spring-framework/framework-docs/modules/ROOT/pages/integration/rest-clients.adoc

[[rest-client-access]]
= REST Clients

The Spring Framework provides the following choices for making calls to REST endpoints:

* xref:integration/rest-clients.adoc#rest-restclient[`RestClient`] -- synchronous client with a fluent API
* xref:integration/rest-clients.adoc#rest-webclient[`WebClient`] -- non-blocking, reactive client with fluent API
* xref:integration/rest-clients.adoc#rest-resttemplate[`RestTemplate`] -- synchronous client with template method API
* xref:integration/rest-clients.adoc#rest-http-interface[HTTP Interface Clients] -- annotated interface backed by generated proxy


[[rest-restclient]]
== `RestClient`

`RestClient` is a synchronous HTTP client that provides a fluent API to perform requests.
It serves as an abstraction over HTTP libraries, and handles conversion of HTTP request and response content to and from higher level Java objects.

=== Create a `RestClient`

`RestClient` has static `create` shortcut methods.
It also exposes a `builder()` with further options:

- select the HTTP library to use, see <<rest-request-factories>>
- configure message converters, see <<rest-message-conversion>>
- set a baseUrl
- set default request headers, cookies, path variables, API version
- configure an `ApiVersionInserter`
- register interceptors
- register request initializers

Once created, a `RestClient` is safe to use in multiple threads.

The below shows how to create or build a `RestClient`:

[tabs]
======
Java::
+
[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim"]
----
	RestClient defaultClient = RestClient.create();
	
	RestClient customClient = RestClient.builder()
		.requestFactory(new HttpComponentsClientHttpRequestFactory())
		.messageConverters(converters -> converters.add(new MyCustomMessageConverter()))
		.baseUrl("https://example.com")
		.defaultUriVariables(Map.of("variable", "foo"))
		.defaultHeader("My-Header", "Foo")
		.defaultCookie("My-Cookie", "Bar")
		.defaultVersion("1.2")
		.apiVersionInserter(ApiVersionInserter.fromHeader("API-Version").build())
		.requestInterceptor(myCustomInterceptor)
		.requestInitializer(myCustomInitializer)
		.build();
----

Kotlin::
+
[source,kotlin,indent=0,subs="verbatim"]
----
	val defaultClient = RestClient.create()
	
	val customClient = RestClient.builder()
		.requestFactory(HttpComponentsClientHttpRequestFactory())
		.messageConverters { converters -> converters.add(MyCustomMessageConverter()) }
		.baseUrl("https://example.com")
		.defaultUriVariables(mapOf("variable" to "foo"))
		.defaultHeader("My-Header", "Foo")
		.defaultCookie("My-Cookie", "Bar")
        .defaultVersion("1.2")
        .apiVersionInserter(ApiVersionInserter.fromHeader("API-Version").build())
		.requestInterceptor(myCustomInterceptor)
		.requestInitializer(myCustomInitializer)
		.build()
----
======

=== Use the `RestClient`

To perform an HTTP request, first specify the HTTP method to use.
Use the convenience methods like `get()`, `head()`, `post()`, and others, or `method(HttpMethod)`.

==== Request URL

Next, specify the request URI with the `uri` methods.
This is optional, and you can skip this step if you configured a baseUrl through the builder.
The URL is typically specified as a `String`, with optional URI template variables.
The following shows how to perform a request:

[tabs]
======
Java::
+
[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	int id = 42;
	restClient.get()
		.uri("https://example.com/orders/{id}", id)
		// ...
----

Kotlin::
+
[source,kotlin,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	val id = 42
	restClient.get()
		.uri("https://example.com/orders/{id}", id)
		// ...
----
======

A function can also be used for more controls, such as specifying xref:web/webmvc/mvc-uri-building.adoc[request parameters].

String URLs are encoded by default, but this can be changed by building a client with a custom `uriBuilderFactory`.
The URL can also be provided with a function or as a `java.net.URI`, both of which are not encoded.
For more details on working with and encoding URIs, see xref:web/webmvc/mvc-uri-building.adoc[URI Links].

