Introduction to Servlet Based Web Application Development In Java

This post is the first in a series of post that introduces Servlet based web application development in Java.

The Goal

The aim is to help the reader, quickly create a mental model for Servlet based web application development in Java: build an appreciation for the essential moving parts and a basic understanding of how they all fit together.

It does not seek to be an exhaustive guide to a topic that is obviously broad and encompassing. That being said, the reader who is just approaching Servlet based web development for the first time should find the series of posts helpful.

Also, at appropriate junctions, I will provide links to resources where more in depth information can be found.

It is also worth pointing out that the reason we have the title as "Servlet based web application in Java", instead of just "web application in Java" is to stress the fact that using Servlet is just one option (albeit currently the most ubiquitous option) to building web applications with Java. It is possible to build web applications without using the Servlet API. Play Framework is an example of a framework that allows exactly that; Vertx is another example.

The posts contained in the series includes:

Introduction to the Servlet API, Web Server and Servlet Container
Introduction to .war Packaging and Maven
Quick Overview of Basic Maven Concepts
How to Create .war Files with Maven Archetypes and Deploy to Tomcat
How to Create .war Files with IntelliJ and Deploy to Tomcat
Introduction to Spring Boot as a Servlet Based Web Application Framework

Hopefully these series of posts help build the basic foundational knowledge of how servlet based web application works.

Next Post : Introduction to the Servlet API, Web Server and Servlet Container