REST Clients
This section describes options for client-side access to REST endpoints.
RestTemplate
RestTemplate is a synchronous client to perform HTTP requests. It is the original
Spring REST client and exposes a simple, template-method API over underlying HTTP client
libraries.
As of 5.0 the RestTemplate is in maintenance mode, with only requests for minor
changes and bugs to be accepted. Please, consider using the
WebClient which offers a more modern API and
supports sync, async, and streaming scenarios.
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See REST Endpoints for details.
WebClient
WebClient is a non-blocking, reactive client to perform HTTP requests. It was
introduced in 5.0 and offers a modern alternative to the RestTemplate, with efficient
support for both synchronous and asynchronous, as well as streaming scenarios.
In contrast to RestTemplate, WebClient supports the following:
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Non-blocking I/O.
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Reactive Streams back pressure.
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High concurrency with fewer hardware resources.
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Functional-style, fluent API that takes advantage of Java 8 lambdas.
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Synchronous and asynchronous interactions.
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Streaming up to or streaming down from a server.
See WebClient for more details.
HTTP Interface
The Spring Frameworks lets you define an HTTP service as a Java interface with HTTP exchange methods. You can then generate a proxy that implements this interface and performs the exchanges. This helps to simplify HTTP remote access and provides additional flexibility for to choose an API style such as synchronous or reactive.
See REST Endpoints for details.
