This is a book on Java and web services. It is for developers who need to develop client- or server-side programs that either use web services or are exposed as web services. Web services are built on XML and have specifications that focus on the XML nature of the technology. These specifications do not discuss how these technologies might be bound to a particular programming language such as Java. As a result, a plethora of industry technologies that facilitate Java/web service integration have been proposed.
This book introduces the basics of SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI, and then discusses some of the different Java technologies available for using each of these platforms within a Java program. The technologies we’ve chosen range from open source initiatives, such as the Apache project, to big-ticket commercial packages. One reason for touching on so many different packages is that the web services story is still developing; a number of important standards are still in flux, and vendors are providing their own solutions to these problems. Of course, this book looks at the standards efforts designed to consolidate and standardize how Java programs interface with web services. Most notably, this book discusses Java/XML technologies, such as JAXR, JAX-RPC, and JAXM, and how they can be used in a web services environment.
These standards are still works in progress; their status may be clarified by the time we write a second edition. In the meantime, we thought it was important (and even critical) to show you how things look. Just be aware that changes are certain between now and the time when these standards are finalized and actual products are released.
Additionally, for developers who are producing J2EE applications, this book discusses different technologies that are being proposed to web service-enable standard J2EE applications. This book discusses how a web service facade can integrate with a J2EE infrastructure. It also introduces some of the standards efforts proposed for solidifying this work.
This book also discusses the points that developers need to understand to make their web services secure and interoperable with other web services. It provides an in-depth look at web service interoperability across multiple platforms, including the topic of .NET.
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