As you might be aware, the initial wave of Java EE 8 JSRs are now launched, including the platform JSR itself, CDI 2, JSON-B, JMS 2.1, Servlet 4, JAX-RS 2.1, MVC and JSF 2.3. Most of these JSRs are now actively looking to form their initial expert groups, including JAX-RS 2.1 (filed as JSR 370). Indeed, the JAX-RS specification leads are looking to evaluate the initial set of expert group members fairly quickly - by Wednesday, October 22nd.
Although it's currently slated to be a point release (this can always change), JAX-RS 2.1 is aiming to accomplish quite a bit. Here is a very high level summary of the items currently under consideration:
- Adding support for SSE.
- Improved integration with CDI.
- Exploring support for non-blocking I/O in providers (filters, interceptors, etc.).
- Evaluating ways in which declarative security can be supported either directly in JAX-RS or by leveraging the Java EE Security JSR (still to be filed).
- Providing integration with newly filed JSON-B JSR.
- Building upon the Hypermedia support added in JAX-RS 2.
- Investigating the reactive programming paradigm as a way to improve the JAX-RS asynchronous client API.
- Any possible work necessary to support the newly filed MVC 1.0 JSR.
Specification lead Marek Potociar did an excellent job overviewing the possibilities in his JavaOne 2014 talk Let’s Talk JAX-RS.next!. His slides are available here.
Note that you can always participate in a JSR without officially being part of the expert group by simply subscribing to the JSR user alias. In case of JAX-RS, that alias is users at jax-rs-spec dot java dot net. Also remember that you can contribute on an even more lightweight format through Adopt-a-JSR.