[Engine-devel] REST API calls from the GUI

[Libor Spevak]

Hi,

I would like to ask, if there have been discussions about an option to 
call REST API services directly from the Frontend (GWT layer)? GWT 
compiles Java frontend-side to Javascript, calls to backend services are 
performed "transparently" by the framework using AJAX support. But, 
there is still a need to have a special set of data objects and the 
server-side logic can duplicate.

Java REST API SDK enables to build "thick" client. The calls are 
realized using e.g. Apache HttClient and supported libraries. I think 
the requirements of GWT can be a little bit different, but something 
overlaps.

I found several links about REST API support from GWT, so there is 
something for inspiration...

- http://www.spiffyui.org/
- http://www.zackgrossbart.com/hackito/gwt-rest/
- http://code.google.com/p/gwt-rest/
- http://restygwt.fusesource.org/

But, do you think it would be useful and what drawbacks can occur 
(authentication, authorization, response times, need to support larger 
set of services, painful refactoring, ...)?

Regards,
Libor