This section describes options for client-side access to REST endpoints.
RestTemplate is the original Spring REST client that follows a similar approach to other
template classes in the Spring Framework (e.g. JdbcTemplate, JmsTemplate, etc.) by
providing a list of parameterizable methods to perform HTTP requests.
RestTemplate has a synchronous API and relies on blocking I/O. This is okay for
client scenarios with low concurrency. In a server environment or when orchestrating a
sequence of remote calls, prefer using the WebClient which provides a more efficient
execution model including seamless support for streaming.
See RestTemplate for more details on using the
RestTemplate.
WebClient is a reactive client that provides an alternative to the RestTemplate. It
exposes a functional, fluent API and relies on non-blocking I/O which allows it to support
high concurrency more efficiently (i.e. using a small number of threads) than the
RestTemplate. WebClient is a natural fit for streaming scenarios.
See WebClient for more details on using the WebClient.