API / Web services
1. What are web services?
A web service represents a collection of open protocols and standards used for exchanging data between applications. Software applications written in various programming languages and running on various platforms can use web services to exchange data over computer networks like the Internet in a ...
2. What is REST?
REST (Representatonal state transfer) introduced by Roy Fielding in the 2000 defines web standards based architecture and uses HTTP Protocol for data communication. It revolves around resource where each component is a resource and a resource is accessed by a common interface using HTTP standard ...
3. What is the difference between a REST and SOAP web service?
REST supports different formats like text, JSON and XML whereas SOAP supports only XML. REST works only over HTTP(S) on a transport layer while SOAP can be used with different protocols on a transport layer. REST works with resources, each unique URL is some representation of a resource while SOA...
4. How do I decide the web service to use between REST and SOAP?
SOAP is preferred where service requires comprehensive support for security (WS-security) and transactional safety (ACID). REST is preferred where sevice needs performance, scalability and support for multiple data formats.
5. What is WSDL in SOAP based web services?
WSDL (Web Services Description Language) is a XML document for describing web services and also describe how to access them.
6. What is JAX-WS?
JAX-WS (Java API for XML Web Services) is a set of APIs for creating web services in XML format. It is a Java programming language API for creating SOAP web services. JAX-WS is one of the Java XML programming APIs and is part of the Java EE platform.
7. What is JAXB in web services?
JAXB (Java Architecture for XML Binding) is a Java standard that defines how Java objects are converted to and from XML. It facilitates reading and writing of XML using Java relatively simple.
8. Can we send a soap message with attachments?
Yes, we may send different formats such as PDF document, image or other binary file with soap messages as an attachment. Messages sent using the binary data. SOAP messages is attached with MIME extensions that come in multipart/related.
9. Web Services: What is MTOM?
MTOM (Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism) is a mechanism for transmitting large binary attachments with SOAP messages as raw bytes, allowing for smaller messages.
10. Web Services: What is XOP?
XOP (XML-binary Optimized Packaging) is a mechanism for the serialization of XML Information Sets that contain binary data, as well as deserialization back into the XML Information Set.
11. What is a SOAP envelope element?
SOAP envelope element is the root element of a SOAP message which defines the XML document as a SOAP message.
12. What is SOAP encoding?
SOAP encoding is a method for structuring the request which ips suggested within the SOAP specification, known as the SOAP serialization.
13. What does SOAP encodingStyle attribute defines?
SOAP encodingStyle defines the serialization rules used in a SOAP message. This attribute may appear on any element, and is scoped to that element's contents and all child elements not themselves containing such an attribute. There are no default encoding defined for a SOAP message.
14. What are the 2 styles web service endpoint in JAX-WS?
RPC (remote procedure call) style web service in JAX-WS. document style web service in JAX-WS.
15. What is encoding rules for header entries?
A header entry is identified by its fully qualified element name, which consists of the namespace URI and the local name. All immediate child elements of the SOAP Header element must be namespace-qualified. the SOAP encodingStyle attribute may be used to indicate the encoding style used for the h...
16. Web Services: What is wsimport tool?
The wsimport tool is used to parse an Web Services Description Language (WSDL) file and generate required files (JAX-WS portable artifacts) for web service client to access the published web services.
17. Web Services: What is wsgen tool?
The wsgen tool is used to parse an existing web service implementation class and generates required files (JAX-WS portable artifacts) for web service deployment.
18. Name the tools that are used to test SOAP services.
SOAPUI tool for SOAP WS, http://www.soapui.org/
19. Difference between SOAP and other remote access techniques.
SOAP is simple to use and it is non - symmetrical unlike DCOM or CORBA is highly popular and usually have complexity in them. SOAP provides greater platform independent with the language independence unlike DCOM or CORBA doesn't provide any of these. SOAP uses HTTP as its transport protocol and t...
