Inside Servlets: Server-side Programming for the Java Platform [Paperback]

Java servlets are the killer app for server-side programming. They represent the first cross-platform solution for server-side development that delivers the performance developers require -- and they've been incorporated into nearly every leading Web server platform. Inside Servlets, Second Edition teaches developers all they need to build robust, powerful servlets with Sun's new Servlets 2.2 API. It combines detailed, real-world projects, a comprehensive API reference, and extensive new coverage of crucial topics ranging from security to database integration. The book starts with a brief, crystal-clear introduction to servlet technology and architecture -- and then dives into the sophisticated techniques Java developers need to make the most of their servlets. Dustin Callaway provides a complete development framework for building Internet applications, as well as three start-to-finish sample servlets. He also offers outstanding, code-rich explanations of key techniques such as state/session management, cookies, thread-safe servlets, JDBC database access, cross-request communications, request forwarding, and partitioning. This Second Edition adds extensive coverage of deployment, servlet security and authentication, internationalization, JavaServer Pages, and more.

Java™ servlet technology, an integral part of the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) platform, has become the de facto standard for creating dynamic, data-driven Web applications. By conforming to the Java™ Servlet API, developers can guarantee that their server-side programs will run on any J2EE-compliant platform that fully supports Java.

Written for the thousands of Web programmers, designers, and consultants who want to expand their repertoire of development tools or enhance their servlet programming skills, Inside Servlets, Second Edition, provides exactly the information needed. It offers important background information on Web technologies, an inside look at Java servlet technology, a hands-on servlet tutorial, and a guide to advanced servlet programming for creating sophisticated, high-performance Web sites.

This second edition has been thoroughly updated to incorporate versions 2.2 and 2.3 of the Java Servlet Specification. In addition, the book has been expanded to provide in-depth coverage of such vital topics as security, JavaServer Pages™, packaging and deployment, advanced database access techniques, and servlet troubleshooting.

Within this book you will find an introduction to Web technologies that explains such fundamentals as TCP/IP, firewalls, proxy servers, sockets, MIME, and HTTP. A servlet tutorial offers information on basic servlet structure, demonstrates how to write and run your first servlet, and previews the Servlet API. Inside Servlets then moves on to advanced servlet concepts and techniques. Lastly, a complete reference to the Servlet API is provided.

Specific topics featured include:

• Writing thread-safe servlets
• Servlet debugging
• HTTP redirects
• Cookies and session management
• Server-side includes
• Request forwarding
• Servlet chaining
• Database access with JDBC™
• Security and encryption
• JavaServer Pages (including custom tag libraries)
• Packaging and deployment
• Servlet troubleshooting
• Separating content from presentation using a servlet-based template framework
• Servlet filtering and application lifecycle events (introduced in Servlet API 2.3)

In addition, Inside Servlets, Second Edition, contains an entire section devoted to real-world examples of servlets in action, with detailed explanations and complete source code.

The web site accompanying this book contains the source code and compiled class files for all sample code; JRun 3.0 from Allaire; SevletExec 3.0 from New Atlanta Communications; Resin 1.2 from Caucho Technology; Apache Tomcat 3.1 and 3.2; MySQL database and JDBC(TM) driver; JBuilder 4 Foundation Edition from Borland; and many other valuable servlet development tools.