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Java EE & Java Web Learning Trail

What is a Java Web Application?

A Java web application generates interactive web pages containing various types of markup language (HTML, XML, and so on) and dynamic content. It is typically comprised of web components such as JavaServer Pages (JSP), servlets and JavaBeans to modify and temporarily store data, interact with databases and web services, and render content in response to client requests.

Because many of the tasks involved in web application development can be repetitive or require a surplus of boilerplate code, web frameworks can be applied to alleviate the overhead associated with common activities. For example, many frameworks, such as JavaServer Faces, provide libraries for templating pages and session management, and often promote code reuse.

What is Java EE?

Java EE (Enterprise Edition) is a widely used platform containing a set of coordinated technologies that significantly reduce the cost and complexity of developing, deploying, and managing multitier, server-centric applications. Java EE builds upon the Java SE platform and provides a set of APIs (application programming interfaces) for developing and running portable, robust, scalable, reliable and secure server-side applications.

Some of the fundamental components of Java EE include:

Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB): a managed, server-side component architecture used to encapsulate the business logic of an application. EJB technology enables rapid and simplified development of distributed, transactional, secure and portable applications based on Java technology.
Java Persistence API (JPA): a framework that allows developers to manage data using object-relational mapping (ORM) in applications built on the Java Platform.

JavaScript and Ajax Development

JavaScript is an object-oriented scripting language primarily used in client-side interfaces for web applications. Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a Web 2.0 technique that allows changes to occur in a web page without the need to perform a page refresh. JavaScript toolkits can be leveraged to implement Ajax-enabled components and functionality in web pages.