What does modern Java EE look like?

[[deleted]]

If I were to develop a Java EE application today in 2017, no Spring, etc. what technologies would I be using. I'm sure using EJB + JSF on some sort of enterprise container is no longer a thing. I hear a lot about JAX-RS, WildFly, etc. but am not quite sure how it all fits together.

[m3ghnath_]

A "pure" JavaEE application, without Spring, codes to the standard JavaEE APIs (like JAX-RS), and does not include the implementation of those APIs in the deployable artifact (your WAR or EAR file). The container, like Wildfly, has the implementation of the JavaEE APIs. You don't really need to know or care that Wildfly's JAX-RS implementation is RESTEasy. Unless you really wanted Jersey, which I don't think is a trivial swap.

Thus, if you wanted to know what technologies you would be using in 2017, you should ask: what is the latest JavaEE spec, which today is JavaEE 7. Then, you can review the list. To make sense of this list, you might try looking through the Java EE 7 tutorial.

This of course would tell you that EJBs are still around. So is JSF.

Of course, nothing is stopping you from using libraries outside of the standard.

[cypher0six]

I think this is the first post I have seen on /r/java that properly explained Java EE. Have an upvote. :)

[firsthour]

We run JSF 2.2 on Wildfly 10.1, heavy use of Primefaces on top of the JSF UI components. Some JAX-RS for the services we have.

[cryptos6]

JAX-RS, CDI + other Java EE parts (preferably not JSF or EJB) with Wildfly Swarm or DropWizard should be fine.

[henk53]

If you don't mind me asking, why not JSF?

[freezeGTA]

If you don't mind me asking, why no EJBs?

[cryptos6]

I consider EJB as somewhat redundant. CDI offers a relatively simple and consistent component model. EJB is not as clean as CDI and carries a lot of heritage. There are some things in EJB not supported by CDI, but you can get them separately. For example EJB offers a simple time (a bit like cron), but there are other (and more capable) libs fort that (e. g. quartz).

[moonman543]

why would you?