==== Request headers and body

If necessary, the HTTP request can be manipulated by adding request headers with `header(String, String)`, `headers(Consumer<HttpHeaders>`, or with the convenience methods `accept(MediaType...)`, `acceptCharset(Charset...)` and so on.
For HTTP requests that can contain a body (`POST`, `PUT`, and `PATCH`), additional methods are available: `contentType(MediaType)`, and `contentLength(long)`.
You can set an API version for the request if the client is configured with `ApiVersionInserter`.

The request body itself can be set by `body(Object)`, which internally uses <<rest-message-conversion>>.
Alternatively, the request body can be set using a `ParameterizedTypeReference`, allowing you to use generics.
Finally, the body can be set to a callback function that writes to an `OutputStream`.

==== Retrieving the response

Once the request has been set up, it can be sent by chaining method calls after `retrieve()`.
For example, the response body can be accessed by using `retrieve().body(Class)` or `retrieve().body(ParameterizedTypeReference)` for parameterized types like lists.
The `body` method converts the response contents into various types – for instance, bytes can be converted into a `String`, JSON can be converted into objects using Jackson, and so on (see <<rest-message-conversion>>).

The response can also be converted into a `ResponseEntity`, giving access to the response headers as well as the body, with `retrieve().toEntity(Class)`

NOTE: Calling `retrieve()` by itself is a no-op and returns a `ResponseSpec`.
Applications must invoke a terminal operation on the `ResponseSpec` to have any side effect.
If consuming the response has no interest for your use case, you can use `retrieve().toBodilessEntity()`.

This sample shows how `RestClient` can be used to perform a simple `GET` request.

[tabs]
======
Java::
+
[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	String result = restClient.get() <1>
		.uri("https://example.com") <2>
		.retrieve() <3>
		.body(String.class); <4>
	
	System.out.println(result); <5>
----
<1> Set up a GET request
<2> Specify the URL to connect to
<3> Retrieve the response
<4> Convert the response into a string
<5> Print the result

Kotlin::
+
[source,kotlin,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	val result= restClient.get() <1>
		.uri("https://example.com") <2>
		.retrieve() <3>
		.body<String>() <4>
	
	println(result) <5>
----
<1> Set up a GET request
<2> Specify the URL to connect to
<3> Retrieve the response
<4> Convert the response into a string
<5> Print the result
======

Access to the response status code and headers is provided through `ResponseEntity`:

[tabs]
======
Java::
+
[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	ResponseEntity<String> result = restClient.get() <1>
		.uri("https://example.com") <1>
		.retrieve()
		.toEntity(String.class); <2>
	
	System.out.println("Response status: " + result.getStatusCode()); <3>
	System.out.println("Response headers: " + result.getHeaders()); <3>
	System.out.println("Contents: " + result.getBody()); <3>
----
<1> Set up a GET request for the specified URL
<2> Convert the response into a `ResponseEntity`
<3> Print the result

Kotlin::
+
[source,kotlin,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	val result = restClient.get() <1>
		.uri("https://example.com") <1>
		.retrieve()
		.toEntity<String>() <2>
	
	println("Response status: " + result.statusCode) <3>
	println("Response headers: " + result.headers) <3>
	println("Contents: " + result.body) <3>
----
<1> Set up a GET request for the specified URL
<2> Convert the response into a `ResponseEntity`
<3> Print the result
======

`RestClient` can convert JSON to objects, using the Jackson library.
Note the usage of URI variables in this sample and that the `Accept` header is set to JSON.

[tabs]
======
Java::
+
[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	int id = ...;
	Pet pet = restClient.get()
		.uri("https://petclinic.example.com/pets/{id}", id) <1>
		.accept(APPLICATION_JSON) <2>
		.retrieve()
		.body(Pet.class); <3>
----
<1> Using URI variables
<2> Set the `Accept` header to `application/json`
<3> Convert the JSON response into a `Pet` domain object

Kotlin::
+
[source,kotlin,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	val id = ...
	val pet = restClient.get()
		.uri("https://petclinic.example.com/pets/{id}", id) <1>
		.accept(APPLICATION_JSON) <2>
		.retrieve()
		.body<Pet>() <3>
----
<1> Using URI variables
<2> Set the `Accept` header to `application/json`
<3> Convert the JSON response into a `Pet` domain object
======

In the next sample, `RestClient` is used to perform a POST request that contains JSON, which again is converted using Jackson.

