JAX-RS stands for Java API for RESTful Web Services. It is a Java programming language API that provides support for building RESTful web services, following the principles of REST (Representational State Transfer). JAX-RS is part of the Java EE (Enterprise Edition) platform and is included in the Java EE specification.
Key features and components of JAX-RS include:
Annotation-Based Programming Model: JAX-RS uses annotations to define and configure RESTful web services, making it easy to develop and maintain RESTful APIs. Annotations such as @Path, @GET, @POST, @PUT, @DELETE, and others are used to specify resource URIs, HTTP methods, and other aspects of the web service.
Resource Classes: In JAX-RS, web services are implemented using resource classes, which are regular Java classes annotated with JAX-RS annotations. Each resource class represents a URI endpoint in the web service and defines methods to handle HTTP requests for that endpoint.
URI Path Templates: JAX-RS allows developers to define URI path templates using the @Path annotation. Path templates can include variables, which are extracted from the request URI and passed as parameters to resource methods. This allows for flexible URI routing and parameter extraction.
HTTP Method Handling: JAX-RS provides annotations such as @GET, @POST, @PUT, and @DELETE to specify which HTTP methods are supported by resource methods. These annotations map HTTP requests to corresponding Java methods in resource classes.
Content Negotiation: JAX-RS supports content negotiation, allowing clients to specify their preferred media types (e.g., JSON, XML) for request and response bodies. Resource methods can produce and consume different media types using annotations such as @Produces and @Consumes.
Exception Handling: JAX-RS provides mechanisms for handling exceptions thrown by resource methods and mapping them to appropriate HTTP status codes and error responses. Developers can use exception mappers to map application-specific exceptions to HTTP responses.
Client API: In addition to server-side support, JAX-RS also includes a client API for consuming RESTful web services from Java client applications. The client API allows developers to easily make HTTP requests to remote
