What features does Apache Tomcat provide?

Publication Date：January 10, 2021

summary

What is Apache Tomcat? It is used when creating web applications in Java, and we will explain what specific functions it provides.

1. What is Apache Tomcat

Apache Tomcat is commonly referred to as Tomcat.（Hereafter, we will paraphrase the phrase Apache Tomcat as Tomcat.）Tomcat is explained in the following Tomcat website.「The Apache Tomcat® software is an open source implementation of the Java Servlet, JavaServer Pages, Java Expression Language and Java WebSocket technologies.」

http://tomcat.apache.org/

This technology is used to run web applications in Java.

In other words, to briefly explain, Tomcat provides "the base functionality for running Java as a web application.

2. Functions provided by Apache Tomcat

Tomcat offers many features. The following pages from the Tomcat site will help you understand the full range of features offered by Tomcat.

http://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-9.0-doc/index.html

Since reading everything would be time consuming, we will focus on three important technologies for understanding Tomcat: "communication connection control functions," "multiple communication control functions," and "application control functions to be executed.

2-1. Communication connection control function

Tomcat provides a mechanism to accept user requests and connect to the server. As shown in the figure below, typing "https://~" in a browser from a PC will cause communication.

To initiate communication at this time, it is necessary to connect to the server, and Tomcat provides the mechanism to connect.

2-2. Control function for multiple communications

Tomcat provides a mechanism for handling communications from multiple users simultaneously. Suppose that multiple users access the server as shown in the figure below.

At this time, Tomcat provides a mechanism to initiate communication from multiple users in parallel, rather than processing one user at a time.

2-3. Application control functions to be performed

Tomcat provides a mechanism for distributing applications to be run. Multiple applications can be deployed on Tomcat. Suppose there are multiple applications on Tomcat as shown in the figure below.

Tomcat provides a mechanism to determine which application to use at this time by URL.

3. summary

Tomcat provides the base functionality for creating web applications in Java, controlling the communication part and the application to be executed.

Thank you for taking the time to read this to the end.