[tabs]
======
Java::
+
[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	Pet pet = ... <1>
	ResponseEntity<Void> response = restClient.post() <2>
		.uri("https://petclinic.example.com/pets/new") <2>
		.contentType(APPLICATION_JSON) <3>
		.body(pet) <4>
		.retrieve()
		.toBodilessEntity(); <5>
----
<1> Create a `Pet` domain object
<2> Set up a POST request, and the URL to connect to
<3> Set the `Content-Type` header to `application/json`
<4> Use `pet` as the request body
<5> Convert the response into a response entity with no body.

Kotlin::
+
[source,kotlin,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	val pet: Pet = ... <1>
	val response = restClient.post() <2>
		.uri("https://petclinic.example.com/pets/new") <2>
		.contentType(APPLICATION_JSON) <3>
		.body(pet) <4>
		.retrieve()
		.toBodilessEntity() <5>
----
<1> Create a `Pet` domain object
<2> Set up a POST request, and the URL to connect to
<3> Set the `Content-Type` header to `application/json`
<4> Use `pet` as the request body
<5> Convert the response into a response entity with no body.
======

==== Error handling

By default, `RestClient` throws a subclass of `RestClientException` when retrieving a response with a 4xx or 5xx status code.
This behavior can be overridden using `onStatus`.

[tabs]
======
Java::
+
[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	String result = restClient.get() <1>
		.uri("https://example.com/this-url-does-not-exist") <1>
		.retrieve()
		.onStatus(HttpStatusCode::is4xxClientError, (request, response) -> { <2>
			throw new MyCustomRuntimeException(response.getStatusCode(), response.getHeaders()); <3>
		})
		.body(String.class);
----
<1> Create a GET request for a URL that returns a 404 status code
<2> Set up a status handler for all 4xx status codes
<3> Throw a custom exception

Kotlin::
+
[source,kotlin,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	val result = restClient.get() <1>
		.uri("https://example.com/this-url-does-not-exist") <1>
		.retrieve()
		.onStatus(HttpStatusCode::is4xxClientError) { _, response -> <2>
			throw MyCustomRuntimeException(response.getStatusCode(), response.getHeaders()) } <3>
		.body<String>()
----
<1> Create a GET request for a URL that returns a 404 status code
<2> Set up a status handler for all 4xx status codes
<3> Throw a custom exception
======

==== Exchange

For more advanced scenarios, the `RestClient` gives access to the underlying HTTP request and response through the `exchange()` method, which can be used instead of `retrieve()`.
Status handlers are not applied when use `exchange()`, because the exchange function already provides access to the full response, allowing you to perform any error handling necessary.

[tabs]
======
Java::
+
[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	Pet result = restClient.get()
		.uri("https://petclinic.example.com/pets/{id}", id)
		.accept(APPLICATION_JSON)
		.exchange((request, response) -> { <1>
			if (response.getStatusCode().is4xxClientError()) { <2>
				throw new MyCustomRuntimeException(response.getStatusCode(), response.getHeaders()); <2>
			}
			else {
				Pet pet = convertResponse(response); <3>
				return pet;
			}
		});
----
<1> `exchange` provides the request and response
<2> Throw an exception when the response has a 4xx status code
<3> Convert the response into a Pet domain object

Kotlin::
+
[source,kotlin,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	val result = restClient.get()
		.uri("https://petclinic.example.com/pets/{id}", id)
		.accept(MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON)
		.exchange { request, response -> <1>
			if (response.getStatusCode().is4xxClientError()) { <2>
				throw MyCustomRuntimeException(response.getStatusCode(), response.getHeaders()) <2>
			} else {
				val pet: Pet = convertResponse(response) <3>
				pet
			}
		}
----
<1> `exchange` provides the request and response
<2> Throw an exception when the response has a 4xx status code
<3> Convert the response into a Pet domain object
======


[[rest-message-conversion]]
=== HTTP Message Conversion

xref:web/webmvc/message-converters.adoc#message-converters[See the supported HTTP message converters in the dedicated section].

