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Java Spring SOAP and JSON Tutorial

Spring Framework provides powerful support for building web services with both SOAP and JSON. This tutorial will guide you through creating a simple web service that supports both SOAP and JSON formats.

1. Prerequisites​

Before getting started, ensure you have the following installed:

Verify Installation​

To check your installations, run the following commands:

java -version
mvn -version

2. Creating a New Spring Boot Project​

You can create a new Spring Boot project using Spring Initializr.

Using Spring Initializr​

  1. Go to Spring Initializr.
  2. Select your preferred project metadata:
    • Project: Maven Project
    • Language: Java
    • Spring Boot: (latest stable version)
  3. Add dependencies such as Spring Web, Spring Web Services, and Spring Boot Starter SOAP.
  4. Click Generate, which will download a ZIP file containing your project.

Project Structure​

After creating the project, the structure will look like this:

spring-soap-json-demo
├── src
│   ├── main
│   │   ├── java
│   │   │   └── com
│   │   │       └── example
│   │   │           └── soapjson
│   │   │               ├── SoapJsonApplication.java
│   │   │               └── webservice
│   │   │                   ├── HelloWorldEndpoint.java
│   │   │                   └── SoapJsonConfig.java
│   │   └── resources
│   │       └── application.properties
└── pom.xml

3. Creating a Simple SOAP Web Service​

Step 1: Define the Web Service Endpoint​

Create a new Java class named HelloWorldEndpoint.java in the webservice package:

package com.example.soapjson.webservice;

import org.springframework.ws.server.endpoint.annotation.Endpoint;
import org.springframework.ws.server.endpoint.annotation.PayloadRoot;
import org.springframework.ws.server.endpoint.annotation.RequestPayload;
import org.springframework.ws.server.endpoint.annotation.ResponsePayload;

import com.example.soapjson.schemas.HelloWorldRequest;
import com.example.soapjson.schemas.HelloWorldResponse;

@Endpoint
public class HelloWorldEndpoint {
    private static final String NAMESPACE_URI = "http://example.com/soapjson/schemas";

    @PayloadRoot(namespace = NAMESPACE_URI, localPart = "HelloWorldRequest")
    @ResponsePayload
    public HelloWorldResponse sayHello(@RequestPayload HelloWorldRequest request) {
        HelloWorldResponse response = new HelloWorldResponse();
        response.setMessage("Hello, " + request.getName() + "!");
        return response;
    }
}

Step 2: Configure the Web Service​

Create a new Java class named SoapJsonConfig.java in the webservice package:

package com.example.soapjson.webservice;

import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
import org.springframework.ws.config.annotation.EnableWs;
import org.springframework.ws.transport.http.MessageDispatcherServlet;
import org.springframework.boot.web.servlet.ServletRegistrationBean;
import org.springframework.ws.config.annotation.WsConfigurerAdapter;

@EnableWs
@Configuration
public class SoapJsonConfig extends WsConfigurerAdapter {
    @Bean
    public ServletRegistrationBean<MessageDispatcherServlet> messageDispatcherServlet() {
        MessageDispatcherServlet servlet = new MessageDispatcherServlet();
        servlet.setTransformWsdlLocations(true);
        return new ServletRegistrationBean<>(servlet, "/ws/*");
    }
}

Step 3: Create XML Schema​

Create an XML schema file named schema.xsd in src/main/resources:

<xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
           targetNamespace="http://example.com/soapjson/schemas"
           xmlns="http://example.com/soapjson/schemas"
           elementFormDefault="qualified">

    <xs:element name="HelloWorldRequest">
        <xs:complexType>
            <xs:sequence>
                <xs:element name="name" type="xs:string"/>
            </xs:sequence>
        </xs:complexType>
    </xs:element>

    <xs:element name="HelloWorldResponse">
        <xs:complexType>
            <xs:sequence>
                <xs:element name="message" type="xs:string"/>
            </xs:sequence>
        </xs:complexType>
    </xs:element>
</xs:schema>

Step 4: Add the Dependency​

Update your pom.xml to include the necessary dependencies for Spring Web Services and JAXB for XML binding:

<dependencies>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
        <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-web-services</artifactId>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>javax.xml.bind</groupId>
        <artifactId>jaxb-api</artifactId>
        <version>2.3.1</version>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.glassfish.jaxb</groupId>
        <artifactId>jaxb-runtime</artifactId>
        <version>2.3.1</version>
    </dependency>
</dependencies>

4. Creating a JSON Endpoint​

You can also create a simple REST endpoint that returns JSON. Create a new Java class named JsonController.java in the same package:

package com.example.soapjson.webservice;

import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestParam;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;

@RestController
public class JsonController {

    @GetMapping("/jsonHello")
    public String jsonHello(@RequestParam(value = "name", defaultValue = "World") String name) {
        return "{"message": "Hello, " + name + "!"}";
    }
}

Accessing the JSON Endpoint​

Once your application is running, you can access the JSON endpoint at:

http://localhost:8080/jsonHello?name=Alice

You should see the output:

{"message": "Hello, Alice!"}

5. Running Your Application​

To run your Spring Boot application, use the following command:

./mvnw spring-boot:run

You can then test your SOAP service by accessing the WSDL at:

http://localhost:8080/ws/helloWorld.wsdl

And for the JSON endpoint, access:

http://localhost:8080/jsonHello?name=Alice

6. Conclusion​

This tutorial provided a simple introduction to creating a Spring Boot application that supports both SOAP and JSON web services. You learned how to set up a project, create a SOAP web service, and expose a JSON endpoint.

Further Reading​

Content Review​

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