从Android应用程序向Web托管的Java应用程序发送和接收数据

Question

I've been looking around all morning, and can't seem to figure this one out. I know it's not as complicated as I think it is, and all I need is just some pointers to the right direction.

I have an Android application that takes some user input, sends it to a Java application over the web, and then receives some output based on the input.

My Android and Java applications are ready, but how do I go about sending and receiving the data over the web? I understand that I'll be sending and receiving HTTP requests, but my problem is where I'll be sending them and receiving them from. Do I host my Java application on a Servlet like Tomcat, or do I use something like OpenShift to host my application for me?

I have no trouble with sending some HTTP request from my Android application to the web and receiving some output back, but my problem is that my web service needs to use a Java library to process the input and generate the output. I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to get this data to and from this Java library that needs to be hosted on the web.

I hope my question makes any sense.

EDIT: Perhaps I wasn't clear with what exactly I need help with. I do realize that the architecture I use doesn't really make any difference, but the problem I have is with how I'm supposed to use this architecture.

Let's say I have a registered domain name that I can easily send to and receive data from using my Android application - no trouble with that. But how am I supposed to integrate my Java library with this server? Do I just create an applet and put it on my server? Does my web host even allow Java applets to run?

I guess my question is how I'm supposed to get through the "barrier" between my HTTP request / transport layer protocol and my Java application.

Answer 1

Server architecture usually does not matter. You can use Java, NodeJs, Rails, Python, .NET, etc. You just need an endpoint that accepts a HTTP POST/PUT/GET/DELETE/PATCH verb.

This is more a question of "how do I set up a server to accept input" and its a very large topic in itself. I would advise you look at PAAS solutions like:

• Parse.com
• Kinvey.com

You can use their tools to build a solution fairly quickly. If you need something custom you'll need to build your backend in the language of choice and host it online via AWS, Google Cloud, Heroku, a VPS or something similar.