Servlet tutorial

Servlets are based on the Java Sun platform technology of choice for extending and improving web servers and they provide a component-based, platform independent method for creating web applications, without the limitations of the performence of CGI programs.

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Unlike other proprietary server extension mechanisms (such as the Netscape Server API or Apache modules), servlets are server- and platform-independent, and this leaves you free to select the best choice for your platforms, servers, tools and applications.

An HTTP servlet is a special type of servlet that handles an HTTP request and supplies an HTTP response, commonly in the form of an HTML page. The most common use of WebLogic HTTP Servlets is to create interactive applications that uses standard Web browsers for the client-side presentation while WebLogic Server handles the business logic as a server-side process.

WebLogic HTTP Servlets can access databases, Enterprise JavaBeans, messaging APIs, HTTP sessions, and other facilities of WebLogic Server. Servlets are used to extend the functionality of any Java server, but nowadays they are most often used to extend web servers, providing a great, efficient replacement for CGI scripts.

When you use a servlet to create dynamic contents for a web page or otherwise extend the functionality of a web server, you are actually creating a web application. While a web page merely displays static content and lets the user navigate through that content, a web application provides a more interactive experience.

A web application can be as simple as a keyword search on a document archive or as complex as an electronic storefront. Web applications are being deployed on the Internet and on corporate intranets and extranets, where they have the potential to increase productivity and change the way that companies, large and small, do business.

WebLogic Server fully supports HTTP servlets as defined in the Servlet 2.3 specification from Sun Microsystems. HTTP servlets form an integral part of the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) standard. Servlets are able access to the all of Java APIs, and also the JDBC API to access many enterprise databases such a MSSQL, Oracle, and others.

Servlets have also access to a large library of HTTP oriented calls and receive all the benefits of the Java language, including performance, scalbility, reusability, and anticrash protection. These days servlets are quite a popular choice for building interactive web-applications.

Third-party java servlet containers are built for Apache Web-Servers, Microsoft IIS web servers, and others. Servlet containers are mostly a component of web application servers, such as BEA WebLogic Application Server, IBM WebSphere, Sun Java System Web Server, Sun Java System Application Server, etc.

You can check out the newest information on JavaServer Pages technology. JSP technology is an extension of the servlet technology created to support creation of dynamic HTML or XML pages.

It makes it much easier to combine, fixed and static template data with dynamic contents. Though you're okay with writing servlets, there are alot reasons to check JSP technology would it meet your needs and your work.