20. What is a resource in a REST web service?
A resource is an unique URL with representation of an object through which we can get contents via GET and modify via PUT, POST, DELETE.
21. What are the HTTP methods supported by REST?
GET. POST. PUT. DELETE. OPTIONS. HEAD.
22. What is the difference between PUT and POST http methods?
PUT is idempotent, while POST is not. Calling the same PUT request multiple times will always produce the same result (no side effect), while on the other hand, calling a POST request repeatedly may have (additional) side effects of creating the same resource multiple times.
23. What is WADL in rest web services?
WADL (Web Application Description Language) is a XML description of a deployed RESTful web application.
24. What are frameworks available to implement REST web services?
Apache wink, Jersey, Restlet, EasyRest, etc.
25. Difference between AJAX and REST web service.
In Ajax, the requests are sent to the server by using XMLHttpRequest objects; REST have a URL structure and a request/response pattern the revolve around the use of resources. Ajax eliminates the interaction between the customer and server asynchronously; REST requires the interaction between the...
26. What tools are required to test REST services?
Firefox 'poster' plugin for RESTFUL services. Usually any browser would be sufficient to test JSON based rest services. REST web services can be tested easily using curl commands and using other browser extensions. Resources supporting GET method can be tested with browser itself, without using a...
27. Explain @Path annotation.
@Path annotation binds URI pattern to a Java method.
28. Explain @PathParam annotation in spring REST.
@PathParam annotation injects the value of URI parameter that defined in @Path expression.
29. What @QueryParam annotation does?
@QueryParam annotation injects URI query parameter into Java method.
30. Explain @MatrixParam annotation in spring REST.
The @MatrixParam annotation allows you to inject URI matrix paramters into your method In vocation. The matrix parameters are an arbitrary set of name-value pairs embedded in a uri path segment.
31. Difference between the JAX-RS @QueryParam and @MatrixParam.
JAX-RS uses @QueryParam to access query string and @MatrixParam to aceess matrix parameter. Matrix parameters apply to a particular path element while query parameters apply to the request as a whole.
32. Jax-RS: Explain @FormParam annotation.
@FormParam bind HTML form parameters value to a Java method.
33. How to download a file using JAX-RS?
Use @produces annotation with the appropriate MIME type to download the file. For example, In JAX-RS, to download a PDF, annotate the method with @Produces("application/pdf").
34. Difference between RPC and document style web service implementation of JAX-RS.
In document style web services, we can transport an XML message as part of the SOAP request whereas in RPC style web service it is not possible. Document style web service is most appropriate in some application where XML message behaves as document and content of that document can alter and inte...
35. Difference between top-down and bottom-up approach of developing web services.
In top-down approach, WSDL document is created first and then the Java classes are developed based on WSDL contract, so if WSDL contract changes Java classes need to be changed as well. In bottom up approach of web service development, Java code is created first and then annotations like @WebServ...
36. Difference between REST and RESTful web service.
REST represents REpresentational State Transfer, is an architectural style by which data can be transmitted over the transport protocol such as HTTP(S). RESTFUL refers to any web service written using REST architectural concept.
37. Difference between SOA and web service.
SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture) is an architectural pattern that enables services to interact with one another independently. Web Services is a realization of SOA concept, that leverages XML, JSON, etc. and common Internet protocols such as HTTP(S), SMTP,
38. What are the different application integration styles prevalent in real-time systems?
Directly accessing or sharing the database. Batch file transfer or sharing. Invoking remote procedure (RPC). Swapping asynchronous messages over a message oriented middle-ware (MOM).
39. What are the advantages of web services?
Interoperability: Using web services, an application can communicate with other application developed in any language. Reuability: We can expose the web service so that other applications can use it. Modularity: Using web service, we can create a service for a specific task such as tax calculatio...
40. What is UDDI in web services?
UDDI ( Universal Description, Discovery and Integration ) is a XML based framework for describing, discovering and integrating web services. UDDI is a directory of web service interfaces described by WSDL, containing information about web services.
