An introduction to Struts 2 and RESTful applications

This document discusses the benefits of applying REST principles to web applications. It outlines some common problems with traditional MVC frameworks like confusing URIs, poor caching abilities, and inability to access data. REST provides a solution through using humane URIs that reflect resources, following HTTP methods for caching, and presenting a unified API. The document also introduces the Struts 2 framework and its REST plugin, giving an example of how to build a RESTful order management system in Struts 2. It concludes by discussing some nuances of real-world REST applications and taking questions.