6 Best Java REST API Frameworks for 2023

Java is well known for being an incredibly powerful programming language to develop reliable & scalable applications. To improve its capabilities even further, there are several frameworks available to help build REST APIs in Java. REST APIs enable communication between applications, allowing them to exchange data seamlessly. In this article, we're going over the best six Java REST API frameworks, along with their advantages and drawbacks.

Top Six Java REST API frameworks

Spring Boot
Jersey
Dropwizard
Play Framework
Restlet
Vert.x

1. Spring Boot

Spring Boot is a popular open-source framework for building web applications and RESTful APIs in Java. It is built on top of the Spring Framework and provides a comprehensive set of tools and features for developing, testing, and deploying web applications and RESTful services.

Here are some key features of the Spring Boot framework:

--> Autoconfiguration: Spring Boot provides a powerful autoconfiguration feature that automatically configures the application based on the classpath dependencies. This makes it easy to get started with Spring Boot and reduces the amount of boilerplate code required.

--> Embeddable web server: Spring Boot comes with an embeddable web server such as Tomcat, Jetty, and Undertow. This allows developers to easily run their web applications and RESTful services without the need for an external web server.

--> Easy configuration: Spring Boot provides a flexible configuration model that allows developers to configure the application using properties files, YAML files, or environment variables. This makes it easy to configure the application for different environments.

--> Dependency injection: Spring Boot provides a powerful dependency injection mechanism that makes it easy to manage dependencies and write testable code.

--> Comprehensive documentation: Spring Boot provides comprehensive documentation that includes examples, tutorials, and reference materials. This makes it easy for developers to learn how to use the framework and get started building web applications and RESTful services quickly.

--> Integration with other frameworks: Spring Boot can be easily integrated with other Java frameworks such as Hibernate, JPA, and Jersey. This allows developers to leverage the power of these frameworks while building web applications and RESTful services.

--> Actuator: Spring Boot provides an actuator that provides production-ready features such as health checks, metrics, and monitoring. This makes it easy to monitor and manage the application in production.

In short, Spring Boot is a powerful and flexible framework for building web applications and RESTful services in Java. Its autoconfiguration feature, embeddable web server, and comprehensive documentation make it a popular choice for developers building web applications and RESTful APIs in Java.

2. Jersey

Jersey is a reference implementation of JAX-RS (Java API for RESTful Web Services) and is a popular open-source framework for building RESTful APIs in Java. Jersey provides a powerful set of tools and APIs for developing, testing, and deploying RESTful web services.

Here are some key features of the Jersey framework:

--> Lightweight and easy-to-use: Jersey is a lightweight and easy-to-use framework that makes it easy to build RESTful web services in Java. It provides a simple and easy-to-understand API that allows developers to quickly create RESTful services.

--> Support for JAX-RS: Jersey is built on top of JAX-RS, which provides a standardized API for building RESTful web services. This makes it easy to integrate with other Java frameworks and tools.

--> Comprehensive documentation: Jersey provides comprehensive documentation that includes examples, tutorials, and reference materials. This makes it easy for developers to learn how to use the framework and get started building RESTful services quickly.

--> Extensibility: Jersey is highly extensible and can be customized to meet the specific needs of your application. It provides a plugin architecture that allows developers to extend the framework and add their functionality.

--> Testability: Jersey provides a powerful set of tools for testing RESTful services, including support for JUnit and integration testing. This makes it easy to test your services and ensure they are working as expected.

--> Integration with other frameworks: Jersey can be integrated with other Java frameworks such as Spring, Hibernate, and JPA. This allows developers to leverage the power of these frameworks while building RESTful services.

--> Security: Jersey provides built-in support for security features such as authentication and authorization. This allows developers to easily add security to their RESTful services.

Moreover, Jersey is a robust and versatile framework for building RESTful web services in Java. Its extensive documentation, ease of use, and support for JAX-RS make it a popular choice for developers building RESTful APIs in Java.

3. Dropwizard

Dropwizard is a popular open-source framework for building RESTful web services in Java. It is designed to be easy to use and highly scalable, making it an ideal choice for building large-scale, high-performance web applications.

Here are some key features of the Dropwizard framework:

--> Integrated components: Dropwizard provides a set of integrated components that make it easy to build RESTful web services. These components include Jetty (a web server), Jersey (a RESTful web service framework), and Jackson (a JSON library).

--> Metrics: Dropwizard provides built-in support for collecting and reporting metrics about your application's performance. This makes it easy to identify and address performance issues as they arise.

--> Health checks: Dropwizard provides a simple health check API that makes it easy to monitor the health of your application. You can use this API to check the availability of external services or to monitor the status of your application's internal components.

--> Configuration management: Dropwizard provides a simple, centralized configuration management system that makes it easy to manage your application's configuration settings.

--> Command-line tools: Dropwizard provides a set of command-line tools that make it easy to run, debug, and manage your application. These tools include a development server, a console for managing your application, and a command-line tool for running your tests.

--> Testing support: Dropwizard provides built-in support for unit testing and integration testing of your web services. This makes it easy to ensure that your services are working as expected and to catch bugs before they are deployed to production.

Dropwizard is a powerful and easy-to-use framework for building RESTful web services in Java. Its integrated components, support for metrics and health checks, and centralized configuration management system make it a popular choice for developers building large-scale, high-performance web applications.

4. Play Framework

Play Framework is a popular open-source framework for building web applications in Java and Scala. It is designed to be highly scalable and efficient, making it an ideal choice for building high-performance web applications.

