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Eclipse Metro

Eclipse Metro is an open-source, Java-based web services stack (application integration) that provides implementations of SOAP-based web services standards for the Jakarta EE and Java platforms.

  • SOAP-based web services stack for Jakarta EE and Java (application integration)
  • Implements core WS-* specifications such as JAX-WS (web services framework)
  • Tools and runtime for building, deploying, and consuming Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) services (service development)
  • Integration with Jakarta EE application servers and Java Secure Element (SE) environments (enterprise middleware)
  • Focus on interoperability through standards-based messaging and service contracts (systems integration)

More About Eclipse Metro

Eclipse Metro is an open-source web services stack (application integration) under the Eclipse Foundation, focused on SOAP-based web services for the Jakarta EE and Java ecosystems. It targets developers and architects who need standards-based, interoperable web service communication between Java applications and other WS-* compliant platforms. Metro is positioned as a framework and runtime for building, exposing, and consuming SOAP services that conform to widely adopted web service specifications.

Metro centers on an implementation of JAX-WS (web services framework), the Java Application Programming Interface (API) for XML Web Services, which defines the programming model for creating SOAP-based endpoints and clients in Java. Through JAX-WS, Metro supports annotation-driven endpoint definition, service interfaces, and client stubs that generate and consume SOAP messages. The stack integrates with the Jakarta EE platform (enterprise application platform), enabling deployment of web service endpoints within application servers that support Jakarta EE or compatible Java EE distributions, while also running in standalone Java SE environments.

The project includes components for message processing and binding (message handling), including XML and SOAP handling layers that Marketing Automation Platform (MAP) Java objects to XML payloads and back, and process SOAP envelopes and headers according to the relevant standards. It leverages WSDL-based (service description) contracts to define service interfaces and operations, enabling tooling and code generation workflows where service artifacts are derived from Web Services Description Language (WSDL) definitions or, conversely, where WSDL is generated from annotated Java code. This supports contract-first and code-first development patterns for enterprise web services.

In enterprise environments, Eclipse Metro is used to expose business functions as SOAP-based services (service integration) that can be consumed by heterogeneous systems, including other Java stacks and non-Java platforms that implement the same WS-* standards. It aligns with the Jakarta EE web services specifications, which allows application servers that include Metro or compatible technology to provide container-managed web service deployment, configuration, and lifecycle management. This enables integration with container services such as security, transaction management, and monitoring provided by the Jakarta EE runtime (enterprise middleware).

Metro emphasizes interoperability (cross-platform integration) through adherence to standardized message formats, service descriptions, and protocol behavior defined in the WS-* and JAX-WS ecosystems. It fits into a broader enterprise architecture as a SOAP web services layer that connects legacy systems, packaged applications, and custom services in a consistent manner. In a technical taxonomy, Eclipse Metro aligns with SOAP web services frameworks, Jakarta EE-compatible web services implementations, and standards-based application integration tooling for Java-based systems.