JSP Web Hosting

What is JSP Web Hosting?

Java Server Pages (JSP) allow the combination of regular, static HTML with XML & Java code to produce dynamic, portable, scalable and easily maintained web pages.

From the Sun Java Server Pages product site: "HTML-savvy web page developers and designers can use JSP technology without needing to learn how to write Java."

With JSP, developers can combine HTML code with server-side scripting to easily create dynamic web pages. This is done in same general manner that ASP and PHP operate, processing all of the script on the hosting provider's web server before sending the page to a visitor's computer.

Locating JSP Web Hosting Providers

Finding a host that has JSP included in their low-cost packages is difficult to do. It is a proprietary technology, JSP requires hosts to pay a software licensing fee for having it on their web servers.

One great low-cost host that has JSP web hosting accounts for only $9.95 per month is Lunarpages. Even their most basic account is loaded with features, including 500 MB disk space and 20 GB of transfer.

JSP Web Hosting - Advantages:

Java Server Pages are like any other dynamic scripting language in the basic terms of what they provide. The differences lay in how the accomplish their tasks. Here is a quick comparison of how JSP servlets perform common hosting tasks as compared to other widely-used technologies:

vs. Static HTML:

Regular HTML, of course, cannot contain dynamic information. JSP is so easy and convenient that it is quite feasible to augment HTML pages that only benefit marginally by the insertion of small amounts of dynamic data. Previously, the cost of using dynamic data would preclude its use in all but the most valuable instances.

vs. Standard JavaScript:

JavaScript can generate HTML dynamically on the client. This is a useful capability, but only handles situations where the dynamic information is based on the client's environment. With the exception of cookies, HTTP and form submission data is not available to JavaScript. And, since it runs on the client, JavaScript can't access server-side resources like databases, catalogs, pricing information, and the like.

vs. Active Server Pages (ASP):

ASP is a similar technology from Microsoft. The advantages of JSP are twofold. First, the dynamic part is written in Java, not Visual Basic or other MS-specific language, so it is more powerful and easier to use. Second, it is portable to other operating systems and non-Microsoft Web servers.

vs. Server-Side Includes (SSI):

SSI is a widely-supported technology for including externally-defined pieces into a static Web page. JSP is better because it lets you use servlets instead of a separate program to generate that dynamic part. Besides, SSI is really only intended for simple inclusions, not for "real" programs that use form data, make database connections, and the like.

Note: The above comparison of JSP advantages is taken from Marty Hall's Tutorials on Servlets and JSP. To learn more in depth information about JSP scripting technology, visit his website for the full tutorial.