==== Jackson JSON Views

To serialize only a subset of the object properties, you can specify a {baeldung-blog}/jackson-json-view-annotation[Jackson JSON View], as the following example shows:

[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim"]
----
	MappingJacksonValue value = new MappingJacksonValue(new User("eric", "7!jd#h23"));
	value.setSerializationView(User.WithoutPasswordView.class);
	
	ResponseEntity<Void> response = restClient.post() // or RestTemplate.postForEntity
		.contentType(APPLICATION_JSON)
		.body(value)
		.retrieve()
		.toBodilessEntity();
----

==== Multipart

To send multipart data, you need to provide a `MultiValueMap<String, Object>` whose values may be an `Object` for part content, a `Resource` for a file part, or an `HttpEntity` for part content with headers.
For example:

[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim"]
----
	MultiValueMap<String, Object> parts = new LinkedMultiValueMap<>();
	
	parts.add("fieldPart", "fieldValue");
	parts.add("filePart", new FileSystemResource("...logo.png"));
	parts.add("jsonPart", new Person("Jason"));
	
	HttpHeaders headers = new HttpHeaders();
	headers.setContentType(MediaType.APPLICATION_XML);
	parts.add("xmlPart", new HttpEntity<>(myBean, headers));
	
	// send using RestClient.post or RestTemplate.postForEntity
----

In most cases, you do not have to specify the `Content-Type` for each part.
The content type is determined automatically based on the `HttpMessageConverter` chosen to serialize it or, in the case of a `Resource`, based on the file extension.
If necessary, you can explicitly provide the `MediaType` with an `HttpEntity` wrapper.

Once the `MultiValueMap` is ready, you can use it as the body of a `POST` request, using `RestClient.post().body(parts)` (or `RestTemplate.postForObject`).

If the `MultiValueMap` contains at least one non-`String` value, the `Content-Type` is set to `multipart/form-data` by the `FormHttpMessageConverter`.
If the `MultiValueMap` has `String` values, the `Content-Type` defaults to `application/x-www-form-urlencoded`.
If necessary the `Content-Type` may also be set explicitly.

[[rest-request-factories]]
=== Client Request Factories

To execute the HTTP request, `RestClient` uses a client HTTP library.
These libraries are adapted via the `ClientRequestFactory` interface.
Various implementations are available:

* `JdkClientHttpRequestFactory` for Java's `HttpClient`
* `HttpComponentsClientHttpRequestFactory` for use with Apache HTTP Components `HttpClient`
* `JettyClientHttpRequestFactory` for Jetty's `HttpClient`
* `ReactorNettyClientRequestFactory` for Reactor Netty's `HttpClient`
* `SimpleClientHttpRequestFactory` as a simple default


If no request factory is specified when the `RestClient` was built, it will use the Apache or Jetty `HttpClient` if they are available on the classpath.
Otherwise, if the `java.net.http` module is loaded, it will use Java's `HttpClient`.
Finally, it will resort to the simple default.

TIP: Note that the `SimpleClientHttpRequestFactory` may raise an exception when accessing the status of a response that represents an error (for example, 401).
If this is an issue, use any of the alternative request factories.

[[rest-webclient]]
== `WebClient`

`WebClient` is a non-blocking, reactive client to perform HTTP requests. It was
introduced in 5.0 and offers an alternative to the `RestTemplate`, with support for
synchronous, asynchronous, and streaming scenarios.

`WebClient` supports the following:

* Non-blocking I/O
* Reactive Streams back pressure
* High concurrency with fewer hardware resources
* Functional-style, fluent API that takes advantage of Java 8 lambdas
* Synchronous and asynchronous interactions
* Streaming up to or streaming down from a server

See xref:web/webflux-webclient.adoc[WebClient] for more details.




[[rest-resttemplate]]
== `RestTemplate`

The `RestTemplate` provides a high-level API over HTTP client libraries in the form of a classic Spring Template class.
It exposes the following groups of overloaded methods:

NOTE: The xref:integration/rest-clients.adoc#rest-restclient[`RestClient`] offers a more modern API for synchronous HTTP access.
For asynchronous and streaming scenarios, consider the reactive xref:web/webflux-webclient.adoc[WebClient].

