How to build a Web Application Using Java

One of the most popular programming languages for creating dynamic web apps is Java. A web application is computer software that performs operations over the internet using the web browser and technologies. On a web server, a web application is installed.Java includes technologies such as Servlet and JSP that make it simple to construct and deploy web applications on a server. It also includes frameworks like Spring and Spring Boot, which make developing a web application easier and more efficient. They lessen the developer's workload.We can make a website out of static HTML pages and style them using CSS, but if we want to make a dynamic website, we'll need server-side technologies.We'll see how to make a website with Java Servlets and HTML in this section. We'll also look at how these technologies can be used to create a web application.

We've included the following in this section :-

1.What is a Web Application?

2.What is Web Server and Client?

3.What is HTML and HTTP?

4.What is URL?

5.What is Servlet?

6.Why Servlets are Useful for Developing a Web Application?

Let's look at the Components of a web application:-

1.What is a Web Application?

Web applications are computer programs that may be accessed through any web browser. Scripting languages like as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which are supported by practically all web browsers, are typically used to develop the frontend of a web application. The backend, on the other hand, is made up of databases and programming languages like Java, Python, and PHP. In contrast to mobile applications, there is no special tool for developing web applications; instead, we can utilize any of the available IDEs.

2.What is Web Server and Client?

The web server is a program that handles and replies to client requests. It uses the appropriate protocols to process the client's request. The webserver's primary function is to store requests and respond with web pages. It serves as a conduit between the client and the server. Apache, for example, is a popular webserver.A client is a piece of software that allows users to make requests to the server and assists them in doing so. Clients in a web application are web browsers; popular clients include Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and others.

3.What is HTML and HTTP?

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language, and it is a standard for communication between Web Servers and Web Clients. We need a language to communicate between the web server and web client because they are two independent software components of the web.The HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol,it is a communication protocol between the client and the server. It runs on top of the TCP/IP protocol.

Some of the integral components of an HTTP Request are as following :-

HTTP Method: The HTTP method defines an action to be performed; usually, they are GET, POST, PUT, etc.

URL: URL is a web address that is defined while developing a web application. It is used to access a webpage.

Form Parameters: The form parameter is just like an argument in a Java method. It is passed to provide the details such as user, password details on a login page.

4.What is URL?

The Universal Resource Locator (URL) is used to find the server and resource. It is a web page's address. Every project's web page must have its own name.

The following is an example of a URL:-

1. http://localhost:8080/WebApplication/  

Where,

http or https: It is the starting point of the URL that specifies the protocol to be used for communication.

Localhost: The localhost is the address of the server. When we run our application locally, it is called localhost; if we deployed our project over the web, then it is accessed by using the domain name like "abc.com". The domain name maps the server to IP addresses.

8080: This is the port number for the local server; it is optional and may differ in different machines. If we do not manually type the port number in the URL, then by default, the request goes to the default port of the protocol. Usually, the port no between 0 to 1023 are reserved for some well-known services such as HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, etc.

5.What is Servlet?

A Servlet is a Java program that runs on a web server and accepts and replies to requests using the appropriate protocols (Usually HTTP). WServlets are capable of responding to any form of request and are frequently utilized to make an application work.We can make a static website with just HTML and CSS, but dynamic websites require a server-side programming language. Java provides Servlet technology for these applications, which includes HTTP-specific servlet

classes.The javax.servlet and javax.servlet.http packages contain interfaces and classes for creating servlets. All servlets should implement the Servlet interface, which defines life-cycle methods. To implement a generic service, we can use the GenericServlet class by extending it. It provides doGet and doPost methods to handle HTTP-specific services.

6.Why Servlets are Useful for Developing a Web Application?

Web servers can handle static HTML requests, but they have no idea how to handle dynamic requests or databases. As a result, we'll need a language for dynamic content, such as PHP, Python, Java, Ruby on Rails, and so on. Servlet and JSPs are two Java technologies that deal with dynamic content and databases. Spring, Spring Boot, Hibernate, and Struts are all Java frameworks that make it simple to employ servlets and JSPs.Servlets and JSPs are server-side technologies that enhance a web server's capability. They support data persistence and dynamic response. These technologies make it simple to construct a web application.

I hope to bring you an article tutorial like this in the recent on how to create a simple web application based on this article.

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