Hello guys, if you know the Spring framework, then there is a good chance that you have heard about the classic Spring in Action book by Craig Walls. It's one of the best books to learn Spring, and many Java developers, including me, have learned Spring from that. But, even though the Spring in Action 5th Edition is one of the best books to learn Spring framework, it's just not enough to learn the intricacies of developing a modern, full-featured RESTful Web Service using Spring Framework. It does have a chapter on developing RESTful Web Services. It nicely explains concepts like @RestController, @ResponseBody, @ResponseStatus, HTTP message converters, content negotiation, but that barely touches the surface of developing a production-quality RESTFul Web Service.
I am not saying that it's bad; in fact, it's the best introductory material for REST with Spring framework, but you need to learn a lot more than just basics to develop a real-world REST API or RESTful client using Spring framework.
There are many other things like filtering, pagination, error handling, and security of RESTful Web services using Spring and Spring security, which is not covered.
This is where these books and courses come into the picture. They have focused on developing RESTful Web Service using Spring and cover the topic in reasonable detail, which is required to create a RESTful Web Service using Spring.
I am not saying that it's bad; in fact, it's the best introductory material for REST with Spring framework, but you need to learn a lot more than just basics to develop a real-world REST API or RESTful client using Spring framework.
There are many other things like filtering, pagination, error handling, and security of RESTful Web services using Spring and Spring security, which is not covered.
This is where these books and courses come into the picture. They have focused on developing RESTful Web Service using Spring and cover the topic in reasonable detail, which is required to create a RESTful Web Service using Spring.
And, if you are in hurry and need a quick online course I suggest you join the RESTful Web Services in Java course from Udemy as it covers everything a Java developer should know about building REST APIs using Spring.
There are, in fact, some free chapters which you can see here before you buy the course from his website.
Anyway, let's see the books first:
As I have said before, Even though Spring in Action 5the edition is is the best book to learn Spring, it's simply not good enough for learning RESTful Web Services.
It does cover basics like @RestController, @ResponseBody, @ResponseStatus but doesn't provide all the information required to work in real-world RESTful web services running in production.
3 Books and Courses to Learn RESTFul Web Service using Spring in 2025
You can also combine these books with some online courses like REST with Spring by Eugen Paraschiv. Eugen has rich experience in building and securing REST-based web services in the real world, which he generously shares in his popular course.There are, in fact, some free chapters which you can see here before you buy the course from his website.
Anyway, let's see the books first:
1. Building a RESTful Web Service with Spring
This is one of the latest and greatest books on the topic by Ludovic Dewailly, and it covers most of the things you need to learn for developing RESTful Web Services in Java using Spring.As I have said before, Even though Spring in Action 5the edition is is the best book to learn Spring, it's simply not good enough for learning RESTful Web Services.
It does cover basics like @RestController, @ResponseBody, @ResponseStatus but doesn't provide all the information required to work in real-world RESTful web services running in production.
Many advanced concepts like filtering, pagination, and security are not covered in that book; this is where Ludovic Dewailly's book helps.
It provides a deep dive into the principles behind REST and teaches you how to expose CRUD operations through RESTful endpoints with the Spring Framework. It also shows you techniques to secure your web services, versioning, maintaining backward compatibility, etc.
You can also combine this book with the Master Java Web Services and RESTful API with Spring Boot course by Ranga Karnam on Udemy to gain some hands-on practice. This combination of book and course will help you to learn REST API with Spring Boot better.
You will also learn the best ways to test your RESTful web services, including tips for load testing. Finally, it gives an excellent overview of advanced concepts like optimization and scaling web services using techniques such as caching and clustering. In short, one of the most complete books and courses to develop RESTful Web Services using Spring.
This book is intended for those who want to learn to build RESTful web services with the Spring Framework.
To make the best use of the code samples included in the book, you should have a basic knowledge of the Java language. Previous experience with the Spring Framework would also help you get up and running quickly.
Fortunately, Spring Boot and Spring Cloud simplify your microservice applications, just as the Spring Framework simplifies enterprise Java development.
Spring Boot removes the boilerplate code involved with writing a REST-based service. Spring Cloud provides a suite of tools for the discovery, routing, and deployment of microservices to the enterprise and the cloud. When you buy the print version of this book, you will also get a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.
Also, when it comes to learning Microservices within Java and Spring, I highly recommend the Master Microservices with Spring Boot and Spring Cloud course from Udemy. This is a great course to learn Microservice development in Java and more than 77,000 students have trusted this course.
The author, Eugen Paraschiv, has extensive experience in developing RESTful web services in the real world, and he generously shares his experience in this course.
You will only learn the basics of REST and Spring's support for RESTful web services but also about advanced concepts like filtering, pagination, error handling, and security for your RESTful Web Services using Spring.
I strongly recommend the Master Class of REST with Spring training to get the complete knowledge required to work in production. He also has some free lessons from his course, which you can access before you purchase the course. That will give you a good idea about what you can get by joining his master class.
