Tomcat is web server or application server? [closed]

Is Tomcat a web server or an application server?

Tomcat is a web server (can handle HTTP requests/responses) and web container (implements Java Servlet API, also called servletcontainer) in one. Some may call it an application server, but it is definitely not an fullfledged Java EE application server (it does not implement the whole Java EE API).

See also:

• What exactly is Java EE?
• How do servlets work? Instantiation, sessions, shared variables and multithreading

Tomcat is an application container that is also a web server. An application container can run web-applications (have "application" scope). It is not considered Some people do not consider it a full application server as it is lacking in some aspects such as user management and the like, but getting better all the time..

Tomcat is a web server and a Servlet/JavaServer Pages container. It is often used as an application server for strictly web-based applications but does not include the entire suite of capabilities that a Java EE application server would supply.

Links:

• Apache Tomcat home page
• Explanation of Servlet technology
• Explanation of JavaServer Pages technology