41. How do I define web service protocol stack?
It is a defined set of protocols that can be used to explore and execute web services. The entire stack consists of 4 layers, Service Transport, XML Messaging, Service Description and Service Discovery.
42. Differentiate XML, SOAP and WSDL in a SOAP web service.
XML provides tagging and data formatting to the web service. SOAP helps web service to transfer messages. WSDL is used to describe the service and also ensure its availability.
43. Web services: What is Synchronicity?
The binding of a client to the execution of the service is referred as synchronicity. In synchronous invocations, the client halts and waits for the service to complete its operation before continuing. Asynchronous operations allow a client to invoke a service and then execute other functions.
44. What are the primary security concerns with web services?
Network Security. Service authentication. Confidentiality.
45. Is it possible to maintain an user session in web services?
We cannot have user sessions in web service as it is stateless.
46. List the frameworks in Java to implement SOAP web services.
We can create SOAP web services using JAX-WS API. Other frameworks include Apache Axis and Apache CXF. Apache Axis and CXF are not implementations of JAX-WS API, frameworks that leverages Servlet model to expose your business logic classes as SOAP web services.
47. Name some of the annotations used in JAX-WS API.
@WebService. @SOAPBinding. @WebMethod.
48. How do I retrieve WSDL file of a SOAP web service?
WSDL document can be accessed by appending "?wsdl" to the SOAP endpoint URL.
49. Purpose of sun-jaxws.xml file in SOAP web services.
This file helps providing the endpoints details when JAX-WS web services are deployed in servlet container such as Tomcat. This file is placed at WEB-INF directory and contains endpoint name, implementation class, URL pattern and other meta information.
50. Advantages of spring web services.
Supports WS-Security. Integrates with Acegi Security. Powerful mapping. XML API support. XML Marshalling. Maven support.
51. Explain Spring-WS contract type.
There are two web service development styles, Contract First and Contract Last. Spring-WS supports contract first approach. contact first approach starts at WSDL contract and use Java to implement that contract. In case of contract last, start with Java code and let the web services to contract W...
52. Advantages of contract first over contract last approach in web services.
Contract first has good performance compared to the contract last approach as there is no need to generate xml from Java as in contact last.
53. What is Apache Axis?
Apache Axis is a web services framework that provides the implementation of JAX-RPC(Axis 1.x) and JAX-WS(Axis 2) web services specifications.
54. Differentiate web services, CORBA and DCOM.
Web service uses an endpoint to transfer and receive messages between applications using HTTP protocol. It uses XML to encode data. CORBA and DCOM enables communication between applications using non-standard protocols such as IIOP and RPC.
55. How a SOAP message is structured?
A SOAP message consists of SOAP Envelope, SOAP Headers, and SOAP Body.
56. What is Richardson Maturity Model?
The Richardson Maturity Model assesses your API according to the constraints of REST. Higher the score true RESTful API it is. The Richardson Maturity Model defines 4 levels (0-3), where level 3 designates a fully true RESTful API. Level 0 : Expose SOAP web services in REST style. Expose action b...
57. What is JSON?
JSON is a simple data exchange format. JSON refers to JavaScript Object Notation; it is a language similar to XML and platform independent.
58. what is the file extension of a JSON document?
File extension of JSON is .json. The MIME type for JSON text is ?application/json?.
59. How JSON objects are defined?
An JSON object can be defined as an unordered set of name/value pairs. An object in JSON starts with {left brace} and ends with {right brace}. Every name is followed by: (colon) that precedes the value and the name/value pairs are parted by, (comma).
60. what are the JSON syntax rules?
Data is in name/value pairs. Each pair is separated by comma. Curly brackets hold objects. Square bracket represents arrays.
61. Why JSON is preferred over XML?
JSON parsing is faster than XML parsing. JSON is a more compact and weigh less on the wire than the more verbose XML. Formatted JSON is easily readable than formatted XML. Easier to represent a null value in JSON. JSON is easily consumed by JavaScript. JSON is transportation-independent, you may ...
