Reactive Spring Data REST API: Introduction

Spring Data REST is a widely used framework for building RESTful APIs with minimal effort. However, with the increasing demand for reactive programming, more and more developers are turning to Spring WebFlux. In this article, we will explore how to implement a reactive Spring Data REST API with Spring WebFlux.

Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing with Spring WebFlux

Step 1: Add Dependencies

The first step in implementing a reactive Spring Data REST API with Spring WebFlux is to add the necessary dependencies to your project. You will need to add the following dependencies to your pom.xml or build.gradle file:

• spring-boot-starter-data-mongodb-reactive: This dependency provides support for reactive MongoDB with Spring Data.
• spring-boot-starter-webflux: This dependency provides support for building reactive web applications with Spring WebFlux.
• spring-boot-starter-data-rest: This dependency provides support for building RESTful APIs with Spring Data.

Step 2: Configure MongoDB

The next step is to configure MongoDB. In your application.properties file, you will need to add the following configuration:

spring.data.mongodb.uri=mongodb://localhost:27017/mydb

This configuration tells Spring to connect to a MongoDB instance running on localhost with the default port of 27017 and to use the mydb database.

Step 3: Create Entities

The next step is to create entities. In this example, we will create a simple Person entity with the following fields:

• id: A unique identifier for the person.
• firstName: The person’s first name.
• lastName: The person’s last name.

@Document
public class Person {

    @Id
    private String id;

    private String firstName;

    private String lastName;

    // getters and setters
}

Step 4: Create Repositories

The next step is to create repositories. In this example, we will create a simple PersonRepository interface that extends ReactiveCrudRepository.

@RepositoryRestResource(collectionResourceRel = "people", path = "people")
public interface PersonRepository extends ReactiveCrudRepository {
}

Step 5: Run the Application

Finally, run the application and navigate to //localhost:8080/api to see the API in action. You can use tools like curl or Postman to interact with the API.

In this article, we explored how to implement a reactive Spring Data REST API with Spring WebFlux. We covered the necessary dependencies, how to configure MongoDB, how to create entities and repositories, and how to run the application. By following this step-by-step guide, you should be able to implement your own reactive Spring Data REST API with Spring WebFlux.