.xml]: Invocation of init method failed; nested exception is java.lang.AbstractMethodError     at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.initializeBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1578) ~[spring-beans-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.doCreateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:545) ~[spring-beans-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.createBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:482) ~[spring-beans-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory$1.getObject(AbstractBeanFactory.java:305) ~[spring-beans-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.getSingleton(DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.java:230) ~[spring-beans-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.doGetBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:301) ~[spring-beans-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.getBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:196) ~[spring-beans-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.getBean(AbstractApplicationContext.java:1045) ~[spring-context-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.finishBeanFactoryInitialization(AbstractApplicationContext.java:824) ~[spring-context-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.refresh(AbstractApplicationContext.java:537) [spring-context-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     at org.springframework.test.context.support.AbstractGenericContextLoader.loadContext(AbstractGenericContextLoader.java:125) [spring-test-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     ... rows deleted Caused by: java.lang.AbstractMethodError     at org.hibernate.internal.SessionFactoryImpl.<init>(SessionFactoryImpl.java:278) ~[hibernate-core-5.0.1.Final.jar:5.0.1.Final]     at org.hibernate.boot.internal.SessionFactoryBuilderImpl.build(SessionFactoryBuilderImpl.java:444) ~[hibernate-core-5.0.1.Final.jar:5.0.1.Final]     at org.hibernate.jpa.boot.internal.EntityManagerFactoryBuilderImpl.build(EntityManagerFactoryBuilderImpl.java:802) ~[hibernate-entitymanager-5.0.1.Final.jar:5.0.1.Final]     at org.springframework.orm.jpa.vendor.SpringHibernateJpaPersistenceProvider.createContainerEntityManagerFactory(SpringHibernateJpaPersistenceProvider.java:60) ~[spring-orm-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     at org.springframework.orm.jpa.LocalContainerEntityManagerFactoryBean.createNativeEntityManagerFactory(LocalContainerEntityManagerFactoryBean.java:343) ~[spring-orm-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     at org.springframework.orm.jpa.AbstractEntityManagerFactoryBean.afterPropertiesSet(AbstractEntityManagerFactoryBean.java:318) ~[spring-orm-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.invokeInitMethods(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1637) ~[spring-beans-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.initializeBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1574) ~[spring-beans-4.2.1.RELEASE.jar:4.2.1.RELEASE]     ... 41 more 

Extract from Spring context:

<bean id="jpaVendorAdapter" class="org.springframework.orm.jpa.vendor.HibernateJpaVendorAdapter"/>  <bean id="entityManagerFactory" class="org.springframework.orm.jpa.LocalContainerEntityManagerFactoryBean">     <property name="dataSource" ref="dataSource"/>     <property name="jpaVendorAdapter" ref="jpaVendorAdapter"/>     <property name="packagesToScan" value="au.gov.qld.ssq.cofa.domain"/>     <property name="jpaPropertyMap">         <map>             <entry key="hibernate.dialect" value="${hibernate.dialect}"/>             <entry key="hibernate.show_sql" value="${hibernate.show_sql}"/>             <entry key="hibernate.hbm2ddl.auto" value="${hibernate.hbm2ddl.auto}"/>         </map>     </property> </bean> 

Answer 1

This error has nothing to do with Spring. You have an Hibernate 5 incompatible Integrator in your classpath. These are detected through the ServiceRegistry.

A common issue is older versions of Jadira Usertype which is not compatible with Hibernate 5. If you have Jadira User type prior to version 5.0.0 in your classpath you will get this exception. If that is not the case for you, and you are unsure of which library you are having an issue with, put a breakpoint on line 278 of SessionFactoryImpl and check out the class of the Integrator that causes the exception.