Fast CGI Vs Java Application Servers

[Irmen de Jong]

Måns Rullgård wrote:
> Irmen de Jong <irmen at -NOSPAM-REMOVETHIS-xs4all.nl> writes:
> 
> 
>>>How does FastCGI compare against java Apps running in java app
>>>servers like TomCat, Sun One, WebLogic and WebSphere?
>>
>>
>>A (fast)CGI program compared to the actual Java program may not be
>>much of a difference, depending on the program of course. What is
>>a *huge* difference is that the Java app is running inside an
>>*application server*. A (J2EE) Application Server provides a
>>rich environment on which to base your scalable enterprise applications:
>>- security
>>- connectivity
>>- scalability (performance, clustering)
>>- maintainability / managability
>>- error reporting/logging
>>- component based (EJBs)
>>- database connectivity and object persistence
>>- transactions
>>- ...
> 
> 
> Someone mentioned buzzwords elsewhere in this thread.

Very true ;-)

But the fact remains, that you get the above mentioned things
in one way or another when using an application server.
Wether you *need* them is a totally different matter.
As somebody else pointed out, if what you do now works for you,
don't fix what's not broken...

>>All of these are standardized in some way (as part of J2EE).
>>In theory you can move your J2EE application to a different
>>environment running on a different vendor's app server without
>>much sweat.
> 
> 
> That is, after you spent three weeks trying to figure out the correct
> classpath, if one even exists.

That's why I said "in theory".
Classpath issues are the least of your problems.
(and really should not take you more than an hour to figure out).

>>You don't have any of this readily available when writing (fast)CGI
>>applications; you have to implement all of these yourself.
> 
> 
> Hey, it could be fun.

I cannot imagine how it can be fun to design, build and test your
own XA transaction layer or object persistence.

But, for simple web applications, it *is* fun to build them from
the ground up. You learn a lot by doing so.

--Irmen de Jong