[[rest-overview-of-resttemplate-methods-tbl]]
.RestTemplate methods
[cols="1,3"]
|===
| Method group | Description

| `getForObject`
| Retrieves a representation via GET.

| `getForEntity`
| Retrieves a `ResponseEntity` (that is, status, headers, and body) by using GET.

| `headForHeaders`
| Retrieves all headers for a resource by using HEAD.

| `postForLocation`
| Creates a new resource by using POST and returns the `Location` header from the response.

| `postForObject`
| Creates a new resource by using POST and returns the representation from the response.

| `postForEntity`
| Creates a new resource by using POST and returns the representation from the response.

| `put`
| Creates or updates a resource by using PUT.

| `patchForObject`
| Updates a resource by using PATCH and returns the representation from the response.
Note that the JDK `HttpURLConnection` does not support `PATCH`, but Apache HttpComponents and others do.

| `delete`
| Deletes the resources at the specified URI by using DELETE.

| `optionsForAllow`
| Retrieves allowed HTTP methods for a resource by using ALLOW.

| `exchange`
| More generalized (and less opinionated) version of the preceding methods that provides extra flexibility when needed.
It accepts a `RequestEntity` (including HTTP method, URL, headers, and body as input) and returns a `ResponseEntity`.

These methods allow the use of `ParameterizedTypeReference` instead of `Class` to specify
a response type with generics.

| `execute`
| The most generalized way to perform a request, with full control over request
preparation and response extraction through callback interfaces.

|===

=== Initialization

`RestTemplate` uses the same HTTP library abstraction as `RestClient`.
By default, it uses the `SimpleClientHttpRequestFactory`, but this can be changed via the constructor.
See <<rest-request-factories>>.

NOTE: `RestTemplate` can be instrumented for observability, in order to produce metrics and traces.
See the xref:integration/observability.adoc#http-client.resttemplate[RestTemplate Observability support] section.

[[rest-template-body]]
=== Body

Objects passed into and returned from `RestTemplate` methods are converted to and from HTTP messages with the help of an `HttpMessageConverter`, see <<rest-message-conversion>>.

=== Migrating from `RestTemplate` to `RestClient`

The following table shows `RestClient` equivalents for `RestTemplate` methods.
It can be used to migrate from the latter to the former.

.RestClient equivalents for RestTemplate methods
[cols="1,1", options="header"]
|===
| `RestTemplate` method | `RestClient` equivalent

| `getForObject(String, Class, Object...)`
| `get()
.uri(String, Object...)
.retrieve()
.body(Class)`

| `getForObject(String, Class, Map)`
| `get()
.uri(String, Map)
.retrieve()
.body(Class)`

| `getForObject(URI, Class)`
| `get()
.uri(URI)
.retrieve()
.body(Class)`


| `getForEntity(String, Class, Object...)`
| `get()
.uri(String, Object...)
.retrieve()
.toEntity(Class)`

| `getForEntity(String, Class, Map)`
| `get()
.uri(String, Map)
.retrieve()
.toEntity(Class)`

| `getForEntity(URI, Class)`
| `get()
.uri(URI)
.retrieve()
.toEntity(Class)`


| `headForHeaders(String, Object...)`
| `head()
.uri(String, Object...)
.retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()
.getHeaders()`

| `headForHeaders(String, Map)`
| `head()
.uri(String, Map)
.retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()
.getHeaders()`

| `headForHeaders(URI)`
| `head()
.uri(URI)
.retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()
.getHeaders()`


| `postForLocation(String, Object, Object...)`
| `post()
.uri(String, Object...)
.body(Object).retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()
.getLocation()`

| `postForLocation(String, Object, Map)`
| `post()
.uri(String, Map)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()
.getLocation()`

| `postForLocation(URI, Object)`
| `post()
.uri(URI)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()
.getLocation()`


| `postForObject(String, Object, Class, Object...)`
| `post()
.uri(String, Object...)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.body(Class)`

| `postForObject(String, Object, Class, Map)`
| `post()
.uri(String, Map)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.body(Class)`

| `postForObject(URI, Object, Class)`
| `post()
.uri(URI)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.body(Class)`


| `postForEntity(String, Object, Class, Object...)`
| `post()
.uri(String, Object...)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toEntity(Class)`

| `postForEntity(String, Object, Class, Map)`
| `post()
.uri(String, Map)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toEntity(Class)`

| `postForEntity(URI, Object, Class)`
| `post()
.uri(URI)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toEntity(Class)`


| `put(String, Object, Object...)`
| `put()
.uri(String, Object...)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()`

| `put(String, Object, Map)`
| `put()
.uri(String, Map)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()`

| `put(URI, Object)`
| `put()
.uri(URI)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()`


