This chapter includes the following sections:
For definitions of unfamiliar terms found in this and other books, see the Glossary.
WebLogic Server supports the web service types defined in Table 1-1. For an overview of web services and their benefits, see What Are Web Services? in Understanding Web Services.
Table 1-1 Types of WebLogic Web Services
Web Service Type | Description |
---|---|
Java API for XML-Based Web Services (JAX-WS) 2.2 |
The JAX-WS implementation in Oracle WebLogic Server is extended from the JAX-WS Reference Implementation (RI) developed by the Glassfish Community (see For more information about JAX-WS, see: |
Java API for RESTful Web Services (JAX-RS) |
WebLogic Server supports the Jersey 2.x JAX-RS 2.0 Reference Implementation (RI).
For more information about JAX-RS, see: |
Java API for XML-Based RPC (JAX-RPC) 1.1 |
JAX-RPC is considered legacy and the specification is no longer evolving. JAX-RPC defines APIs and conventions for supporting XML web services in the Java Platform as well support for the WS-I Basic Profile to improve interoperability between JAX-RPC implementations. For more information about JAX-WS, see:
|
The following table provides guidelines to consider when choosing between SOAP and REST.
In WebLogic Server, SOAP web services are implemented using JAX-WS and RESTful web services are implemented using JAX-RS. See also Features and Standards Supported by WebLogic Web Services for a comparison of the standards that are supported for JAX-WS and JAX-RS.
Table 1-2 How to Choose Between SOAP and RESTful Web Services
Use . . . | In the following scenarios . . . |
---|---|
SOAP |
Implement SOAP web services using JAX-WS in enterprise application integration scenarios that:
JAX-WS interoperates with other standards-based SOAP web services from Oracle or other SOAP web service vendors. JAX-WS supports the full set of WS-* protocols that provide standards for security, reliability, and so on, and better interoperates with other clients and servers that conform to the WS-* protocols. For more information about SOAP web service development, see Developing JAX-WS Web Services for Oracle WebLogic Server. |
REST |
Implement RESTful web services using JAX-RS to integrate services over the web when the constraints of the RESTful style are desirable, such as separate client-server architecture, uniform interface, and so on. For more information about RESTful web services development, see Developing and Securing RESTful Web Services for Oracle WebLogic Server. |