Spring + JAX-WS : ‘xxx’ is an interface, and JAXB can’t handle interfaces

Problem

Integrate Spring + JAX-WS, see web service below :

package com.mkyong.user.ws;
//imports...

@WebService()
public class PGUserWS {

    //DI via Spring
    private UserBo userBo;

    public UserBo getUserBo() {
        return userBo;
    }
    
    public void setUserBo(UserBo userBo) {
        this.userBo = userBo;
    }

    @WebMethod(operationName = "addUser")
    public boolean addUser(@WebParam(name = "userId")
    String userId, @WebParam(name = "User")
    User user) throws SOAPException {

        userBo.addUser(userId, user);
        return true;
    }

}

The “userBo” is DI via Spring XML bean configuration. But, when the service is generating the service’s files (via wsgen) for deployment, it hits “JAXB can’t handle interfaces” error message, see below :

Caused by: java.security.PrivilegedActionException: 
	com.sun.xml.bind.v2.runtime.IllegalAnnotationsException: 
            2 counts of IllegalAnnotationExceptions
	com.mkyong.user.bo.UserBo is an interface, and JAXB can't handle interfaces.
        this problem is related to the following location:
                at com.mkyong.user.bo.UserBo
                at private com.mkyong.user.bo.UserBo com.mkyong.user.ws.jaxws.SetUserBo.arg0
                at com.mkyonguser.ws.jaxws.SetUserBo
	com.mkyong.user.bo.UserBo does not have a no-arg default constructor.
        this problem is related to the following location:
                at com.mkyong.user.bo.UserBo
                at private com.mkyong.user.bo.UserBo com.mkyong.user.ws.jaxws.SetUserBo.arg0
                at com.mkyong.user.ws.jaxws.SetUserBo

Solution

See this unofficial JAXB guide to learn how to map interface in JAXB.

However, your case is different, it just doesn’t make sense to generate web service method for “userBo“, which is only require to Di via Spring, not publish to client.

To stop “wsgen” to generate web method for “userBo“, just annotate it with “@WebMethod(exclude = true)“, see below :

package com.mkyong.user.ws;

//imports...

@WebService()
public class PGUserWS {

    private UserBo userBo;

    @WebMethod(exclude = true)
    public UserBo getUserBo() {
        return userBo;
    }

    @WebMethod(exclude = true)
    public void setUserBo(UserBo userBo) {
        this.userBo = userBo;
    }

    @WebMethod(operationName = "addUser")
    public boolean addUser(@WebParam(name = "userId")
    String userId, @WebParam(name = "User")
    User user) throws SOAPException {

        userBo.addUser(userId, user);
        return true;
    }

}

Now, “wsgen” will ignore the “userBo” getter and setter methods.