Java/Ruby Integration with JRuby and ReST

You can have rapid web development with Rails without losing access to your critical Java code. With the explosion of the Ruby programming language, more developers will need a strategy for letting Java and Ruby interoperate. This session explores two strategies: JRuby and Rails-based web services.

Both Java and Ruby do certain things well. Ruby tends to build web based user interfaces, complete with AJAX integration, very quickly. Java has thousands of libraries and millions of lines of legacy code. How can you combine the two? We'll explore three approaches.

An ambitious integration framework is also under development. The JRuby project recognizes the value of the best possible integration between Java and Ruby. As of today, 90% of the test cases for the Ruby language are passing for JRuby. How much is possible, and what's missing?

Finally, closures and a fantastic XML API make Ruby a fantastic framework for doing integration work with web services. Often, coarse grained integration is enough.

Come learn how to have your cake and eat it too.

About Bruce Tate

Bruce Tate is a kayaker, mountain biker, and father of two from Austin, Texas. Currently at RapidRed, his focus is on rapid development and Ruby applications. Bruce was the chief technology officer behind the sites ChangingThePresent.org and ClassWish. His current project is DigtheDirt, a social gardening site. The international speaker has coauthored more than a dozen books including Rails Up and Running, Deploying Rails Applications, Beyond Java, and From Java to Ruby. His firm seeks to improve total application quality through the use of small teams, expressive programming language and agile development practices.

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