Lombok @Getter/@Setter Not Working in Eclipse or STS? Fix in 3 Steps by Keval Chheda

KEVAL CHHEDA — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 17:01:33 +0000

Introduction

If you are a Java or Spring Boot developer, you have probably faced this situation.

You add Lombok annotations like:

@Getter
@Setter
@Data

But suddenly your IDE shows errors like:

The method getName() is undefined for the type User

Cannot find symbol: method getId()

Even though your project compiles successfully.

This is one of the most common Lombok issues in Eclipse / Spring Tool Suite (STS).

In this article, we'll understand:

Why Lombok stops working
The most common causes
How to fix it in 3 simple steps

The Problem

Consider this class:

import lombok.Getter;
import lombok.Setter;

@Getter
@Setter
public class User {

    private String name;
    private int age;

}

Now in another class:

User user = new User();
user.setName("John");
System.out.println(user.getName());

But Eclipse shows an error:
The method getName() is undefined for the type User

Why?
Because Eclipse is not processing Lombok annotations.

Why This Happens
Lombok works using Annotation Processing.
During compilation Lombok generates methods automatically like:

getName() setName() toString() equals() hashCode()

But if annotation processing is disabled, Eclipse cannot generate them.

Lombok Internals (Infographic)
Java Class
│
▼
Lombok Annotation
│
▼
Annotation Processor
│
▼
Generated Methods
(getters/setters)
│
▼
Compiled Class

Without annotation processing:

Annotations ignored → Methods not generated → IDE error
Step 1 — Enable Annotation Processing

In Eclipse or STS:

Window
→ Preferences
→ Java
→ Compiler
→ Annotation Processing

Enable:

☑ Enable annotation processing

Apply and restart the IDE.

Step 2 — Install Lombok in Eclipse

Download Lombok from:

https://projectlombok.org/download

Run:

java -jar lombok.jar

Then select your Eclipse / STS installation directory.
Lombok will modify the IDE configuration.
Restart Eclipse.

Step 3 — Add Lombok Dependency

If you're using Maven, add:

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.projectlombok</groupId>
    <artifactId>lombok</artifactId>
    <version>1.18.32</version>
    <scope>provided</scope>
</dependency>

If using Gradle:

compileOnly 'org.projectlombok:lombok:1.18.32'
annotationProcessor 'org.projectlombok:lombok:1.18.32'
Final Result

Your class:

@Data
public class User {

    private String name;
    private int age;

}

Lombok automatically generates:

getName()
setName()
getAge()
setAge()
toString()
equals()
hashCode()

No more IDE errors.

Quick Troubleshooting Checklist

If Lombok still doesn't work:

✔ Annotation processing enabled
✔ Lombok installed in IDE
✔ Dependency added in pom.xml
✔ Project cleaned and rebuilt
✔ IDE restarted

Pro Tip
Many developers think Lombok is broken when the issue is actually IDE configuration.
Once annotation processing is enabled, Lombok works perfectly.

Summary
Lombok errors in Eclipse usually happen because:
Annotation Processing Disabled
IDE not configured for Lombok
Missing dependency

Fixing these takes less than 2 minutes.

Java Backend Debugging Series
This article is part of the Java Backend Debugging Series.

[INFO] npm ERR! code CERT_HAS_EXPIRED https://npm.sap.com/@sap%2fodata-server failed, reason: certificate has expired

KEVAL CHHEDA — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:04:36 +0000

there is error for npm.sap.com i am not able to counter that there no available solutions available on internet kindly help me to solve this issue . Thanks

[INFO] npm ERR! errno CERT_HAS_EXPIRED https://npm.sap.com/@sap%2fodata-server failed, reason: certificate has expired

KEVAL CHHEDA — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 16:59:09 +0000

please help me solve this problem. Thankyou

DEV Community: KEVAL CHHEDA