Tomcat vs Jetty – Two Great Servlet Containers. Which One to Choose?

When it comes to choosing a Java web application server, Java developers are often faced with numerous choices such as Tomcat, Jetty, JBoss, GlassFish, WildFly, TomEE, WebLogic, WebSphere, WorldMedicalguide, etc. In this brief, we’re going to discuss Tomcat vs Jetty and hopefully enable you get a better understanding of both web application servers and their respective advantages and disadvantages.

Furthermore, it’s without doubt that Tomcat and Jetty are both popular web application servers among Java web developers. As a matter of fact, they are both Web servers and Servlet/JavaServer Pages containers. And as a side note may not support some (if not all) Enterprise Java Beans (EJB) or other EE features in which case you have to look at JBoss, WildFly, TomEE, etc. By the same token, Tomcat vs Jetty as open source Servlet containers both implement HTTP server, HTTP client and javax.servlet container.

However, it’s worth noting that Tomcat is a supported and promoted by the Apache Project whereas Jetty on the other hand is an Eclipse Project. Hence, this is good as both application servers have a strong backing and support among the Java developer community. Consequently, both application servers implement recent Java Server Pages (JSP) and Servlet standards, deploy .WAR files with ease, and impressively lightweight and fast when serving a Java web application.

With this in mind, here are some of the hightlights on Tomcat vs Jetty

Tomcat:

• Easily the most popular open source project under Apache thus receive attention, support and updates
• Very well documented with a strong developer community
• Tested, Proven and Stable over many years with different versions to select from
• Commercially successful with many enterprises and government organizations using it
• Easy integration with other Java web application frameworks such as Spring Framework
• Looking for a servlet container to embed in your Java web application then Tomcat is a definite contender
• Java Server Pages (JSP) parsing and processing with speed
• Did we say flexible? Yes, Tomcat is very flexible and extendable – scaling to Enterprise support via TomEE, JBoss, WildFly is possible

Jetty:

• Uses less memory and is more lightweight thus offering speed and scalability
• Can be embedded with ease in your Java web application, small devices line phones and setup boxes as well as serve as asynchronous server
• It’s open source with good community backing and support
• Has small footprint and can be quickly launched and restarted with ease
• Widely used but still less know when compared to Tomcat
• Pluggable and extensive resulting in high degree of customizability
• Built into several frameworks such as GWT, JRuby, Grails, Scala/Lift, etc.
• It’s small and efficient with low maintaince and total cost of ownership

Tomcat vs Jetty

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