# SOAP with Attachments API for JavaTM 1.3

### Contents

- SAAJ API Overview
- Release Documentation
- Related Information

### SAAJ API Overview

The SOAP with Attachments API for JavaTM (SAAJ) 1.3 provides the API for creating and sending SOAP messages by means of the `javax.xml.soap` package. It is used for the SOAP messaging that goes on behind the scenes in JAX-RPC, and JAXR implementations. SOAP Handlers in JAX-WS use SAAJ APIs to access the SOAP Message. Developers can also use it to write SOAP messaging applications directly instead of using JAX-RPC/JAX-WS.

NOTE:

The SAAJ specification is developed through the Java Community Process following the process described at jcp.org. This process involves an Expert Group with a lead that is responsible for delivering the specification, a reference implementation (RI) and a test compatibility kit (TCK). The primary goal of an RI is to support the development of the specification and to validate it. Specific RIs can have additional goals; the SAAJ RI is a production-quality implementation that is used directly in a number of products by Sun and other vendors. To emphasize the quality of the implementation we call it a Standard Implementation.

The SAAJ expert group has wide industry participation with Sun Microsystems as the EG lead. The initial API was part of JAXM 1.0 in JSR-67 and was released in December 2001; the specification was later separated from JAXM in a maintenance release in June 2002. The `javax.xml.messaging` package, defined in the Java API for XML Messaging (JAXM) 1.1 specification, is not part of the Java Web Services Developer Pack. The JAXM API is available as a separate download from `http://java.sun.com/xml/downloads/jaxm.html`

The SAAJ API allows a client to send messages directly to the ultimate recipient using a `SOAPConnection` object, which provides a point-to-point connection to the intended recipient. Response messages are received synchronously using a request-response model. `SOAPConnection` (and its related classes) is a pure library implementation that lets you send SOAP messages directly to a remote party. A standalone client, that is, one that does not run in a container such as a servlet, must include client-side libraries in its CLASSPATH. This model is simple to get started but has limited possibilities for reliability and message delivery guarantees. For instance, the point-to-point message exchange model relies largely on the reliability of the underlying transport for delivering a message.

Please send feedback on this SAAJ 1.3 release to users@saaj.dev.java.net

### Release Documentation

- SAAJ API documentation
- Release Notes
- Samples documentation
- SAAJ Security

### Related Information

- SAAJ

- Java Web Services Developer Pack (Java WSDP)

- Java Technology and XML

- Java Technology and Web Services