Java Servlet Technology

Java Servlet Technology

Stephanie Bodoff

In This Chapter

13.1 What is a Servlet?

13.2 The Example Servlets

13.3 Servlet Life Cycle

13.4 Sharing Information

13.5 Initializing a Servlet

13.6 Writing Service Methods

13.7 Filtering Requests and Responses

13.8 Invoking Other Web Resources

13.9 Accessing the Web Context

13.10 Maintaining Client State

13.11 Finalizing a Servlet

As soon as the Web began to be used for delivering services, service providers recognized the need for dynamic content. Applets, one of the earliest attempts towards this goal, focused on using the client platform to deliver dynamic user experiences. At the same time, developers also investigated using the server platform for this purpose. Initially, CGI scripts were the main technology used to generate dynamic content. Though widely used, CGI scripting technology has a number of shortcomings including platform-dependence and lack of scalability. To address these limitations, Java Servlet technology was created as a portable way to provide dynamic, user-oriented content.