Lesson 1
Introduction to Java Servlets
This course teaches you how to deliver server-side interactivity on almost any server platform, using the Java programming language and just a few extra classes from a readily available library.
Servlets are little snippets of code that run on the computer that is serving out your Web pages.
You can use them to
- generate dynamic pages,
- read from and write to databases,
- maintain a consistent user state as your user moves from page to page.
This course builds on your knowledge of the Java language and the Java 2 Platform.
You will start building servlets right away; beginning with generating a simple page, then learning how to get your servlet to interact with
- HTML forms,
- client-side Java applets, and
- databases.
Furthermore, you will see how servlet chaining can add tremendous power to your site very simply.
Many developers are considering servlets as an alternative to SSI, CGI, ASP, and other server-side technologies. Servlets are a stand alone technology and you do not need to know any other server-side technology to benefit from this material.
Course objectives
After completing the course, you will be able to:
- Understand the Servlet API
- Set up and configure servers with servlet functionality
- Understand the Java servlet program structure, packages, and syntax
- Build servlets that generate dynamic Web pages
- Build servlets that process data from an HTML form and from a Java applet
- Build servlets that enable users to manipulate records in a database via an HTML form
- Generate email messages from a servlet based on information submitted from an HTML form
- Understand and address servlet security issues such as HTTP authentication and digital certificates
- Chain servlets
- Write servlets that communicate with other Java servers
In the next lesson, the course prerequisites will be discussed.
Table 1-1. Tomcat Versions and Supported API and JDK Versions
Apache Tomcat |
Servlet API |
JSP API |
JDK |
7.0 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 1.6 |
6.0 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.5 |
5.5 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 1.4 |
4.1 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
3.0 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 |