Question

I am in process of implementing a REST API server using Apache CXF JAX-RS v(2.30). I am using spring as container. I am thinking of making use of org.apache.cxf.jaxrs.ext.RequestHandler to implement few features like license check, authentication, authorization (All of which has custom code). My idea is to segregate this code in individual implementation classes (implementing RequestHandler) and configure it for a base REST url something like /rest/*. Being new to Apache CXF and JAX-RS, I want to understand following things.

• Is this approach the right way to implement the features I want to?
• If yes, then is the order in which the RequestHandlers are declared is the order of their invocation?

For example if in my definition I declare:

<beans>
<jaxrs:server id="abcRestService" address="/rest">
    <jaxrs:serviceBeans>
      <bean class="com.abc.api.rest.service.FooService" />
    </jaxrs:serviceBeans>

    <jaxrs:providers>
      <ref bean="licenseFilter" />
      <ref bean="authorizationFilter" />
    </jaxrs:providers>

</jaxrs:server>

    <bean id="licenseFilter" class="com.abc.api.rest.providers.LicenseValidator">
        <!-- License check bean properties -->
    </bean>

    <bean id="authorizationFilter" class="com.abc.api.rest.providers.AuthorizationFilter">
        <!-- authorization bean properties -->
    </bean>
</beans>

then will the licenseFilter always get invoked before authorizationFilter?

I did not find a mention of invocation ordering of RequestHandlers as well as ResponseHandlers.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Figured this out.

It gets invoked in the order of declaration of beans in <jaxrs:providers>. Thus in case mentioned in question, licenseFilter will get invoked before authorizationFilter.