What is the Servlet API?

Now that we've looked at the environment within which the Servlet API executes, the remainder of this chapter is pointed squarely at the Servlet API. This API is one of the oldest within the Java Enterprise Edition family—its first incarnation dates back to 1997.

In this section, we'll take a quick walk through JSR 154 for the Servlet 2.5 API.

Note

The information in this section is applicable to all Java EE compliant servlet containers, including those contained in IBM WebSphere and BEA WebLogic, as well as to Apache Tomcat.

The word 'servlet' conjures up an image of a baby server, and that is exactly what it is. It is a play on the word 'applet', which represents a baby application.

A servlet is a web component, a pluggable piece of functionality that is written in Java and deployed to a web container to extend the container's functionality in a very custom way.

For all intents and purposes, a servlet functions in a very similar manner to its bigger sibling—the web...