Picking a control layer for JQuery Mobile to Java back end mobile web app

We are green fielding a mobile web app against an existing Java web app --the database of that app, at least.

We are only using the database of the original app because the original app is built on a custom ORM solution and Struts 1.1 that is showing its age. So this is going to be a bit of a proof of c开发者_高级运维oncept for what can be done with modern tools.

We have decided to utilize JQuery mobile on the front end to leverage device cross compatibility. On the back end we are going to go with JPA for now...maybe moving to Hibernate down the road. But we'd like to expose our model with a RESTful service to kill two birds with one stone (the original app interfaces with a number of third party's that we'd like to give access over a simple REST interface that happens to have a lot of overlap, data wise, with the mobile module.)

So, the question is which controller layer will best tie the JQuery mobile front end with the RESTful back end?

We'd like a controller framework that:

• Is not too intrusive. i.e. we don't have to lock ourselves into that particular implementation because of hard set dependencies spread all over the code.
• Is annotation based or heavy on convention over config. or both so we are not writing reams of XML glue
• Doesn't bring along cruft that we won't be using... i.e. it sticks to the controller layer as much as possible
• Can handle REST from one end and AJAX from the other without too much trouble
• The larger the community the better
• The simpler to get up an running without compromising any of the other points, the better.

We've begun exploring Struts2, SpringMVC, Stripes, Play! etc. but I am hoping for some sage advice from the erudite SO community to help narrow the field.

If you need anything clarified, I will be happy to do that.

It seems to me that you're searching in the wrong direction.

1. Your Java App is producing JSON/XML through REST web services.
2. Your jQuery client is consuming those web services to publish them to an interface

You seem to search a controller server side. Why? Producing REST web services is not the only goal of a REST server?

Take a look at BackboneJS — it's not the only one in the category, but the one I know better — it's a client-side controller. It fits perfectly with jQuery and allows to access REST resources with HTTP verb — GET, PUT, DELETE, POST — in a compact and generic way.

If you choose so, I'll help you further.