Introduction to Servlets in Java

We all are aware of the fact that in this technological era how important programming is for creating dynamic web applications. So far, we have covered many Java concepts till now like OOPS, JSTL, etc.  If you love making programs in Java, then you will love to know what are servlets in Java and how  we can use it to make dynamic applications.

What is Servlets?

Servlet is a type of Java programming language class that runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) on the webserver or application server. Servlet is the link between the response requested and the response sent back to the web servers. 

• Firstly, the servlet in java can create dynamic applications and it works on the server-side.
• The servlet is highly capable of processing complicated requests obtained by the application server.

Example :

Working of Servlets in Java

• Clients send the order to the webserver.
• The web server receives the order.
• The web server sends the order to the corresponding servlet.
• Further, the servlet processes the order and generates the response.
• Moreover, the servlet sends the response back to the application or web server.
• Lastly, the web server sends the response to the client and it displays it on the screen of the client browser.

Servlet Overview

Benefits of Java Servlets

• Servlets are portable as you can create a servlet on Windows OS that uses GlassFish as a web server and further can run on many other OS like Unix, Linux, etc.
• They are efficient and scalable as it can instantly complete the requests by the clients.
• Java Servlets can easily share the data and directly communicate with the webserver.
• Servlets in Java are cost-efficient and it can handle the cookies.
• It is a server-side part, so servlets receive the security provided by the webserver.

Java Servlets Application Programming Interface (API)   

The Servlet in java consist of two modules:

1. javax.servlet (Basic)
2. javax.servlet.http (Advance)

These modules provides various interfaces and classes such as Servlet, GenericServlet, HttpServlet, etc. You can also learn to organise Classes and Interfaces in Java.

Difference between Servlet and CGI

The Servlet program in Java is likewise similar to the CGI program and Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP). But the CGI program has a limitation against the Servlet program. A Common Gateway Interface (CGI) program has low performance and can’t expand as compared to the Servlet. CGI can be written in C, C++, and visual basic. However, Servlet can be written only in Java.

Why learn Java Servlet?

This programming language class will help you collect the inputs from the users through web page forms to create dynamic web pages or applications. Till now we know that servlets serve the same purpose as CGI programming but servlets are better than CGI programming as it gives high performance and can be processed within the address space of the Web server or application. By learning Java Servlets you can take your coding to the next level.

Also Read: JSTL

Conclusion 

We hope that you got a good understanding of the Servlet programming in Java. It will be great if you understand the basics of Java programming. Moreover, writing servlets can generate responses to HTTP requests. We are here to bring out the best in you, our team work hard so you can achieve your dreams and be a future best web developer.