62. What is JSONP?
JSONP, JSON with padding is a method used to bypass the cross-domain policies in web browsers. JSONP is the simple way to deal with browser restrictions when sending JSON responses from different domains from the client.
63. Difference between JSON and JSONP.
JSONP is for cross-domain request, making requests to different domain while JSON is for same domain-same origin requests.
64. Advantages of XML over JSON format.
XML is stricter and has support for schemas and namespaces. Namespaces allow for sharing of standard structures. Standard ways of expressing the structure of the document such as XML schema, DTD, etc. Availability of Parsing standards like DOM and SAX. Querying facility using XQuery and XPath. St...
65. What are Spring web services?
Spring Web Services (Spring-WS) is a product of the Spring community focused on creating document-driven Web services. Spring Web Services aims to facilitate contract-first SOAP service development, allowing for the creation of flexible web services using one of the many ways to manipulate XML pa...
66. What are the modules of Spring-WS?
The main modules are, XML module, Core module, Support module, and security module. The XML module (spring-xml.jar) contains various XML support classes for Spring Web Services. This module is mainly intended for the Spring-WS framework itself, and not a Web service developers. The Core module (s...
67. Does Spring-WS support contract last development approach?
No. Spring-WS only supports the contract-first development style.
68. What is Contract First Web Services?
When developing web services, there are two approaches:Contract Last and Contract First. Whan using the contract-last approach, you first write the Java code and let web service contract(WSDL) to be genereated for that. When using the contract-first approach, you start with the web services contr...
69. Difference between API and Web services.
API acts as an interface between two different applications so that they can communicate with each other. An API is not necessarily web-based. API may use any means of communication to initiate interaction between applications. Web service facilitates interaction between two machines over a netwo...
70. What are the elements of WSDL?
An WSDL document describes a web service. A WSDL document has a definitions element that contains the other five elements, types, message, portType, binding and service. The following sections describe the features of the generated client code: types defines the (XML Schema) data types used by th...
71. How do you enable Cross Origin Requests for a RESTful Web Service?
RESTful web service will include CORS access control headers in its response, when you add a @CrossOrigin annotation to the handler method. @CrossOrigin (origins = "http://localhost:9000" ) @GetMapping ( "/greeting" ) public Greeting greeting( @RequestParam (required = false, defaultValue = "Worl...
72. Explain @Produces and @Consumes annotation.
@Produces annotation defines the endpoint's response type. @Consumes annotation defines the MIME media types that the service can consume.
73. What is Payload?
The request data which is present in the body part of every HTTP message is referred as Payload. In Restful web service, the payload can only be passed to the recipient through POST method. There is no limit for payload, however, more the size, will consume more resource and bandwidth.
74. Can you do payload in GET method?
No, the payload can only be passed using POST method.
75. What is an idempotent operation?
Idempotent operations means their result will always same no matter how many times these operations are invoked.
76. Which web service methods are idempotent?
PUT and DELETE operations are idempotent.
77. Which web service method is read-only?
GET method is read only and safe.
78. What is the HTTP OPTIONS method?
This method allows the client to determine the options and/or requirements associated with a resource, or the capabilities of a server, without implying a resource action or initiating a resource retrieval.
79. Explain REST HEAD method.
HEAD method is used to get only response status and headers information from the server but no body (entity). The HEAD method can be used to know, whether the resource exists on the server.
80. Types of web services.
There are 2, SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) and REST (Representational State transfer) web services.
81. Do SOAP support only HTTP POST method?
SOAP supports both POST and GET methods. However, POST is preferred according to the W3C standard.
82. What are the defining elements in WSDL?
The definition elements of WSDL are, types, messages, operations and porttype.
83. What is RAML?
RESTful API Modeling Language (RAML) is a YAML-based language for describing RESTful APIs. It provides all the information that describes RESTful APIs. It encourages reuse, enables discovery and pattern-sharing and aims for merit-based emergence of best practices.
