The WEB transport supports all HTTP methods and content types and is the recommended way to create REST ABL services.

With the WEB transport, you can choose from two types of service interfaces when creating a service:
  • WebHandler
  • DataObjectHandler

Both service interfaces enable you to:
  • Transform HTTP requests into ABL objects
  • Pass ABL objects to business logic code
  • Transform ABL objects into HTTP responses

Should I use a WebHandler or a DataObjectHandler?

A WebHandler is a built-in or user-defined ABL class that inherits the OpenEdge.Web.WebHandler class. You develop the WebHandler class and write ABL code to transform the HTTP request, pass it to business logic code, etc.

A data object handler is a built-in WebHandler. To use a data object handler, you create a JSON mapping file where you map URIs to business logic classes, message elements to method parameters, etc.

A web handler gives you the flexibility to customize requests and responses before they are passed to the business logic layer or client application. However, If you don't require customizations at the service level, the built-in OpenEdge.Web.DataObjectHandler is easier to configure and use.