| `patchForObject(String, Object, Class, Object...)`
| `patch()
.uri(String, Object...)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.body(Class)`

| `patchForObject(String, Object, Class, Map)`
| `patch()
.uri(String, Map)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.body(Class)`

| `patchForObject(URI, Object, Class)`
| `patch()
.uri(URI)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.body(Class)`


| `delete(String, Object...)`
| `delete()
.uri(String, Object...)
.retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()`

| `delete(String, Map)`
| `delete()
.uri(String, Map)
.retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()`

| `delete(URI)`
| `delete()
.uri(URI)
.retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()`


| `optionsForAllow(String, Object...)`
| `options()
.uri(String, Object...)
.retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()
.getAllow()`

| `optionsForAllow(String, Map)`
| `options()
.uri(String, Map)
.retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()
.getAllow()`

| `optionsForAllow(URI)`
| `options()
.uri(URI)
.retrieve()
.toBodilessEntity()
.getAllow()`


| `exchange(String, HttpMethod, HttpEntity, Class, Object...)`
| `method(HttpMethod)
.uri(String, Object...)
.headers(Consumer<HttpHeaders>)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toEntity(Class)` footnote:http-entity[`HttpEntity` headers and body have to be supplied to the `RestClient` via `headers(Consumer<HttpHeaders>)` and `body(Object)`.]

| `exchange(String, HttpMethod, HttpEntity, Class, Map)`
| `method(HttpMethod)
.uri(String, Map)
.headers(Consumer<HttpHeaders>)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toEntity(Class)` footnote:http-entity[]

| `exchange(URI, HttpMethod, HttpEntity, Class)`
| `method(HttpMethod)
.uri(URI)
.headers(Consumer<HttpHeaders>)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toEntity(Class)` footnote:http-entity[]


| `exchange(String, HttpMethod, HttpEntity, ParameterizedTypeReference, Object...)`
| `method(HttpMethod)
.uri(String, Object...)
.headers(Consumer<HttpHeaders>)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toEntity(ParameterizedTypeReference)` footnote:http-entity[]

| `exchange(String, HttpMethod, HttpEntity, ParameterizedTypeReference, Map)`
| `method(HttpMethod)
.uri(String, Map)
.headers(Consumer<HttpHeaders>)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toEntity(ParameterizedTypeReference)` footnote:http-entity[]

| `exchange(URI, HttpMethod, HttpEntity, ParameterizedTypeReference)`
| `method(HttpMethod)
.uri(URI)
.headers(Consumer<HttpHeaders>)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toEntity(ParameterizedTypeReference)` footnote:http-entity[]


| `exchange(RequestEntity, Class)`
| `method(HttpMethod)
.uri(URI)
.headers(Consumer<HttpHeaders>)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toEntity(Class)` footnote:request-entity[`RequestEntity` method, URI, headers and body have to be supplied to the `RestClient` via `method(HttpMethod)`, `uri(URI)`, `headers(Consumer<HttpHeaders>)` and `body(Object)`.]

| `exchange(RequestEntity, ParameterizedTypeReference)`
| `method(HttpMethod)
.uri(URI)
.headers(Consumer<HttpHeaders>)
.body(Object)
.retrieve()
.toEntity(ParameterizedTypeReference)` footnote:request-entity[]


| `execute(String, HttpMethod, RequestCallback, ResponseExtractor, Object...)`
| `method(HttpMethod)
.uri(String, Object...)
.exchange(ExchangeFunction)`

| `execute(String, HttpMethod, RequestCallback, ResponseExtractor, Map)`
| `method(HttpMethod)
.uri(String, Map)
.exchange(ExchangeFunction)`

| `execute(URI, HttpMethod, RequestCallback, ResponseExtractor)`
| `method(HttpMethod)
.uri(URI)
.exchange(ExchangeFunction)`

|===


[[rest-http-interface]]
== HTTP Interface Clients

You can define an HTTP Service as a Java interface with `@HttpExchange` methods, and use
`HttpServiceProxyFactory` to create a client proxy from it for remote access over HTTP via
`RestClient`, `WebClient`, or `RestTemplate`. On the server side, an `@Controller` class
can implement the same interface to handle requests with
xref:web/webmvc/mvc-controller/ann-requestmapping.adoc#mvc-ann-httpexchange-annotation[@HttpExchange]
controller methods.


