Java REST client API for Android

Question

My server application exposes a RESTful web service using JAX-RS (Jersey Implementation). What is the best way to invoke this service (other than using Apache HttpClient)? I was wondering whether the REST Client APIs from Jersey, Restlet, RESTeasy and other frameworks work on Android.

Thanks, Theo

Answer 1

Resteasy-mobile is a perfect solution.

It's basically full blown resteasy (which has client framework) but uses Apache HTTP Client rather than HttpURLConnection (which doesn't exist on android)

Here is more information about usage (http://docs.jboss.org/resteasy/docs/2.3.1.GA//userguide/html_single/index.html#RESTEasy_Client_Framework)

Here is for the maven

    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.jboss.resteasy.mobile</groupId>
        <artifactId>resteasy-mobile</artifactId>
        <version>1.0.0</version>
    </dependency>

A little sample code on android side

    public class RestServices {
    static RegisterSVC registerSVC;
    static PushSVC pushSVC;
    static TrackerSVC trackerSVC;

    RestServices() {
        RegisterBuiltin.register(ResteasyProviderFactory.getInstance());
    }

    public static RegisterSVC getRegisterSVC() {
        return ProxyFactory.create(RegisterSVC.class,"http://143.248.194.236:8080/notification");

    }

    public static PushSVC getPushSVC() {
        return ProxyFactory.create(PushSVC.class,"http://143.248.194.236:8080/notification");
    }

    public static TrackerSVC getTrackerSVC() {
        return ProxyFactory.create(TrackerSVC.class,"http://143.248.194.236:8080/notification");
    }
}

JAX-RS service definition (PushSVC.java) on both android and server side

@Path("/mobile")
public interface PushSVC {
    /*
    Sample
    curl --data '{"collapseKey":"asdf","contentList":{"aaaa":"you","ssss":"you2"}}' -X POST -H 'Content-type:application/json' -v http://localhost:8080/notification/mobile/11111/send
     */
    @POST
    @Path("/{uuid}/send")
    @Consumes(MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON)
    String sendPush( MessageVO message, @PathParam("uuid") String uuid);

}

Model MessageVO definition

public class MessageVO {
    String collapseKey;
    HashMap<String, String> contentList;

    public MessageVO() {
    }

    public MessageVO(String collapseKey) {
        this.collapseKey = collapseKey;
        contentList = new HashMap<String, String>();
    }

    public void put(String key, String value)
    {
        this.contentList.put(key,value);
    }

    public String getCollapseKey() {
        return collapseKey;
    }

    public HashMap<String, String> getContentList() {
        return contentList;
    }
}

This is method invocation on android

public class Broadcast extends AsyncTask<Context,Void,Void>
{

    @Override
    protected Void doInBackground(Context... contexts) {
        MessageVO message = new MessageVO("0");
        message.put("tickerText","Ticker ne` :D");
        message.put("contentTitle","Title ne` :D");
        message.put("contentText","Content ne` :D");
        RestServices.getPushSVC().sendPush(message,TrackInstallation.id(contexts[0]).toString());
        return null;
    }
}

This is pretty simple and all written codes are reusable, boilerplate code is near to non-existence

Hope this help everybody.

Answer 2

If you want a little bit more comfort than having to deal with URLConnection, check out Resty for Java. Simple, light-weight, but still pretty new.

http://beders.github.com/Resty

Answer 3

Ran into this one the other day, haven't tried it yet thought, but seems to work on android: http://crest.codegist.org

Answer 4

Here is a good example which contains source codes of everything including EJBs, RestEasy and Android:

http://code.google.com/p/android-jbridge/

Answer 5

For simplest cases you can just use java.net.URL and its openConnection() method to make a request. And then data binding libraries (JAXB for XML, Jackson for JSON) to handle response (and possibly request if you POST xml or json).