What type of Java app server should you choose for your next project? Well, that kinda depends on what kind of app you’re building, what your needs are, what type of organization you work in, and lots of other factors too. Hence the debate. So perk up your ears, and get ready for a showdown.
Next up on the great Java Application Server debate is Jetty. But before we start with that debate, let’s get this one out the way first – Jetty can host web applications and serve requests, so we consider it an application server. If you feel so strongly that you must object, feel free to knock your coffee over and kick the cat to get to your keyboard and type in your flame war opinion in the comments section below. For those who couldn’t care less about the name and care more about the tech, read on!
Jetty is an extremely lightweight server with options to easily configure and extend it. It was initially developed in 1995 and over 18 years of development it has preserved its lightweight size and simplicity.
The world of app servers has traditionally been split between servlet-based containers and enterprise (Java EE) servers, with Tomcat being the clear winner in the servlet-based container space and WebSphere and Weblogic sharing the Java EE mantle. Typically servlet-based containers are used significantly more than Java EE servers, almost 60% of the respondents to our survey use at least one servlet-based container. Below you can see last year’s Developer Productivity Report results on Application Servers:
In the last half of 2012, the big dogs were trying to become more nimble and agile, while the quick Tomcats of the world are trying to add more of the Java EE feature set. The addition of the Liberty profile to the WebSphere line of products represents a shift in the mindset of traditional enterprise users, and developers are clamoring for a faster way to get as close to a production environment as possible on their local machines.
JavaRebel 2.0.2 was released today, and with it we’ve got a few announcements:Read more
These results are preserved for comparison, but see the later report for a full analysis of the completed survey.Read more
