3.3.6.2 Java (web application development)

Web components are supported by the services of a runtime platform called a Web container. In the Java Web Services Developer Pack (Java WSDP) Web components run in the Tomcat Web container. The Web container provides services such as request dispatching, security, concurrency, and life cycle management.

It also gives web components access to APIs such as naming, transactions, and e-mail.
A Web application consists of Web components; static resource files such as images, and helper classes and libraries. The Java WSDP provides many supporting services that enhance the capabilities of Web components and make them easier to develop.

Web components can be developed either Java Servlets or JSP pages.
• Servlets are Java programming language classes that dynamically process requests and construct responses.
• JSP pages are text-based documents that execute as servlets but allow a more natural approach to creating static content.

Although servlets and JSP pages can be used interchangeably, each has its own strengths. Servlets are best suited to service-oriented Web applications and managing the control functions of a presentation-oriented application, such as dispatching requests and handling non textual data. JSP pages are more appropriate for generating text-based markup such as HTML, SVG, WML, and XML.

Web development process can be summarized into three steps i.e. creating, deploying and executing web application:
    1. Develop the web component code
    2. Build the web application components along with any static resources (for example, images) and helper classes referenced by the component.
    3. Install the application into a Web container.
    4. Access the Web application (by URL).