Java Web Services

Preface

When XML was first introduced, it was hailed as the cornerstone of a new kind of technology that would permit interoperable businesses. XML provided a generic way to represent structured and typed data. Even though it has taken several years, XML standards have started to evolve and multiply. As part of this evolution, XML has been incorporated into every facet of application and enterprise development. XML is now a part of operating systems, networking protocols, programming languages, databases, application servers, web servers, and so on. XML is used everywhere.

Starting in 1998, XML was incorporated into a number of networking protocols with the intention of providing a standard way for two pieces of software to communicate with each other. The Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and XML-RPC specifications blew the doors wide open on the distributed-computing environment by providing a platform-independent way for software to communicate. Even more astounding, nearly every major software company supported SOAP. The instant success of SOAP created the potential for interoperability at a level that has never been seen before. SOAP became the cornerstone protocol of the web services revolution that is going on today.

After SOAP, the Web Services Description Language (WSDL) and Universal Discovery, Description, Integration (UDDI) specifications were introduced with an equal amount of industry support. Other specifications were rapidly introduced, including ebXML, OASIS technical communities, and a variety of SOAP extensions. Some specifications were met with acclaim and others with disappointment. Either way, the industry has unified around SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI. These core technologies are required to achieve true software interoperability for the future.

It was only a matter of time before developers wanted to use web services technology. Even though web services are language and platform independent, developers still have to develop programs in programming languages. With Java and J2EE being the primary environment for enterprise development, it wasn’t long before technology used to integrate web services with the J2EE platform appeared. Java programs need to be able to create, locate, and consume web services.

Many specifications and technologies have been introduced to bridge the gap between Java and web services. This book provides an introduction to both web services and the Java technologies that have been introduced to support web services. It highlights major web services technologies and investigates the current happenings in the Java standardization community. As the web services revolution continues, it will be increasingly important for software developers to understand how web services work and when to use them. Reading this book may be one of the smartest career moves you will ever make.

Who Should Read This Book?

This book explains and demonstrates the fundamentals of web services and the Java technologies built around web services. It provides a straightforward, no-nonsense explanation of the underlying technology, Java classes and interfaces, programming models, and various implementations.

Although this book focuses on the fundamentals, it’s no “for Dummy’s” book. Readers are expected to have an understanding of Java and XML. Web service APIs are easy to learn, but can be tedious. Before reading this book, you should be fluent in the Java language and have some practical experience developing business solutions. If you are unfamiliar with the Java language, we recommend that you pick up a copy of Learning Java by Patrick Neimeyer and Jonathan Knudsen (formerly Exploring Java) (O’Reilly). If you need a stronger background in distributed computing, we recommend Java Distributed Computing by Jim Farley (O’Reilly). If you need additional information on XML, we recommend Java and XML by Brett McLaughlin (O’Reilly) and XML in a Nutshell by Elliotte Harold and W. Scott Means (O’Reilly). Other O’Reilly books covering web services include Programing Web Services with SOAP by Doug Tidwell, James Snell, and Pavel Kulchenko and Programming Web Services with XML-RPC by Simon St. Laurent, Joe Johnston, and Edd Dumbill.