Jakarta RESTful Web Services, (JAX-RS; formerly Java API for RESTful Web Services) is a Jakarta EE

API An application programming interface (API) is a connection between computers or between computer programs. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how to build ...

specification that provides support in creating

web service A web service (WS) is either: * a service offered by an electronic device to another electronic device, communicating with each other via the Internet, or * a server running on a computer device, listening for requests at a particular port over a n ...

s according to the

Representational State Transfer REST (Representational State Transfer) is a software architectural style that was created to describe the design and guide the development of the architecture for the World Wide Web. REST defines a set of constraints for how the architecture of ...

(REST) architectural pattern. JAX-RS uses

annotation An annotation is extra information associated with a particular point in a document or other piece of information. It can be a note that includes a comment or explanation. Annotations are sometimes presented Marginalia, in the margin of book page ...

s, introduced in Java SE 5, to simplify the development and deployment of web service clients and endpoints. From version 1.1 on, JAX-RS is an official part of

Java EE Jakarta EE, formerly Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) and Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE), is a set of specifications, extending Java SE with specifications for enterprise features such as distributed computing and web serv ...

6. A notable feature of being an official part of Java EE is that no configuration is necessary to start using JAX-RS. For non-Java EE 6 environments a small entry in the deployment descriptor is required.

Specification

JAX-RS provides some annotations to aid in mapping a resource class (a POJO) as a web resource. The annotations use the

Java package A Java package organizes Java classes into namespaces, providing a unique namespace for each type it contains. Classes in the same package can access each other's package-private and protected members. In general, a package can contain the fo ...

jakarta.ws.rs (previously was javax.ws.rs but was renamed on May 19, 2019). They include: * @Path specifies the relative

path A path is a route for physical travel – see Trail. Path or PATH may also refer to: Physical paths of different types * Bicycle path * Bridle path, used by people on horseback * Course (navigation), the intended path of a vehicle * Desir ...

for a resource class or method. * @GET, @POST, @PUT, @PATCH (since JAX-RS 2.1), @DELETE, @HEAD and @OPTIONS (since JAX-RS 1.1) specify the HTTP request type of a resource. * @Produces specifies the response

Internet media type In information and communications technology, a media type, content type or MIME type is a two-part identifier for file formats and content formats. Their purpose is comparable to filename extensions and uniform type identifiers, in that they ident ...

s (used for

content negotiation In computing, content negotiation refers to mechanisms defined as a part of HTTP that make it possible to serve different versions of a document (or more generally, representations of a resource) at the same URI, so that user agents can specify w ...

). * @Consumes specifies the accepted request Internet media types. In addition, it provides further annotations to method parameters to pull information out of the request. All the @*Param annotations take a key of some form which is used to look up the value required. * @PathParam binds the method parameter to a path segment. * @QueryParam binds the method parameter to the value of an HTTP query parameter. * @MatrixParam binds the method parameter to the value of an HTTP matrix parameter. * @HeaderParam binds the method parameter to an

HTTP header HTTP header fields are a list of strings sent and received by both the client program and server on every HTTP request and response. These headers are usually invisible to the end-user and are only processed or logged by the server and client ...

value. * @CookieParam binds the method parameter to a

cookie A cookie is a sweet biscuit with high sugar and fat content. Cookie dough is softer than that used for other types of biscuit, and they are cooked longer at lower temperatures. The dough typically contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of ...

value. * @FormParam binds the method parameter to a

form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form may also refer to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter dat ...

value. * @DefaultValue specifies a default value for the above bindings when the key is not found. * @Context returns the entire context of the object (for example @Context HttpServletRequest request).

JAX-RS 2.0

In January 2011 the JCP formed the JSR 339 expert group to work on JAX-RS 2.0. The main targets are (among others) a common client API and support for Hypermedia following the

HATEOAS Hypermedia as the engine of application state (HATEOAS) is a constraint of the REST software architectural style that distinguishes it from other network architectural styles. With HATEOAS, a client interacts with a network application whose appl ...

