Reading JSON in Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture in Java

Updated: Jan 25, 2025

Reading JSON in Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture in Java

To read JSON data in a Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture in Java, you can follow these steps:

  1. Define the Model: The first step is to define the Java classes that represent the JSON data. These classes should have fields that correspond to the JSON keys and should be annotated with @JsonProperty or @SerializedName annotations to map the JSON keys to the Java fields. For example:
public class User {
    private String name;
    private int age;

    @JsonProperty("name")
    public String getName() {
        return name;
    }

    @JsonProperty("age")
    public int getAge() {
        return age;
    }

    // Setters and constructors
}
  1. Define the View: The View in MVC architecture is responsible for rendering the data to the user. In the case of JSON data, the View is typically an HTTP response that contains the JSON data. In Java, you can use libraries like Jackson or Gson to convert Java objects to JSON format. For example:
import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;

@RestController
public class UserController {

    @GetMapping("/users/{id}")
    public ResponseEntity<User> getUser(@PathVariable int id) {
        User user = userService.findById(id);
        ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
        String json = mapper.writeValueAsString(user);
        return ResponseEntity.ok().body(user);
    }
}
  1. Define the Controller: The Controller in MVC architecture is responsible for handling user requests and returning the appropriate response. In the case of JSON data, the Controller typically uses a library like Spring MVC or Jersey to handle HTTP requests and return JSON responses. For example:
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.PathVariable;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;

@RestController
public class UserController {

    @Autowired
    private UserService userService;

    @GetMapping("/users/{id}")
    public User getUser(@PathVariable int id) {
        return userService.findById(id);
    }
}
  1. Define the Service: The Service in MVC architecture is responsible for handling the business logic of the application. In the case of JSON data, the Service typically retrieves the data from a database or external API and returns it to the Controller. For example:
import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;

@Service
public class UserService {

    @Autowired
    private UserRepository userRepository;

    public User findById(int id) {
        return userRepository.findById(id).orElseThrow(() -> new RuntimeException("User not found"));
    }
}
  1. Define the Repository: The Repository in MVC architecture is responsible for handling data persistence. In the case of JSON data, the Repository typically uses a database or external API to store and retrieve data. For example:
import org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.JpaRepository;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Repository;

@Repository
public interface UserRepository extends JpaRepository<User, Integer> {
}

By following these steps, you can read JSON data in a Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture in Java using libraries like Spring MVC, Jersey, Jackson, and Gson.