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Apache CXF

Apache CXF is an open-source Java services framework governed by the Apache Software Foundation that helps build and develop web services using JAX-WS (SOAP) and JAX-RS (REST) frontend APIs. It supports contract-first (WSDL) and code-first development, full WS-* standards (WS-Security, WS-ReliableMessaging, WS-Addressing, WS-Policy), multiple transports (HTTP, JMS), and integrates with Spring Framework, OSGi/ServiceMix, and major Java EE servers.

human only

Real signal across most facets with visible, nameable gaps — the contract exists but is thin, or the portal is good while governance and commercial terms are absent.

Kin Score

API Evangelist profiles Apache CXF the way a machine reads it — 36 machine-readable artifacts across 1 API, pulled from the provider's own public surface and indexed so a developer, an analyst, or an AI agent can evaluate it against every other provider on the network.

Every provider in the network is reduced to the same set of machine-readable artifacts — OpenAPI contracts, event specifications, GraphQL schemas, runnable collections, pricing and rate-limit signals, security posture, OAuth scopes, and the agent surfaces (MCP servers and skills) that let software drive the API on its own. We profile them because the interface is the part of a company you can actually inspect: it is a truer signal of what a provider does than any marketing page. From those artifacts we compute the Kin Score — Apache CXF scores 47.3/100 (developing), with a separate agent-readiness read of 7/100 (human only). The full breakdown is below, followed by every artifact we hold — each card links through to its machine-readable definition on apis.io.

Kin Score

This is the API Evangelist rating — a single, repeatable read computed from the artifacts on this page. Green fill is points earned; the red track is points possible, so every bar shows earned-versus-possible at a glance.

Kin Score Kin Score How this is scored →
scored 2026-07-27 · rubric v0.5
Composite quality — 47.3/100 · developing
Contract Quality 8.5 / 25
Developer Ergonomics 5.7 / 20
Commercial Clarity 7.9 / 20
Operational Transparency 6.8 / 13
Governance 10.4 / 12
Discoverability 8.0 / 10
Agent readiness — 7/100 · human only
Machine-Readable Contract 0 / 18
Agentic Access Contract 0 / 15
MCP Server 0 / 12
Machine-Readable Auth 0 / 10
Idempotency 0 / 9
Stable Error Semantics 0 / 8
Request/Response Examples 0 / 7
Rate-Limit Signaling 7 / 7
Typed Event Surface 0 / 6
Agent Skills 0 / 5
Well-Known Catalog 0 / 4
Consent & Bot Identity 0 / 3

How we profile Apache CXF

Each block below is one kind of artifact we hold for Apache CXF. For each we say what it is and why it earns a place in the profile, then list every one we've indexed — capped at two rows, scroll within the panel for the rest.

APIs 1

Each API is captured as its own OpenAPI definition — every operation, parameter, and response. This is the single most useful machine-readable description of what an API does, and it's what lets us score, lint, mock, and generate against it without asking the provider for anything.

Individual APIs this provider publishes, each with its own machine-readable definition.

Apache CXF

CXF provides Java APIs for building SOAP (JAX-WS) and REST (JAX-RS) web services with WSDL-first and code-first approaches, WS-* standards support, multiple data bindings (JAXB,...

Pricing Plans 1

Pricing is part of the interface. Machine-readable plans tell you what a tier costs and includes before you commit — one of the six things the Kin Score reads for commercial clarity.

Published pricing tiers and plan structures.

Rate Limits 1

Rate limits are the difference between a demo that works and a production integration that doesn't fall over. Publishing them is an operational-transparency signal — and a hard requirement for any agent that plans its own throughput.

Documented rate limits and quota policies.

Apache Cxf Rate Limits

5 limits

RATE LIMITS

FinOps 1

Cost, billing, and metering signals let a buyer model the financial operations of an API before it's live. We profile them for the same reason we profile pricing: the money is part of the contract.

Cost, billing, and metering signals for API financial operations.

Features 8

The notable capabilities this provider advertises, captured as structured features so they can be searched and compared instead of read one landing page at a time.

Notable capabilities this provider offers.

JAX-WS SOAP Services

Full JAX-WS implementation for building contract-first and code-first SOAP web services with WSDL support.

JAX-RS REST Services

Full JAX-RS implementation for building RESTful services with JSON and XML support and OpenAPI integration.

WS-Security

Comprehensive WS-Security support including XML Signature, XML Encryption, SAML tokens, Kerberos, and Username Tokens.

Multiple Transports

Supports HTTP, Servlet, JMS, In-VM, and local transports for flexible service deployment.

Code Generation

wsdl2java generates Java clients and server stubs from WSDL; java2ws generates WSDL and XSD from annotated Java classes.