Here are some key features of the Play Framework:

--> Reactive programming model: Play Framework is built using a reactive programming model, which makes it highly scalable and efficient. It uses non-blocking I/O and asynchronous processing to handle high volumes of traffic with low latency.

--> Built-in web server: Play Framework comes with a built-in web server that makes it easy to develop and test web applications without the need for an external server.

--> Lightweight and fast: Play Framework is lightweight and fast, making it ideal for building high-performance web applications.

--> Convention over configuration: Play Framework follows a convention over configuration approach, which means that it provides sensible defaults for most configuration settings. This makes it easy to get started with the framework and reduces the amount of boilerplate code required.

--> Modular architecture: Play Framework has a modular architecture that allows developers to easily add or remove features as needed. This makes it easy to create custom applications that meet the specific needs of your project.

--> Template engine: Play Framework provides a powerful template engine that allows developers to easily create dynamic web pages. The template engine supports HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and provides features such as conditional statements and loops.

--> Built-in security: Play Framework provides built-in security features such as CSRF protection and authentication. This makes it easy to secure your web application without having to write a lot of custom code.

Play Framework is a powerful and flexible framework for building web applications in Java and Scala. Its reactive programming model, built-in web server, and lightweight architecture make it a popular choice for developers building high-performance web applications.

5. Restlet

Restlet is a popular open-source framework for building RESTful web services in Java. It is designed to be lightweight and flexible, making it easy to build RESTful services that can be consumed by a wide range of clients.

Here are some key features of the Restlet framework:

--> Lightweight and flexible: Restlet is lightweight and flexible, making it easy to build RESTful services that can be customized to meet the specific needs of your application.

--> Comprehensive API: Restlet provides a comprehensive API that includes support for HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP, FTP, and other protocols. This makes it easy to build RESTful services that can be consumed by a wide range of clients.

--> Restful routing: Restlet uses a restful routing approach, which makes it easy to map incoming requests to the appropriate resources and actions.

--> Server-side components: Restlet provides a set of server-side components that make it easy to handle common tasks such as authentication, caching, and logging.

--> Client-side components: Restlet also provides a set of client-side components that make it easy to consume RESTful services from within your application.

--> Lightweight containers: Restlet can be deployed in lightweight containers such as Jetty and Tomcat, making it easy to deploy and scale your application.

--> Comprehensive documentation: Restlet provides comprehensive documentation that includes examples, tutorials, and reference materials. This makes it easy for developers to learn how to use the framework and get started building RESTful web services quickly.

It is a powerful and flexible framework for building RESTful web services in Java. Its lightweight and flexible architecture, comprehensive API, and restful routing approach make it a popular choice for developers building RESTful services that can be consumed by a wide range of clients.

6. Vert.x

Vert.x is a popular open-source, event-driven, and reactive framework for building scalable and distributed applications in Java. It is designed to be lightweight and fast, and it is built on top of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), making it easy to write and deploy Java applications.

Here are some key features of the Vert.x framework:

--> Event-driven and reactive: Vert.x is designed to be event-driven and reactive, which means that it is highly scalable and can handle many concurrent connections.

--> Polyglot: Vert.x is polyglot, which means that it can be used with multiple programming languages, including Java, Kotlin, JavaScript, and others.

--> Reactive streams: Vert.x provides built-in support for reactive streams, which makes it easy to handle streams of data reactively.

--> Distributed: Vert.x provides built-in support for building distributed systems, which makes it easy to build scalable and fault-tolerant applications.

--> Web support: Vert.x provides built-in support for building web applications, including support for handling HTTP requests and responses, web sockets, and server-sent events.

--> Asynchronous programming: Vert.x is designed to be asynchronous, which means that it can handle multiple requests and responses simultaneously, improving the performance of your application.

--> Modular and extensible: Vert.x is modular and extensible, which means that you can easily add new features and functionality to your application as your needs change.

It is a powerful and flexible framework for building scalable and distributed applications in Java. Its event-driven and reactive architecture, built-in support for reactive streams and distributed systems, and modular and extensible design make it a popular choice for developers building high-performance and scalable applications.

How do Java Keytool Keystore Commands help in Java API Frameworks?

Java Keytool commands can be used in Java API Frameworks in various ways, depending on the specific use case. Here are a few examples:

Setting up HTTPS in a Java API Framework: To enable secure communication over HTTPS in a Java API Framework, developers need to generate a digital certificate and add it to a Java Keystore using Keytool commands. The resulting Keystore file can then be configured in the API framework to enable HTTPS.
Managing user authentication and authorization: In many API frameworks, user authentication and authorization are handled using digital certificates or cryptographic keys. Java Keytool can be used to create and manage these certificates and keys, as well as to revoke them in case of security breaches.
Deploying the API in a production environment: When deploying an API in a production environment, it is important to secure it against unauthorized access and protect sensitive data. Java Keytool can be used to generate digital certificates and cryptographic keys, which can be used to encrypt and authenticate communication between the API and its clients.

The most common Java Keytool Keystore commands can be a valuable addition to Java API Frameworks, as they provide a powerful and flexible tool for managing digital certificates and cryptographic keys, which are essential for securing web applications and APIs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Java API Frameworks are powerful tools for building web applications and RESTful APIs in Java. These frameworks provide pre-built modules and components for handling HTTP requests and responses, routing, serialization/deserialization of data, and other lower-level details of web development, allowing developers to focus on writing business logic.