JAX-RS @Path URI matching example

In this JAX-RS tutorial , you can use @Path to bind URI pattern to a Java method. See following examples to show you how it works.

1. Normal URI Matching
See normal URI matching with @Path annotation

import javax.ws.rs.GET;
import javax.ws.rs.Path;
import javax.ws.rs.core.Response;
 
@Path("/employees")
public class EmployeeRestService {
 @GET
 public Response getEmployee() {
     return Response.status(200).entity("getEmployee is called").build();
 }
 @GET
 @Path("/manager")
 public Response getEmployeeManager() {
    return Response.status(200).entity("getEmployeeManageris called").build();
  }
}

URI pattern : "/employees"

getEmployee is called

URI pattern : "/employees/manager"

getEmployeeManageris is called

2. URI Matching and Parameter
The value within an open brace "{" and close brace "}", is represents a parameter, and can be access with @PathParam.

import javax.ws.rs.GET;
import javax.ws.rs.Path;
import javax.ws.rs.PathParam;
import javax.ws.rs.core.Response;
 
@Path("/employees")
public class EmployeeRestService {
 
 @GET
 @Path("{employeeName}")
 public Response getEmployeeByName(@PathParam("employeeName") String employeeName) {
 
  return Response.status(200)
   .entity("getEmployeeByName is called, employee name: " + employeeName).build();
 
 }
 }

URI Pattern : "/employees/dinesh"

getEmployeeByName is called, name : dinesh

URI Pattern : "/employees/sweety"

getEmployeeByName is called, name : sweety

3. URI Matching and Regular Expression
@Path support complex URI matching with regular expression, via following expression :

{" variable-name [ ":" regular-expression ] "}

import javax.ws.rs.GET;
import javax.ws.rs.Path;
import javax.ws.rs.PathParam;
import javax.ws.rs.core.Response;

@Path("/employees")
public class EmployeeRestService {

@GET
@Path("{employeeId : \\d+}") //support digit only
public Response getEmployeeByEmpId(@PathParam("employeeId") String employeeId) {

return Response.status(200).entity("getEmployeeByEmpId is called, employeeId : " + employeeId).build();

}

@GET
@Path("/employeeName/{employeeName : [a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z_0-9]}")
public Response getEmployeeByEmployeeName(@PathParam("employeeName") String employeeName) {

return Response.status(200)
.entity("getEmployeeByEmployeeName is called, employeeName : " + employeeName).build();

}

@GET
@Path("/salary/{sapid : \\d+}")
public Response getEmployeeSalaryBySapId(@PathParam("sapid") String sapid) {

return Response.status(200)
.entity("getEmployeeSalaryBySapId is called, sapid : " + sapid).build();

}

}

URI Pattern : "/employees/1212"

getEmployeeByEmpId is called, employeeId : 1212

URI Pattern : "/employees/123456"

getEmployeeByEmpId is called, employeeId : 123456

URI Pattern : "/employees/employeeName/ddddd" , failed, don’t match "[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z_0-9]", first character need "[a-zA-Z]", second character need "[a-zA-Z_0-9]".

Could not find resource for relative : /employees/employeeName/ddddd

URI Pattern : "/employees/employeeName/d5"

getEmployeeByEmployeeName is called, employeeName : d5

URI Pattern : "employees/salary/1212"

getEmployeeSalaryBySapId is called, sapid: 1212

Download SourceCode
JAX-RS @Path URI matching example.zip

References
1. JAVA REST Web Services
2. Wikipedia for REST Web Service