First, create the Java interface:

[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	public interface RepositoryService {

		@GetExchange("/repos/{owner}/{repo}")
		Repository getRepository(@PathVariable String owner, @PathVariable String repo);

		// more HTTP exchange methods...

	}
----

Optionally, use `@HttpExchange` at the type level to declare common attributes for all methods:

[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	@HttpExchange(url = "/repos/{owner}/{repo}", accept = "application/vnd.github.v3+json")
	public interface RepositoryService {

		@GetExchange
		Repository getRepository(@PathVariable String owner, @PathVariable String repo);

		@PatchExchange(contentType = MediaType.APPLICATION_FORM_URLENCODED_VALUE)
		void updateRepository(@PathVariable String owner, @PathVariable String repo,
				@RequestParam String name, @RequestParam String description, @RequestParam String homepage);

	}
----


Next, configure the client and create the `HttpServiceProxyFactory`:

[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	// Using RestClient...

	RestClient restClient = RestClient.create("...");
	RestClientAdapter adapter = RestClientAdapter.create(restClient);

	// or WebClient...

	WebClient webClient = WebClient.create("...");
	WebClientAdapter adapter = WebClientAdapter.create(webClient);

	// or RestTemplate...

	RestTemplate restTemplate = new RestTemplate();
	RestTemplateAdapter adapter = RestTemplateAdapter.create(restTemplate);

	HttpServiceProxyFactory factory = HttpServiceProxyFactory.builderFor(adapter).build();
----

Now, you're ready to create client proxies:

[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	RepositoryService service = factory.createClient(RepositoryService.class);
	// Use service methods for remote calls...
----



[[rest-http-interface-method-parameters]]
=== Method Parameters

`@HttpExchange` methods support flexible method signatures with the following inputs:

[cols="1,2", options="header"]
|===
| Method parameter | Description

| `URI`
| Dynamically set the URL for the request, overriding the annotation's `url` attribute.

| `UriBuilderFactory`
| Provide a `UriBuilderFactory` to expand the URI template and URI variables with.
  In effect, replaces the `UriBuilderFactory` (and its base URL) of the underlying client.

| `HttpMethod`
| Dynamically set the HTTP method for the request, overriding the annotation's `method` attribute

| `@RequestHeader`
| Add a request header or multiple headers. The argument may be a single value,
  a `Collection<?>` of values, `Map<String, ?>`,`MultiValueMap<String, ?>`.
  Type conversion is supported for non-String values. Header values are added and
  do not override already added header values.

| `@PathVariable`
| Add a variable for expand a placeholder in the request URL. The argument may be a
  `Map<String, ?>` with multiple variables, or an individual value. Type conversion
  is supported for non-String values.

| `@RequestAttribute`
| Provide an `Object` to add as a request attribute. Only supported by `RestClient`
  and `WebClient`.

| `@RequestBody`
| Provide the body of the request either as an Object to be serialized, or a
  Reactive Streams `Publisher` such as `Mono`, `Flux`, or any other async type supported
  through the configured `ReactiveAdapterRegistry`.

| `@RequestParam`
| Add a request parameter or multiple parameters. The argument may be a `Map<String, ?>`
  or `MultiValueMap<String, ?>` with multiple parameters, a `Collection<?>` of values, or
  an individual value. Type conversion is supported for non-String values.

  When `"content-type"` is set to `"application/x-www-form-urlencoded"`, request
  parameters are encoded in the request body. Otherwise, they are added as URL query
  parameters.

| `@RequestPart`
| Add a request part, which may be a String (form field), `Resource` (file part),
  Object (entity to be encoded, for example, as JSON), `HttpEntity` (part content and headers),
  a Spring `Part`, or Reactive Streams `Publisher` of any of the above.

| `MultipartFile`
| Add a request part from a `MultipartFile`, typically used in a Spring MVC controller
  where it represents an uploaded file.

| `@CookieValue`
| Add a cookie or multiple cookies. The argument may be a `Map<String, ?>` or
  `MultiValueMap<String, ?>` with multiple cookies, a `Collection<?>` of values, or an
  individual value. Type conversion is supported for non-String values.

|===

Method parameters cannot be `null` unless the `required` attribute (where available on a
parameter annotation) is set to `false`, or the parameter is marked optional as determined by
{spring-framework-api}/core/MethodParameter.html#isOptional()[`MethodParameter#isOptional`].



