Integrating AngularJS and JavaEE (WebService example)

AngularJS is a single page application framework that is - without doubt - exponentially growing. But as exposed, it is a client-side framewok, so we need something to back it up if we want anything related to persistence! But why would I choose Java and a SQL? That's right, I ask you the same question (wait what?). What I mean by saying this is that AngularJS works better with a NoSQL database, in other words, more challenges, since most Java stuff out there is based on SQL databases.

With this in mind, you would find most of the tutorials/explanations back-end utilizing NodeJS, PHP or Ruby on Rails, and that is for innumerous reasons that it would need another tutorial to start explaining why, if you want to read about it, see here and here.

Before I start, I'm assuming you know the basics of Java language and at least what AngularJS is, not exactly any experience with it. In this tutorial, we will create a "Hello World" - using NetBeans 8.1 - WebService with Java to "read" a HTTP method, more specifically a GET. So, let's start out from the back-end, creating a new Web Application (using GlassFish as the server).

Defining GLASSFISH as Server and Java EE version

Now we can create a RESTful Web Services from Pattern

DON'T PANIC if you are using other IDE or doesn't want to do any of this, the project file is at the end of this tutorial. The explications of every method/class is inside each img/file as well.

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Setting up the application config

WebService resource class

Angular import and definition in a simple index

Now we can effectively run the project

That's it, easy peasy. Now that you have a connection to the back-end, you can easily set-up simple projects (like portfolios).

Author: Guilherme Carlos Matuella
GitHub project: (Didn't created it yet)