The JAX-RS examples discussed in this book are built using the following software and tools:
- Java SE Development Kit 8 (JDK 8) or newer: You can download the latest JDK from http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html. After downloading the appropriate release of JDK, you can navigate to the Installation Instructions section on the download page for detailed instructions on how to install JDK on your computer.
- NetBeans IDE 8.2 (with Java EE bundle) or newer: The NetBeans IDE helps you to quickly develop JAX-RS web applications. You can download the latest NetBeans IDE from https://netbeans.org/downloads. In the download page, choose either the Java EE or All download bundles because many of the examples discussed in this book are based on Java EE features. Detailed instructions for setting up the NetBeans IDE are available at https://netbeans.org/community/releases/82/install.html.
- GlassFish server 4.1 or newer: GlassFish is an open source application server project for the Java EE platform. The NetBeans Java EE download bundle comes with an integrated GlassFish server, which is good enough for you to run all the examples discussed in this book. Alternatively, you can download the latest release of the GlassFish server from https://glassfish.java.net/download.html and wire it with NetBeans. The README.txt file in the downloaded ZIP file contains instructions for installing the GlassFish server.
- Apache Maven 3.2.3 or newer: Apache Maven is a build tool used in Java applications to compile source files, execute unit tests, and generate deployable artifacts. The NetBeans IDE standard installation comes with an integrated Maven installation by default. Alternatively, you can configure NetBeans to use an external Maven installation to build the source. To download Maven, visit https://maven.apache.org and navigate to the Download section. You will find the installation instructions under the Installation Instructions section on the download page itself. To point the NetBeans IDE to use an external Maven installation, choose the Tools | Options menu item, and in the Java tab, choose the Maven tab. In the Maven page, make sure that External Maven Home points to your Maven installation folder.
- Oracle Database Express Edition 11g release 2 or newer: Oracle Database Express Edition is a lightweight RDBMS, based on the Oracle database. We use this database to build the examples discussed in this book. To directly download Oracle Database Express Edition 11g Release 2, go to http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/database-technologies/express-edition/downloads/index.html. Alternatively, you can visit the Oracle Technology Network site at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/index.html and, then, navigate to the Downloads and Trails | Database | Oracle Database 11g Express Edition menu options to reach the download page.
If you want, you can use any lightweight database, such as Apache Derby or db4o, instead of the Oracle database to try out the examples that we discussed in this book. However, in such a case, all the examples that you will download from the Packt website need to be reconfigured to fit into the database that you choose.
- Oracle Database JDBC Driver (ojdbc7.jar or newer): The JDBC driver is a software library that lets Java applications interact with a database. You can download the latest JDBC driver from http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/features/jdbc/jdbc-drivers-12c-download-1958347.html.
To learn how to use the NetBeans IDE for building JAX-RS web applications, refer to the Building a simple RESTful web service application using NetBeans IDE section in Chapter 3, Introducing the JAX-RS API.