Servlet and Servlet Container

Servlet and Servlet container together provide the base for building web-based applications.

• Servlet is a Java class that handles client requests, processes them, and returns a response.
• Servlet containers (also known as a web container) is a part of a web server that interacts with servlets, manages their lifecycle, and handles communication between the servlet and the client.

Example: Imagine a simple login form on a website. When a user submits their username and password, a servlet handles the request:

In modern Spring Boot applications:

• We don't write servlets manually as often.
• Spring Boot handles configuration automatically (auto-configuration).
• It uses embedded servers like Tomcat or Jetty, so there's no need for an external server setup.

This makes web application development faster and simpler.

• Removes the need for web.xml configuration.

Why Remove web.xml ?

Earlier Java web apps needed a web.xml file to define servlet mappings and settings. Over time, maintaining it became complex.

Now:

• Spring Boot uses Java-based configuration and annotations.
• This approach is cleaner, easier to understand, and reduces the chances of errors.

Example: Spring Boot Controller instead of servlet.