-principle of

REST REST (Representational State Transfer) is a software architectural style that was created to describe the design and guide the development of the architecture for the World Wide Web. REST defines a set of constraints for how the architecture of ...

. In May 2013, it reached the Final Release stage. On 2017-08-22 JAX-RS 2.1 specification final release was published. Main new supported features include

server-sent events Server-Sent Events (SSE) is a server push technology enabling a client to receive automatic updates from a server via an HTTP connection, and describes how servers can initiate data transmission towards clients once an initial client connection ha ...

, reactive clients, and JSON-B.

Implementations

Implementations of JAX-RS include: *

Apache CXF Apache CXF is an open source software project developing a Web services framework. It originated as the combination of Celtix developed by IONA Technologies and XFire developed by a team hosted at the now defunct host CodeHaus in 2006. These two ...

, an open source

Web service A web service (WS) is either: * a service offered by an electronic device to another electronic device, communicating with each other via the Internet, or * a server running on a computer device, listening for requests at a particular port over a n ...

framework * Jersey, the

reference implementation In the software development process, a reference implementation (or, less frequently, sample implementation or model implementation) is a program that implements all requirements from a corresponding specification. The reference implementation ...

from

Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

(now

Oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...

)
RESTeasy

JBoss WildFly, formerly known as JBoss AS, or simply JBoss, is an application server written by JBoss, now developed by Red Hat. WildFly is written in Java and implements the Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) specification. It runs on mult ...

's implementation * Restlet * WebSphere Application Server from

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

: ** Version 7.0: via th
"Feature Pack for Communications Enabled Applications"
** Version 8.0 onwards: natively * WebLogic Application Server from

, se
notes
* Apache Tuscany (http://tuscany.apache.org/documentation-2x/sca-java-bindingrest.html), discontinued * Cuubez framework (https://web.archive.org/web/20190707005602/http://cuubez.com/)
Everrest
Codenvy's Implementation
Jello-Framework
Java Application Framework optimized for Google App Engine, including a powerful RESTful engine and comprehensive Data Authorization model. *

Apache TomEE Apache TomEE (pronounced "Tommy") is the Enterprise Edition of Apache Tomcat (Tomcat + Java/Jakarta EE = TomEE) that combines several Java enterprise projects including Apache OpenEJB, Apache OpenWebBeans, Apache OpenJPA, Apache MyFaces and o ...

, an addition to

Apache Tomcat Apache Tomcat (called "Tomcat" for short) is a free and open-source implementation of the Jakarta Servlet, Jakarta Expression Language, and WebSocket technologies. It provides a "pure Java" HTTP web server environment in which Java code can also ...

References

* Hadley, Marc and Paul Sandoz, eds. (September 17, 2009).
JAX-RS: Java API for RESTful WebServices
' (version 1.1),

Java Community Process The Java Community Process (JCP), established in 1998, is a formal mechanism that enables interested parties to develop standard technical specifications for Java technology. Becoming a member of the JCP requires solid knowledge of the Java program ...

External links

Tutorials

* https://javabrains.io/courses/javaee_jaxrs/ * http://docs.oracle.com/javaee/6/tutorial/doc/giepu.html * http://www.vogella.com/tutorials/REST/article.html * http://www.mkyong.com/tutorials/jax-rs-tutorials/ * http://www.coderpanda.com/jax-rs-tutorial/ * https://www.javavogue.com/2015/03/java-jerseyjax-rs-tutorials/ * http://howtodoinjava.com/restful-web-service/ * https://jakarta.ee/learn/starter-guides/how-to-build-a-restful-web-service/ * https://jakarta.ee/learn/starter-guides/how-to-secure-a-restful-web-service/ * https://jakarta.ee/learn/docs/jakartaee-tutorial/current/websvcs/rest/rest.html * https://jakarta.ee/learn/specification-guides/restful-web-services-explained/ {{Jakarta RESTful Web Services Java enterprise platform Java API for XML Web service specifications