Using handlers to enhance request and response processing

You can implement handlers on the server-side of a Java™ API for RESTful Web Services (JAX-RS) application to enhance request and response processing.

About this task

To perform additional operations on messages, you can create a handler that is applied during the processing of a request and a response. Handlers are invoked on every request and response. Custom server-side request handlers are applied after the resource method is found. Custom server-side response handlers are applied before the response is sent back to the client.

There are three distinct handler chains: a request handler chain, a response handler chain, and an error handler chain. Normal requests invoke the request handler chain to find the resource and invoke the resource method. After, the response handler chain then populates the response headers and content. If an error occurs, the error handler chain is invoked. The error handler chain invokes the proper JAX-RS error handling mechanism and then populates the response headers and content.

There are system handlers and user handlers. System handlers implement the core runtime environment for IBM® JAX-RS. You can write user handlers to customize the behavior of the handler chain for your JAX-RS application and to add unique functionality to the handler.

Procedure

  1. Configure the development environment.
    1. Before you start developing JAX-RS applications, you must set up your development environment by adding the JAX-RS libraries on the classpath.
  2. Define the resources in JAX-RS web applications.
    1. Resources are the basic building block of a RESTful service. Resources can contain static or dynamically updated data. Examples of resources from an online book store application include a book, an order from a store, and a collection of users. By identifying the resources in your application, you can make the service more useful and easier to develop.
  3. Configure the JAX-RS application.

    You can configure JAX-RS applications in multiple ways depending on your needs. To take advantage of the Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) 6 functionality, you can use the annotation scanning capabilities. By using annotation scanning, you can omit a JAX-RS javax.ws.rs.core.Application subclass or have a minimally defined javax.ws.rs.core.Application subclass. Alternatively, you can specify the IBM JAX-RS servlet or filter if you want to use the functionality available in the IBM JAX-RS servlet and filter.

    Using one of the JAX-RS Version 1.1 configuration methods, you can omit a javax.ws.rs.core.Application subclass in your application or have a javax.ws.rs.core.Application subclass that returns an empty set of classes to inform the JAX-RS runtime environment to find and use all the JAX-RS classes in the application. You might want to use this method when you do not want to have to manually add every relevant JAX-RS class to a javax.ws.rs.core.Application subclass as you develop the application.

    By specifying the specific IBM JAX-RS servlet and filter, you can take advantage of and ensure specific IBM JAX-RS behavior. For example, using the IBM JAX-RS filter can be helpful in developing a web application with a mix of JAX-RS resources and JavaServer Pages (JSP) files with the same URL patterns.

    Even though there is a JAX-RS V1.1 configuration method that supports the use of an optional web.xml file, if you want to specify security constraints or roles, or you want to take advantage of other features enabled using a web.xml file, you must specify the information in a web.xml file.

    Choose one of the following three methods to configure your JAX-RS application:

    • Configure JAX-RS applications using JAX-RS 1.1 methods

      Use this method if you want to use the annotation scanning capabilities or to use the JAX-RS 1.1 configuration methods. You can use the annotation scanning capabilities to promote application portability, to minimize the amount of configuration code, or to dynamically modify the application without changes to the application code.

    • Configure the web.xml file for JAX-RS servlets

      Use this method if you want to specify features that are enabled using servlet initialization parameters to change the behavior and ensure that you get the IBM JAX-RS servlet. When using servlets, you can define a servlet path in the web.xml file that is appended to the base URL.

    • Configure the web.xml file for JAX-RS filters

      Use this method if you want to use the filter when you have JSPs, other servlets and filters, and JAX-RS resources with a mix of URL patterns. You can configure the web.xml file to define filters that indicate the possible URLs on which the filter can be invoked.

  4. Implement user handlers for your JAX-RS application.
    1. You can develop user handlers to customize the behavior of a handler chain and to add unique functionality to the handler. By implementing user handlers on the server-side of JAX-RS applications, you can enhance request and response processing.
  5. Assemble JAX-RS web applications.
    1. After you develop the Java class files for your JAX-RS web application and edit the web.xml file to enable the JAX-RS servlet, you are ready to assemble the application. Assemble the web application into a web application archive (WAR) package. You can assemble the WAR package into an enterprise archive (EAR) package, if required.
  6. Deploy JAX-RS web applications.
    1. After you have assembled your JAX-RS web application, you need to deploy your Web archive (WAR) package or the enterprise archive (EAR) package onto the application server.

Results

You have implemented user handlers on the server-side of your JAX-RS application to enhance request and response processing.


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