Java REST Template

This template provides a starter project that implements best practices in Java, REST and Domain-Driven Design. Features include:

• Use of the Hexagonal Architecture to arrange the application into logical layers, with well-defined responsibilities.
• RESTful APIs are implemented using the Spring MVC framework.
• Persistence is implemented using an in-memory repository layer. This can be substituted with any persistence technology of your choice.

You may also want to review the companion project Java Cucumber Template. It contains a template for acceptance testing of RESTful applications.

Quick Start

To run the application locally:

$ mvn install
$ mvn spring-boot:run

To verify that the application is working correctly, point your browser to http://localhost:8080/accounts - you should see a response with a list of accounts in JSON format. Since the persistence layer is in memory, the list will be empty.

Package Structure

org.archfirst.template
    adapter
        persistence
        rest
    application
    domain

The package structure is arranged into logical layers as suggested by the Hexagonal Architecture (a.k.a. the Onion Architecture):

• The adapter layer adapts interactions from the external world to the application layer. It contains two adapters:

  • The REST adapter converts incoming HTTP messages to a format acceptable by the application layer.
  • The persistence adapter that reads and writes domain objects to persistence storage (in this case, simply to memory).

• The application layer coordinates high-level activities such as creation of the domain objects and asking them to perform tasks requested by the external world.

• The domain layer encapsulate the state and behavior of the business domain. It consists of entities and value objects. See this article for a detailed description of the domain layer.