That's all about some of the best books and online training courses to learn RESTful Web Services using Spring and Java. As I said, even though Spring in Action, which most of the Java and Spring developer own is a good book, it's not enough for developing production-quality RESTful Web Services.
These books, along with the RESTful Web Services in Java course from Udemy are good enough to master the RESTFul Web Services development in Java with Spring and Spring Boot.
Btw, don't get overwhelmed with the number of books or content; to start with, you can just pick one book and course. As you progress and learn fundamentals, you can use other books for reference and solid your understanding of key concepts.
Other Spring and Java resources for Developers
Thanks for reading this article. If you like these best Spring and REST books and courses, then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.
P. S. - If you are new to Spring and Spring Boot and want to learn them in a code-focused and guided manner, you can also check out these best Spring Boot courses from Udemy, Baeldung, and other popular online websites, which teaches Spring 5 and Spring Boot 2 from scratch, in a guided, code-focused way.
It provides a deep dive into the principles behind REST and teaches you how to expose CRUD operations through RESTful endpoints with the Spring Framework. It also shows you techniques to secure your web services, versioning, maintaining backward compatibility, etc.
You can also combine this book with the Master Java Web Services and RESTful API with Spring Boot course by Ranga Karnam on Udemy to gain some hands-on practice. This combination of book and course will help you to learn REST API with Spring Boot better.
You will also learn the best ways to test your RESTful web services, including tips for load testing. Finally, it gives an excellent overview of advanced concepts like optimization and scaling web services using techniques such as caching and clustering. In short, one of the most complete books and courses to develop RESTful Web Services using Spring.
This book is intended for those who want to learn to build RESTful web services with the Spring Framework.
To make the best use of the code samples included in the book, you should have a basic knowledge of the Java language. Previous experience with the Spring Framework would also help you get up and running quickly.
2. Spring Microservices in Action
Spring Microservices in Action teaches you how to build microservice-based applications using Java and the Spring platform. Microservices break up your code into small, distributed, and independent services that require careful forethought and design.Fortunately, Spring Boot and Spring Cloud simplify your microservice applications, just as the Spring Framework simplifies enterprise Java development.
Spring Boot removes the boilerplate code involved with writing a REST-based service. Spring Cloud provides a suite of tools for the discovery, routing, and deployment of microservices to the enterprise and the cloud. When you buy the print version of this book, you will also get a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.
Also, when it comes to learning Microservices within Java and Spring, I highly recommend the Master Microservices with Spring Boot and Spring Cloud course from Udemy. This is a great course to learn Microservice development in Java and more than 77,000 students have trusted this course.
3. REST with Spring By Eugen Paraschiv
This is one of the best online training currently available to teach you to develop RESTful web services using Java and Spring.The author, Eugen Paraschiv, has extensive experience in developing RESTful web services in the real world, and he generously shares his experience in this course.
You will only learn the basics of REST and Spring's support for RESTful web services but also about advanced concepts like filtering, pagination, error handling, and security for your RESTful Web Services using Spring.
I strongly recommend the Master Class of REST with Spring training to get the complete knowledge required to work in production. He also has some free lessons from his course, which you can access before you purchase the course. That will give you a good idea about what you can get by joining his master class.
That's all about some of the best books and online training courses to learn RESTful Web Services using Spring and Java. As I said, even though Spring in Action, which most of the Java and Spring developer own is a good book, it's not enough for developing production-quality RESTful Web Services.
These books, along with the RESTful Web Services in Java course from Udemy are good enough to master the RESTFul Web Services development in Java with Spring and Spring Boot.
Btw, don't get overwhelmed with the number of books or content; to start with, you can just pick one book and course. As you progress and learn fundamentals, you can use other books for reference and solid your understanding of key concepts.
Other Spring and Java resources for Developers
- Top 5 Courses to become a full-stack Java Developer
- The 2025 Java Developer RoadMap
- 20 Spring MVC Interview Questions for Java devs
- Difference between Restlet, Jersey, and RESTEasy in Java?
- 10 Advanced Spring Boot Courses for Java Programmers
- How to enable Spring security in a Java web application?
- 5 free courses to learn Spring Core and Spring MVC
- How Spring MVC works internally in Java?
- What is the role of DispatcherServlet in Spring MVC?
- 10 Things Java Programmer should learn in 2025
- 10 Frameworks Java and Web Developers should learn
- Spring and Hibernate training courses for Experienced Java developers
- 10 Advanced Spring Boot Courses for Developers
- 10 Courses to Learn Microservices with Spring Boot
Thanks for reading this article. If you like these best Spring and REST books and courses, then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.
P. S. - If you are new to Spring and Spring Boot and want to learn them in a code-focused and guided manner, you can also check out these best Spring Boot courses from Udemy, Baeldung, and other popular online websites, which teaches Spring 5 and Spring Boot 2 from scratch, in a guided, code-focused way.
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