84. What are the APIs available to develop Restful web services?
JAX-RS provides the standard way for developing rest services. Apache Jersey, one of the JAX-RS implementation provides more specification and features. Other APIs include RESTEasy, RESTlet and Apache CFX.
85. How do you test RESTful web services?
There are many tools available to test rest services internally as well as externally by accessing through URL. To test internally, JUNIT, mockito frameworks may used that unit tests on demand. For external testing, use tools such as JMeter, Grinder, chrome plugin postman, SoapUI and RestClientUI.
86. Explain Jersey framework.
Jersey framework is an open source framework for developing RESTful Web Services in Java. It provides support for JAX-RS APIs and serves as a JAX-RS (JSR 311 & JSR 339) Reference Implementation.
87. What is JAX-RS API?
JAVA API for RESTful Web Services (JAX-RS), a JAVA programming language API is a specification to provide support for creating RESTful Web Services. JAX-RS specification also supports creating clients for REST services. It uses annotations introduced in Java 5 that simplifies the development and ...
88. What is the difference between JAX-RS and JAX-WS?
JAX-WS , a Java API for the XML-Based Web Services, provided a standard way to develop a Web Services in SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) notation. In JAX-WS, Web Services are called/invoked through remote procedure calls. SOAP protocol is used to exchange of information between the client an...
89. What is the anatomy of a request?
A request consists of 4 parts. The endpoint, method, headers, and the data (or body).
90. Explain the differences between JAX-RS and Spring REST.
JAX-RS is a specification for implementing REST web services in Java and its (JAX-RS) reference implementation include Jersey, RESTEasy and Apache CXF. JSR standard can be run without servlet container. The Spring is a complete framework that creates Java enterprise applications. In Spring, the R...
91. How do I secure a RESTful Web Service?
The below are some of the ways of securing a RESTful web service. Clients have the certificates that are trusted by the servers. The clients presents the trusted certificate on request. OAuth with HTTPS. HTTP Basic with HTTPS. API Key is provided to client and that API key defines which client is...
92. REST services being stateless, can we make it stateful?
According to stackoverflow, the statelessness of REST is designed to ensure applications scale well. You can add state, but it is at a trade-off in scalability. We can make it stateful by applying session management technique such as, Cookies, Hidden form field, URL Rewriting, and HttpSession. On...
93. Is HTTP protocol stateless?
Yes, it is stateless while FTP is stateful.
94. Is SOAP web service stateless?
Web services, both REST and SOAP, are stateless by default. We may make it stateful if needed by applying session management techniques.
95. Is JAX-WS web service stateless?
Yes. It is stateless however it can be programmatically converted to stateful.
96. Mention few JAX-WS implementations.
JAX-WS is a specification however JAVA6 included a in-built JAX-WS implementation. Other reference implementations include apache CXF and Axis2.
97. Advantages of using Apache CXF implementation.
The main advantage is that Apache CXF can produce both JAX RS and JAX WS implementations from the same data model and service interface. CXF has good support for spring. It is a open source framework and support OSGI. CXF supports complex feature such as WS-Security, WS-RM and WS-Policy.
98. How do I intercept/modify request and response in JAX RS?
There are 4 ways we can implement the behavior. Servlet filter, CXF Interceptor, JAX-RS Filter, perform the encode/decode(interception logic) within the actual service logic.
99. What is Apache Axis?
Apache Axis ( A pache e X tensible I nteraction S ystem) is an open-source, XML based Web service framework. Apache Axis framework provides implementation of JAX-RPC (Axis 1.x) and JAX-WS (Axis 2) web services specifications.
100. Difference between Apache CXF and Apache AXIS.
Apache CXF. Apache Axis. CXF supports for WS-Addressing, WS-Policy, WS-RM, WS-Security and WS-I BasicProfile. Axis2 also supports WS-RM, WS-Security, and WS-I BasicProfile except for WS-Policy. CXF has better integration with Spring and other frameworks. Axis2 integrate with Spring. Better Commun...
