This document provides an overview of RESTful web services using Java. It defines REST as a design pattern for developing web services using existing standards like HTTP and URL. Key aspects of REST include being resource-based, stateless, and using a uniform interface. The document describes the client-server request-response model and standard HTTP methods. It provides examples of REST URIs and discusses Java standards like JAX-RS for building RESTful services. The document also compares REST to SOAP and covers Spring MVC support for building RESTful APIs.