Standards-Based Web Development

The NetBeans IDE supports J2EE 1.4 and Java EE 5, Java EE 6, including the JAX-WS 2.2, JAX-RS 1.1, JAX-RPC (JSR-101)*, JAXB 2.2 web service standards. You can work with GlassFish Server Open Source Edition 3.0.1, Apache Tomcat, JBoss, BEA Weblogic, and many more. The code completion functionality includes annotations that you can use in your web services.

RESTful Web Services

The IDE assists you in creating JSR-311-compliant (JAX-RS 1.1) RESTful web services from JPA entity classes and patterns, or even directly from a database. The code generated from JPA entities is works on top of the Spring framework.

The IDE also supports testing and building client applications that access RESTful web services. Use wizards to create RESTful services from JPA entity classes and generate code for invoking web services (both RESTful and SOAP-based), such as JavaScript client stubs from WADL. RESTful web services are available to wrap entity beans and provide easy CRUD functionality.
Getting Started with RESTful Web Services

SOAP-based Web Services

Use the Web Services wizards and Web Service Visual Designer to create and develop web services (including Apache Axis2* web services) from Java classes or WSDL files. Use the soapUI plugin* to create web service testing projects which include test cases and allow SOAP monitoring.

The IDE provides tools to work with Web Service annotations (Web Services Metadata for Java). Java classes annotated with @javax.jws.WebService annotation are automatically recognized as web services in a project. The IDE provides support for the JAX-WS 2.1 runtime in various features, such as the Visual Designer or Web Service Customization editor.

Convert SOAP based web services to RESTful service resources by using the new action available in the web service node. Use the Web Service Customization editor to create asynchronous web service clients.

Reliable, Secure, Transactional Web Services

Advanced web service technologies are directly available from the Web Services Designer. Use the Metro 2.0 (JAX-WS 2.2) support in the GlassFish Server Open Source Edition 3.0.1 to build interoperable, reliable, secure, transactional web services.

Use the Sun Java System Access Manager support to build secure, identity-enabled web services. The IDE supports message-level security for your web service server and client for WSI-BSP token profiles.

Web APIs

Use the Services tab to easily create server-side mash-up applications, and add services from their web service descriptor files (WSDL or WADL). Drag and drop service operations into a POJO, Servlet, JSP, JSF, or PHP page, and the IDE will generate the access code.

Use the Web Service Manager to access popular RESTful Web APIs provided by Google, Facebook, Yahoo, flickr, Amazon, Twitter and many more. You can also access SOAP-based web services, e.g. StrikeIron.

Mobile Web Services

Write applications that access web services directly from a JSR-172-enabled phone. Write code that uses the Wireless Connection Bridge to access web services and other server-side data on any device from MIDlets via servlets.

(*) Use the Plugin Manager to add features such as support for JAX-RPC, Axis, and SoapUI web services.

 Web Services Learning Trail