Java REST API Tutorial

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In this comprehensive guide, we will explore how to build REST APIs using Java and the various frameworks available for creating efficient and scalable APIs. We will also discuss the best options based on different use cases and requirements.

Introduction

REST stands for REpresentational State Transfer, a popular architectural style for designing networked applications. It uses standard HTTP methods and principles to enable communication between client and server. In this tutorial, you will learn how to build RESTful APIs (web services) using Java, focusing on different frameworks and best practices.

A REST API is an intermediary Application Programming Interface that enables two applications to communicate with each other over HTTP, much like how servers communicate with browsers.

In Java, we use JAX-RS APIs to build RESTful APIs. JAX-RS is an API specification, so we can use either Jersey or RESTEasy framework as JAX-RS implementation to build RESTful web services. Additionally, Spring Boot is a popular choice for building REST APIs due to its ease of use and robust features.

REST API Tutorial for Beginners

Here is the REST API comprehensive tutorial for beginners: REST API Tutorial for Beginners.

REST Basics

  1. Overview of REST
  2. What is Payload in REST API?
  3. REST API - HTTP Methods
  4. REST API - HTTP Status Codes
  5. Advantages of REST
  6. REST API - REST Architectural Constraints
  7. REST API - REST Architectural Properties
  8. REST API - REST Architectural Elements
  9. Difference Between SOAP vs REST Web Services

Design REST API Guide

  1. How to Identify REST Resources
  2. How to Design URL to REST Resource
  3. How to Assign HTTP Methods to REST Resources
  4. How to Model JSON Representation Format
  5. What HTTP Status Code to Return

REST API Design Best Practices

  1. RESTful API Design Best Practices

Build REST API with Jersey

Jersey is the reference implementation of JAX-RS, providing support for creating RESTful web services in Java.

  1. Jersey Rest Hello World Example
  2. Jersey JAX-RS Restful CRUD Web Services Example
  3. Jersey Rest Developer Guide

Build REST API with RESTEasy

RESTEasy is a JBoss project that provides a JAX-RS implementation to help you build RESTful web services.

  1. RESTEasy Hello World Example Tutorial
  2. RESTEasy JAX-RS Get, POST, PUT and DELETE Tutorial
  3. RESTEasy Client for GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE RESTFul APIs

Build REST API with Spring Boot

Spring Boot simplifies the development of RESTful APIs by providing a range of features and auto-configurations.

  1. Spring Boot CRUD REST API Project using IntelliJ IDEA | Postman | MySQL
  2. Spring Boot, MySQL, JPA, Hibernate Restful CRUD API Tutorial
  3. Spring Boot File Upload / Download Rest API Example
  4. Spring Boot, H2, JPA, Hibernate Restful CRUD API Tutorial
  5. Spring Boot Login REST API using Spring Security and MySQL
  6. Login and Registration REST API using Spring Boot, Spring Security, Hibernate, and MySQL Database
  7. Spring Boot REST API Documentation with Swagger
  8. Search REST API using Spring Boot, Spring Data JPA, and MySQL Database
  9. Spring Boot Unit Testing CRUD REST API with JUnit and Mockito
  10. Spring Boot Integration Testing MySQL CRUD REST API Tutorial

Choosing the Best Framework

Jersey

  • Pros: Official reference implementation of JAX-RS, strong community support, comprehensive documentation.
  • Cons: It can be complex to configure and set up, especially for beginners.

RESTEasy

  • Pros: Easy to integrate with other JBoss projects, provides additional features not found in the JAX-RS specification.
  • Cons: It can be complex to use with non-JBoss servers a smaller community compared to Jersey and Spring Boot.

Spring Boot

  • Pros: Simplifies the development process with auto-configuration, large community and ecosystem, easy integration with Spring ecosystem (Spring Security, Spring Data, etc.).
  • Cons: Can be overkill for small applications, heavier footprint compared to JAX-RS implementations.

Conclusion

For most use cases, Spring Boot is the best option due to its simplicity, extensive documentation, and large community support. It provides a streamlined development experience and integrates well with other Spring projects. However, if you are looking for a JAX-RS implementation or need to work within the JBoss ecosystem, Jersey and RESTEasy are also excellent choices.

Further Reading

Explore more about REST APIs and related technologies with these tutorials:

Comments

  1. Unknown28 July 2020 at 18:39

    Excelente conteúdo, continue, você está ajudando milhares de desenvolvedores. Valeu!

    ReplyDelete
  2. अमर उदय पाटील27 December 2020 at 04:07

    Very helpful

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gomez Jonh27 February 2021 at 18:58

    hey man, the Rest API Design Best Practices
    Restful API Design Best Practices link is not working, when I click on it, it takes me to blogger, and not to the post (blog, entry, you know the article)

    ReplyDelete

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