Apache Tomcat
| Developer(s) | Apache Software Foundation |
|---|---|
| Repository | |
| Operating system | Cross-platform |
| Type | Web container |
| License | Apache license |
| Website | tomcat.apache.org |
Apache Tomcat (formerly under the Apache Jakarta Project; Tomcat is now a top level project) is a web container developed at the Apache Software Foundation. Tomcat implements the servlet and the JavaServer Pages (JSP) specifications from Sun Microsystems, providing an environment for Java code to run in cooperation with a web server. It adds tools for configuration and management but can also be configured by editing configuration files that are normally XML-formatted. Because Tomcat includes its own HTTP server internally, it is also considered a standalone web server.
Environment
Tomcat is a web server that supports servlets and JSPs. Tomcat comes with the Jasper compiler that compiles JSPs into servlets.
The Tomcat servlet engine is often used in combination with an Apache webserver or other web servers. Tomcat can also function as an independent web server. Earlier in its development, the perception existed that standalone Tomcat was only suitable for development environments and other environments with minimal requirements for speed and transaction handling. However, that perception no longer exists; Tomcat is increasingly used as a standalone web server in high-traffic, high-availability environments.
Since its developers wrote Tomcat in Java, it runs on any operating system that has a JVM.
Development status
Members of the Apache Software Foundation and independent volunteers develop and maintain Tomcat. Users have free access to the source code and to the binary form of Tomcat under the Apache License. The initial Tomcat release appeared with versions 3.0.x. Tomcat 5.5.x, the latest production quality release as of 2005, implements the Servlet 2.4 and JSP 2.0 specifications. Versions 4.0 and later use the Catalina servlet container internally.
Directory structure
The typical and default directory hierarchy of a Tomcat installation comprises the following:
- bin - startup, shutdown and other scripts and executables
- common - common classes that Catalina and web applications can use
- conf - XML files and related DTDs to configure Tomcat
- logs - Catalina and application logs
- server - classes used only by Catalina
- shared - classes shared by all web applications
- webapps - directory containing the web applications
- work - temporary storage for files and directories
However, alternative configurations are possible. The documentation that ships with Tomcat contains more details.
Product features
Tomcat 3.x (initial release)
Tomcat 4.x
- implements the Servlet 2.3 and JSP 1.2 specifications
- servlet container redesigned as Catalina
- JSP engine redesigned as Jasper
- Coyote connector
- Java Management Extensions (JMX), JSP and Struts-based administration
Tomcat 5.x
- implements the Servlet 2.4 and JSP 2.0 specifications
- reduced garbage collection, improved performance and scalability
- native Windows and Unix wrappers for platform integration
- faster JSP parsing
History
Tomcat started off as a servlet reference implementation by James Duncan Davidson, a software architect at Sun. He later helped make the project open source and played a key role in its donation by Sun to the Apache Software Foundation.
Davidson had initially hoped that the project would become open sourced and, since most open source projects had O'Reilly books associated with them featuring an animal on the cover, he wanted to name the project after an animal. He came up with Tomcat since he reasoned the animal represented something that could take care of and fend for itself. His wish to see an animal cover eventually came true when O'Reilly published their Tomcat book with a tomcat on the cover.
See also
External links
- http://tomcat.apache.org/ - Official Tomcat website
- http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/tomcat/ - O'Reilly's Tomcat: The Definitive Guide
