Java Web Services in a Nutshell is a high-speed tutorial and a quick reference for the technologies that Sun Microsystems is creating for implementing web services with Java. This book is a succinct introduction and handy reference to the Java/XML APIs, more commonly known as the JWSDP or "Java Web Services Development Pack." These APIs are taking the Java world by storm, as they are capable of handling everything from simple XML to SOAP to full ebXML vocabularies. Although "web services" technology has suffered from much hype and overly grand expectations, there is plenty of solid development going on, especially in extending enterprise applications, and a huge amount of this development is being done in Java. As a result, the J2EE APIs for web services are evolving rapidly, and this new "in a Nutshell" book covers them all in depth. One of the most important APIs in the JWSDP is JAX-RPC (Java API for XML-based RPC). It's also the API that developers most consistently post questions about. Java Web Services in a Nutshell covers all aspects of JAX-RPC in detail, with tutorial coverage alone exceeding 150 pages. This book offers developers everything they need to program with JAX-RPC. Java Web Services in a Nutshell begins with an introduction to Java web services, including a discussion of how they differ from web applications. The author looks at the protocols and interfaces that underpin web services, the J2EE technologies that address web services, WSDL as the means for describe web services, and more. Subsequent chapters cover:

• JAX-RPC

• SOAP and the SOAP with Attachments API for Java (SAAJ)

• Reliable SOAP messaging with JAXM

• WSDL

• Advanced JAX-RPC

• JAXR, the XML-based registry API

• Web Services Tools

The balance of the book is made up of an API Quick Reference containing documentation for the various API packages. Intended for Java developers who need to implement Java services or who need their applications to access existing web services, Java Web Services in a Nutshell delivers practical information to help developers make sense of the rapidly changing and poorly organized official documentation. If web services and Enterprise Java are any part of your job description -- of if you'd like them to be -- you'll want this book close beside as you work.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 6 Ratings

Good book if you've already been introduced to web services. - 2004-01-08
Reviewer Rating:
If you start reading about web services developed in Java, you'll quickly find that there are a number of Java technologies that come into play. These include SOAP, UDDI, WSDL, and others. Since you'll need to know about all of them to effectively develop your services, you'll need a book that covers those areas in detail. One of your choices would include Java Web Services In A Nutshell.

Like all Nutshell books, this is not an entry-level tutorial on the subject. It assumes preexisting knowledge so that less time is spent on the basics and more space can be devoted to the more complex intricacies of the technology. If the chaptersin the table of contents do not sound familiar, you're most likely not ready for this book. And yes, I would also include myself in that group...

The first 2/3's of the book cover the different web services packages, both conceptually and in practice with examples. You should be able to use the examples to jumpstart your own development efforts. The last 1/3 of the book is the traditional documentation of the package API information. As with most Nutshell books, this will be the area that quickly becomes worn and dog-earred.

Conclusion
If you are past the "What are web services?" stage, this book will be of value to you. If you are still trying to figure out what all the hype is about, I would recommend a more entry-level book like Java Web Services by O'Reilly.

Good for a "nutshell" book but incomplete. - 2003-10-26
Reviewer Rating:
I found this book gave a good overview of JAX-RPC and JWSDK
features. But this book is very specific to the Sun JWSDK
implementation. There is nothing on Apache AXIS or differences
between implementations. The biggest deficiency for me was that
there is nothing at all on DIME and it only dicusses the
non-standard Sun JWSDK SOAP with MIME attachments API without
mentioning any alternatives.

a good reference book. - 2007-01-17
Reviewer Rating:
A good reference book for Java Web Services. It had most of what I was looking for. Lacked depth and samples but the nutshell series was always meant to be more a reference than a tutorial.

Good reference book - 2003-12-07
Reviewer Rating:
Like the other Nutshell books in O'Reilly's series, this too is designed to provide the most valuable information in the least space possible. Some people criticize the Nutshell series over this issue, but it is really the strong point of this book-it is designed to be used as a desktop reference. I have always liked the Nutshell book, and this one is no exception.

Again, this book isn't designed to be a how-to, and O'Reilly doesn't claim it as such. It's designed as a desktop reference, which is really where this book shines. Java web service developers will find this a valuable addition to their library.

Very good book - 2003-11-18
Reviewer Rating:
This book is a very good book to start with web service. The explanation and examples provide most of needs to start with a web service project. It has sufficient details to use Sun tools. Readers can easily found most of their interests on this topic. The major drawback is the short of coverage on implementations of weblogic or websphere, which are of interests of most programmers. This is excellent book for starters or mid-level developers

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