Looking at frameworks the decision came down toCXF vs. Axis“My recommendation is this: If multi-language support is important, Axis2 is the clear choice. If you care about an implementation focused on Java with tight integration into projects like Spring, CXF is a better choice, particularly for embedding web services inside of other programs.”
Hypothetically We might care the multi-language support specifically because it is clients could be written in SilverLight (C++) or Java FX (Java) or independent Flash. Also, it is cool to have a web console to allow hot-deploy.
However, thinking practically we have to learn C++ to implement SilverLight clients. Also, we have to have a large, distributed system to justify hot-deploy use. Since we are a small company now, it would be much more practical to emphasize code-first development.
Another factor to consider is: StylusStudio has integrated support for Axis2. It supports development using use cases which center around WSDL, or contract-first approach. Which means XML over Java code. That is a clear choice for StylusStudio because it will take XML over Java any day. That would be an OK decision for us if again we were comfortable with XML + XPath + XQuery + DOM + SAX as we are comfortable with Java. Hypothetically we could be… IN TIME.
Also, it is practical to integrate Spring into the project with future in mind. Also, it is practical to try a new framework (CXF) rather than old framework (Axis). This way we can compare Axis1 and CXF using hands-on experience.
Therefore Apache CXF – for now.
