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Groups > comp.lang.java.programmer > #22671

Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc...

From Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom2@eastlink.ca>
Newsgroups comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc...
Message-ID <dzdYs.98654$Sq4.71538@newsfe14.iad> (permalink)
Organization Public Usenet Newsgroup Access
Date 2013-03-01 22:34 -0400

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I just had an epiphany today at work. For years upon years I have used 
Java libraries which have grown increasingly cumbersome and finicky and 
unreliable to do XML or JSON in a REST context...99 percent of which is 
actually super-simple.

The epiphany came when neither Jettison (the default Jersey JSON 
library) nor Jackson (which is undoubtedly more modern) could, out of 
the box without arcane configuration tweaks, convert a single-item list 
into a JSON array. They both just converted the item into a JSON object 
and forgot about the array.

Apparently this catches out a lot of people, judging by googling. The 
Jackson solutions are many. The point being - leading to my epiphany - 
why the hell is this even a problem?

I have probably wasted tens of weeks on the arcana of Jersey, Jackson, 
XStream to some extent, JAXB...I'm ditching most all of it. It is an 
obstacle.

XStream I actually like for producing and consuming XML. It works 
nicely. I'll keep it in the toolbox. But for almost everything I do with 
Java REST, there is no call for Jersey (nor Jackson et al. for JSON 
(de-)serialization). It's a bunch of extra JARs for no added value.

It occurred to me that for over 90 percent of my POJOs I can write 
reliable toJSON() methods that *will not break* and are fully under my 
control in a matter of minutes. For anything more I might give 
simple-json a whirl - it actually has appealing simplicity.

And Jersey has got to go. Why do we even drink that Kool-Aid? Once 
you've got your JSON string a handful of lines of code with an HTTP 
client will take care of your REST call. A lot more reliable.

SOAP is a different story. I'm sticking with CXF and JAXB and all that 
good stuff for SOAP.

Just an opinion piece. I'm getting tired of bloated APIs and unreliable 
JARs that, in their quest to make everything possible, make the simple 
things difficult.

AHS

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Thread

Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom2@eastlink.ca> - 2013-03-01 22:34 -0400
  Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Joerg Meier <joergmmeier@arcor.de> - 2013-03-02 04:00 +0100
  Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom2@eastlink.ca> - 2013-03-02 00:13 -0400
  Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Kevin McMurtrie <mcmurtrie@pixelmemory.us> - 2013-03-01 22:11 -0800
    Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... lipska the kat <"nospam at neversurrender dot co dot uk"> - 2013-03-02 08:57 +0000
      Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-03 21:48 -0500
        Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... lipska the kat <"nospam at neversurrender dot co dot uk"> - 2013-03-04 08:29 +0000
    Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom2@eastlink.ca> - 2013-03-02 09:58 -0400
    Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Fredrik Jonson <fredrik@jonson.org> - 2013-03-02 14:46 +0000
      Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... markspace <markspace@nospam.nospam> - 2013-03-02 07:11 -0800
      Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-03 21:55 -0500
      Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2013-03-06 09:07 -0800
        Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-06 20:13 -0500
    Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-03 21:47 -0500
      Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... David Lamb <dalamb@cs.queensu.ca> - 2013-03-03 21:57 -0500
        Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-03 22:08 -0500
        Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom2@eastlink.ca> - 2013-03-03 23:11 -0400
          Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-06 20:15 -0500
            Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom2@eastlink.ca> - 2013-03-07 05:08 -0400
              Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-07 11:42 -0500
  Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-03 21:45 -0500
    Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom2@eastlink.ca> - 2013-03-04 05:53 -0400
      Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-06 20:10 -0500
        Writing ones one Annotation processor (was: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc...) Joerg Meier <joergmmeier@arcor.de> - 2013-03-07 02:17 +0100
          Re: Writing ones one Annotation processor Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-06 20:36 -0500
        Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom2@eastlink.ca> - 2013-03-07 06:39 -0400
          Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-07 11:41 -0500
            Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom2@eastlink.ca> - 2013-03-07 20:28 -0400
              Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-07 21:24 -0500
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom2@eastlink.ca> - 2013-03-08 05:49 -0400
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... lipska the kat <"nospam at neversurrender dot co dot uk"> - 2013-03-08 12:20 +0000
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Leif Roar Moldskred <leifm@dimnakorr.com> - 2013-03-08 12:06 -0600
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom2@eastlink.ca> - 2013-03-08 20:44 -0400
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-11 18:07 -0400
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Joerg Meier <joergmmeier@arcor.de> - 2013-03-11 23:27 +0100
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-11 18:33 -0400
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom2@eastlink.ca> - 2013-03-11 21:12 -0300
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-11 20:24 -0400
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom2@eastlink.ca> - 2013-03-11 21:38 -0300
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-11 20:58 -0400
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Robert Klemme <shortcutter@googlemail.com> - 2013-03-13 08:04 +0100
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-11 17:57 -0400
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2013-03-11 16:46 -0700
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-11 20:27 -0400
                Re: Mini-rant on Java REST (JAX-RS), JSON, XML, JAXB etc... Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-03-11 17:54 -0400

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