Spring Integration

Deep Spring Framework integration with Spring Boot starters for rapid JAX-WS and JAX-RS service development.

Data Bindings

Supports JAXB 2.x, Aegis, XMLBeans, SDO, and JiBX data bindings for flexible XML/JSON marshalling.

WS-* Standards

Implements WS-Addressing, WS-ReliableMessaging, WS-Policy, WS-MetadataExchange, and MTOM for enterprise-grade SOAP.

Scroll within the panel for all 8 ·

Semantic Vocabularies 1

JSON-LD contexts give the data shared meaning across APIs. We profile them because semantics are what let a machine reconcile 'customer' here with 'customer' somewhere else.

JSON-LD contexts and semantic vocabularies used across these APIs.

Apache Cxf Context

3 classes · 19 properties

JSON-LD

Spectral Rules 1

Governance rulesets we run against this provider's specs — the automated checks behind parts of the score. Profiling them makes the quality bar explicit and re-runnable, not a matter of opinion.

Apache CXF API Rules

5 rules · 3 warnings

SPECTRAL

JSON Schema 3

Standalone JSON Schema definitions describe the data models behind the API. We profile them so the shapes are validatable on their own — useful long after a single request is forgotten.

Standalone JSON Schema definitions for this provider's data models.

JaxRsEndpoint

5 properties

JSON SCHEMA

JaxWsEndpoint

7 properties

JSON SCHEMA

WsSecurityConfig

8 properties

JSON SCHEMA

JSON Structure 3

JSON Structure captures the data shapes in a form built for tooling — a complement to JSON Schema that keeps the model machine-legible.

JSON Structure definitions describing this provider's data shapes.

Apache Cxf Jaxrs Endpoint Structure

5 properties

JSON STRUCTURE

Apache Cxf Jaxws Endpoint Structure

7 properties

JSON STRUCTURE

Apache Cxf Ws Security Config Structure

8 properties

JSON STRUCTURE

Examples 3

Real request and response payloads are what turn a spec from abstract into obvious — and they're one of the twelve things an agent needs to call an API correctly on the first try.

Example request and response payloads for these APIs.

Security Posture 2

Authentication, domain security, vulnerability disclosure, and trust-center signals — the evidence that a provider takes security seriously enough to document it. We profile it because you can't govern what you can't see.

Authentication, domain security, vulnerability disclosure, and trust-center signals.

Apache Cxf Domain Security

TLSv1.3 · HSTS · DMARC

SECURITY

Apache Cxf Vulnerability Disclosure

security.txt · contact published

SECURITY

Use Cases 5

What developers actually build with this provider — captured so the catalogue answers 'what is this for', not just 'what does this expose'.

What developers build with this provider.

Enterprise SOA

Build and expose SOAP-based service-oriented architecture services in enterprise Java applications.

REST API Development

Create RESTful APIs with JAX-RS annotations, OpenAPI documentation, and JSON/XML serialization.

Legacy SOAP Modernization

Wrap or migrate legacy SOAP/WSDL services to REST/JSON while maintaining backward compatibility.

Spring Boot Microservices

Use CXF Spring Boot starters to quickly expose JAX-RS or JAX-WS services in microservice architectures.

WS-Security Integration

Secure web services with SAML, Kerberos, PKI, or WS-Username Tokens using CXF WSS4J integration.

Integrations 6

Pre-built integrations with other platforms tell you where this provider already fits in a stack.

Pre-built integrations with other platforms and tools.

Spring Framework

CXF provides deep Spring integration including Spring Boot starters for JAX-WS and JAX-RS.

Apache Karaf / OSGi

CXF runs as OSGi bundles in Apache Karaf for modular service deployment.

Apache Tomcat / Jetty

CXF services deploy as WAR files or embedded in Tomcat or Jetty servlet containers.

Apache WSS4J

CXF uses WSS4J for WS-Security implementation including XML Signature and SAML.

OpenAPI / Swagger

CXF integrates with Swagger/OpenAPI for automatic API documentation of JAX-RS services.

Apache Camel

CXF provides a Camel component for integrating web services into Camel routing and mediation flows.

Resources

Every other property we hold for Apache CXF — documentation, portals, status pages, policies, and corporate surface — grouped by the job it does, following the integrator's arc from getting started to running in production.

Get Started 2

Portal, sign-up, and the first successful call

Documentation 1

Reference material describing how the API behaves

Design & Contract 1

Pagination, idempotency, versioning, errors, and events

Build 2

SDKs, sample code, and the tooling you integrate with

Access & Security 2

Authentication, authorization, and security posture

Operate 2

Status, limits, changes, and where to get help

← All providers · Data indexed from github.com/api-evangelist/apache-cxf · machine-readable index on apis.io