Standards-Based Web Services Development

The NetBeans IDE supports Java EE 6 and Java EE 5, including the JAX-WS 2.2, JAX-RS 1.1, and JAXB 2.2 web service standards. You can work with GlassFish Server Open Source Edition, Oracle Weblogic, Apache Tomcat, JBoss, 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 works on top of the Spring framework. RESTful web services are available to wrap entity beans and provide easy CRUD functionality.

For EE6 RESTful web services, the IDE uses JAXB annotations in the entity classes and EJB session facades for the service classes. This removes the need for converter classes and generates simpler code.

Starting in NetBeans IDE 7.1, EE5 RESTful web services also use facades. The IDE generates EE5 RESTful services with JPA Persistence API controller classes instead of generating converter classes.

The IDE also supports testing and building client applications that access RESTful web services. Generate code for invoking web services (both RESTful and SOAP-based), such as JavaScript client stubs from WADL. You can also generate RESTful Java clients in Java Web and Java applications for services registered with NetBeans IDE. NetBeans IDE comes with several widely used services already registered, such as Flickr and Twitter.
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 from Java classes or WSDL files.

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 2.2 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 action available in the web service node. Use the Web Service Customization editor to create asynchronous web service clients.

Reliable, Secure, Transactional Web Services

Wsb Service Interoperability Technologies (WSIT) 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 3.1 to help you build interoperable, transactional, reliable, and secure web services.

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.

 Web Services Learning Trail