Web-Service: JAX-WS, CXF, WSDL… What's that all about?

Question

Sorry fot his newbie question. But I really need a start on this one. I want to access a webservice in my Java EE project. This webservice offers a WSDL file. So I understand I can use this to build Java code from it to access the web service. Now I read that Apache CXF is a good framework that I can use. But what's the difference to JAX-WS?

Could someone please explain this to me?

Answer 1

JAX-WS is a Specification (provided by Sun Oracle) to defining Web Services by use of Annotations.

Apache CXF is a framework that implements JAX-WS to generate Web Services Definitions and Java Proxy (from a Web Service Definitions)

Apache Axis 2 is also a framework that now supports JAX-WS (up to JAX-WS 2). It's an improvement from Apache Axis. CXF supports up to JAX-WS 1.2.

Brief tutorial can be found here .

Answer 2

JAX-WS is an API (or specification) and CXF is an implementation of that API. There is also a reference implementation available here

Answer 3

CXF is good but you don't need it to solve your problem. You can use wsimport , which comes as part of the JDK, to generate classes from the WSDL to access the web service.

Answer 4

The other answers are correct, but with CXF or Metro you are getting an implementation web services stack and with that are extra features beyond the JAX-WS api. That is why JAX-WS RI also has more features available than just JAX-WS.

I think this article explains this very well in detail.

http://www.predic8.com/axis2-cxf-jax-ws-comparison.htm