101. What is SOAP fault?
If an error occurs during processing at the server, the response to a SOAP message is a SOAP fault as an element in the body of the message, and the fault is returned to the sender of the SOAP message (client). The SOAP fault mechanism returns specific information about the error that include a p...
102. How do I set status codes in service HTTP response?
If you are using Spring MVC, use Spring @ResponseStatus annotation to set HTTP Status code. @ResponseStatus (HttpStatus . BAD_REQUEST, reason = "Object missing, unable to parse" ) void onNullPointerException (NullPointerException e) {}
103. Explain WS-Security.
Web Services Security (WS Security) specification defines how security measures are implemented in web services to protect them from external attacks. It is a set of protocols that ensure security for SOAP-based messages by implementing the principles of confidentiality, integrity and authenticat...
104. Does REST support WS-SECURITY?
No, REST does not.However both REST and SOAP API formats support Secure Sockets Layer that protect data when it get transferred. SOAP, in addition to that, offer WS-Security thats an added advantage to enterprise applications.
105. How do I secure RESTful Web Services (JAX-RS)?
The below ways define how to secure Web services running in a web container that conform to the Representational State Transfer (REST) architectural style using Java API for RESTful Web Services (JAX-RS). Updating the web.xml deployment descriptor to define security configuration (Basic authentic...
106. Explain WS Reliability (Web services).
WS-Reliability is a specification for open, reliable Web services messaging, including guaranteed delivery, eliminating duplicate message and message ordering, that enables reliable communication between Web services. The reliability features are based on extensions to the Simple Object Access Pr...
107. How WS Reliability achieved in SOAP services?
The WS Reliability specification defines a set of SOAP headers, or instructions within the SOAP envelope, that govern the control of message acknowledgments, sequencing and message persistence.
108. What is SAAJ framework?
As per Wikipedia, the SOAP with Attachments API for Java or SAAJ provides a standard way to send XML documents over the Internet from the Java platform. SAAJ enables developers to produce and consume messages conforming to the SOAP 1.1 and 1.2 specifications and SOAP with Attachments note. It can...
109. What is service endpoint interface (SEI)?
The service endpoint interface (SEI) is a Java interface class that defines the methods to be exposed as a Web service.
110. Have you used Apigee Edge in your Project? Why?
Apigee Edge is a platform for developing and managing APIs. By fronting services with a proxy layer, Edge provides an abstraction or facade for your backend service APIs and provides security, rate limiting, quotas, analytics, and more. I have used proxy layer of apigee Edge to process the respon...
111. What is the difference between an XML Schema(XSD) and WSDL?
XSD defines a schema which defines how an XML document can be structured. You can use it to check that a given XML document is valid and follows the rules you've laid out in the schema. WSDL is an XML document that describes a web service. It shows which operations are available and how data shou...
112. Some of the security best practices for SOAP services.
Diagnostics and Forensics logging: Log service requests and provide a detailed report of who has invoked to find error conditions or to determine what occurred after a breach. Security logging: Log all administrative activities, changes to privileges, add/removing/changing users and API keys, and...
113. What are the advantages of using RestTemplate?
RestTemplate class is an implementation of the Template method pattern in the Spring framework. It simplifies the interaction of RESTful Web Services on the client-side.
114. Difference between PUT and PATCH HTTP methods.
PUT is considered idempotent. When you PUT a resource, these two assumptions are in play: You are referring to an entity, not to a collection. The entity you are supplying is complete (the entire entity). The PUT includes all of the parameters on the entity, but PATCH only includes the one that w...
115. Difference Between trustStore and keyStore in Java.
TrustStore is used to store certificates from Certified Authorities (CA) that verify the certificate presented by the server in an SSL connection. While Keystore is used to store private key and identity certificates that a specific program should present to both parties (server or client) for ve...
