Tomcat and Jetty Comparison | Generated by AI
Tomcat and Jetty are both popular Java-based web servers and servlet containers, but they serve slightly different purposes and have different strengths. Here’s a breakdown in a narrative style for easier reading:
Tomcat
Tomcat, developed by the Apache Software Foundation, is often considered the default choice when people think of running Java web applications.
- Focus: It’s primarily designed as a reference implementation of the Java Servlet and JSP specifications.
- Ecosystem Fit: Many frameworks (like Spring MVC) assume Tomcat as the default container, so integration and documentation are abundant.
- Performance: Reliable and stable under high traffic, but it carries more overhead than Jetty for lightweight setups.
- Use Cases: Large-scale enterprise apps, production systems where standard servlet/JSP support is required.
Jetty
Jetty, developed by Eclipse Foundation, is lightweight and highly embeddable.
- Focus: It’s designed to be a small, fast HTTP server and servlet container that can be embedded into other applications.
- Ecosystem Fit: Frequently used in microservices, frameworks, and servers that need to ship with their own HTTP engine (e.g., Hadoop, Spark, Solr, and many Spring Boot apps embed Jetty).
- Performance: Very fast to start, lower memory footprint, and well-suited for scenarios with many short-lived connections (like WebSockets).
- Use Cases: Microservices, IoT, tools needing an integrated web server, or environments with resource constraints.
Key Differences in Spirit
- Tomcat feels like a “full-featured, ready-to-deploy” server. It shines when you want a standalone application server with a well-known ecosystem.
- Jetty feels like a “component” rather than a “product.” It excels when you want to embed HTTP serving inside your application or keep the footprint minimal.
👉 If you’re building an enterprise web application, Tomcat is usually the go-to. 👉 If you’re building lightweight services or tools where the server is just a piece of the puzzle, Jetty tends to be a better fit.
Would you like me to also cover how they compare in Spring Boot specifically? That’s often where people decide between embedded Tomcat vs. Jetty.