[[rest-http-interface.custom-resolver]]
=== Custom Arguments

You can configure a custom `HttpServiceArgumentResolver`. The example interface below
uses a custom `Search` method parameter type:

include-code::./CustomHttpServiceArgumentResolver[tag=httpinterface,indent=0]

A custom argument resolver could be implemented like this:

include-code::./CustomHttpServiceArgumentResolver[tag=argumentresolver,indent=0]

To configure the custom argument resolver:

include-code::./CustomHttpServiceArgumentResolver[tag=usage,indent=0]

TIP: By default, `RequestEntity` is not supported as a method parameter, instead encouraging
the use of more fine-grained method parameters for individual parts of the request.



[[rest-http-interface-return-values]]
=== Return Values

The supported return values depend on the underlying client.

Clients adapted to `HttpExchangeAdapter` such as `RestClient` and `RestTemplate`
support synchronous return values:

[cols="1,2", options="header"]
|===
| Method return value | Description

| `void`
| Perform the given request.

| `HttpHeaders`
| Perform the given request and return the response headers.

| `<T>`
| Perform the given request and decode the response content to the declared return type.

| `ResponseEntity<Void>`
| Perform the given request and return a `ResponseEntity` with the status and headers.

| `ResponseEntity<T>`
| Perform the given request, decode the response content to the declared return type, and
  return a `ResponseEntity` with the status, headers, and the decoded body.

|===

Clients adapted to `ReactorHttpExchangeAdapter` such as `WebClient`, support all of above
as well as reactive variants. The table below shows Reactor types, but you can also use
other reactive types that are supported through the `ReactiveAdapterRegistry`:

[cols="1,2", options="header"]
|===
| Method return value | Description

| `Mono<Void>`
| Perform the given request, and release the response content, if any.

| `Mono<HttpHeaders>`
| Perform the given request, release the response content, if any, and return the
response headers.

| `Mono<T>`
| Perform the given request and decode the response content to the declared return type.

| `Flux<T>`
| Perform the given request and decode the response content to a stream of the declared
element type.

| `Mono<ResponseEntity<Void>>`
| Perform the given request, and release the response content, if any, and return a
`ResponseEntity` with the status and headers.

| `Mono<ResponseEntity<T>>`
| Perform the given request, decode the response content to the declared return type, and
return a `ResponseEntity` with the status, headers, and the decoded body.

| `Mono<ResponseEntity<Flux<T>>`
| Perform the given request, decode the response content to a stream of the declared
element type, and return a `ResponseEntity` with the status, headers, and the decoded
response body stream.

|===

By default, the timeout for synchronous return values with `ReactorHttpExchangeAdapter`
depends on how the underlying HTTP client is configured. You can set a `blockTimeout`
value on the adapter level as well, but we recommend relying on timeout settings of the
underlying HTTP client, which operates at a lower level and provides more control.


[[rest-http-interface-exceptions]]
=== Error Handling

To customize error handling for HTTP Service client proxies, you can configure the
underlying client as needed. By default, clients raise an exception for 4xx and 5xx HTTP
status codes. To customize this, register a response status handler that applies to all
responses performed through the client as follows:

[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
----
	// For RestClient
	RestClient restClient = RestClient.builder()
			.defaultStatusHandler(HttpStatusCode::isError, (request, response) -> ...)
			.build();
	RestClientAdapter adapter = RestClientAdapter.create(restClient);

	// or for WebClient...
	WebClient webClient = WebClient.builder()
			.defaultStatusHandler(HttpStatusCode::isError, resp -> ...)
			.build();
	WebClientAdapter adapter = WebClientAdapter.create(webClient);

	// or for RestTemplate...
	RestTemplate restTemplate = new RestTemplate();
	restTemplate.setErrorHandler(myErrorHandler);

	RestTemplateAdapter adapter = RestTemplateAdapter.create(restTemplate);

	HttpServiceProxyFactory factory = HttpServiceProxyFactory.builderFor(adapter).build();
----

For more details and options such as suppressing error status codes, see the reference
documentation for each client, as well as the Javadoc of `defaultStatusHandler` in
`RestClient.Builder` or `WebClient.Builder`, and the `setErrorHandler` of `RestTemplate`.