Servlet & JSP Tutorial
MindCraft Backend Web Dev - Spring, and Microservices Lecture 5
Course by: MindCraft

In this extensive lecture, we cover the fundamentals of Servlets and JavaServer Pages (JSP), two cornerstone technologies for building robust and dynamic web applications in Java. Whether you're new to web development or looking to enhance your Java web application skills, this session offers a comprehensive overview of these technologies, providing both theoretical insights and practical skills.

Servlets are Java classes that handle requests and responses in a web application. They act as the backbone of many Java web applications, enabling server-side processing and interaction with client requests. We start by introducing the Servlet API, which is integral for developing web applications using Java. You’ll learn how to create, configure, and deploy servlets, and understand their lifecycle, including initialization, request handling, and destruction.

JavaServer Pages (JSP) complement servlets by allowing developers to embed Java code directly into HTML pages. JSP provides a more convenient way to create dynamic content and separate presentation logic from business logic. We will explore how JSP pages are compiled into servlets behind the scenes, enabling you to generate dynamic web content with ease.

The lecture covers the following key topics:

Servlet Basics: Understanding the role of servlets in a web application, their lifecycle, and how they interact with web clients. JSP Basics: Introduction to JSP and how it simplifies the process of creating dynamic web pages by embedding Java code in HTML. Servlet and JSP Integration: How to use servlets and JSP together effectively to create powerful web applications. Request and Response Handling: Techniques for managing HTTP requests and responses, including handling form data and session management. Servlet Configuration: How to configure servlets using deployment descriptors (web.xml) and annotations for streamlined setup. JSP Tags and Expression Language (EL): Usage of JSP tags and Expression Language to simplify the creation of dynamic content and manage data within JSP pages. Exception Handling: Strategies for handling errors and exceptions in servlets and JSPs to ensure a smooth user experience. Performance Considerations: Best practices for optimizing servlet and JSP performance, including caching and efficient resource management.

⌚ Timestamps: 

Introduction:

• 00:00 - Intro: Brief overview of the lecture content and objectives.

Servlets:

• 00:05 - Introduction to Servlet: An introduction to Servlets, their role in web development, and how they fit into the Java EE ecosystem.

• 06:50 - Eclipse Setup & Tour: Setting up and exploring Eclipse IDE, a popular environment for Java development.

• 11:58 - Configure Tomcat in Eclipse: Configuring Apache Tomcat within Eclipse for running and testing Servlets.

• 17:00 - Eclipse & Tomcat Setup on Windows: Detailed setup instructions for Eclipse and Tomcat on Windows.

• 22:27 - Creating Web Project in Eclipse: Step-by-step guide to creating a new web project in Eclipse.

• 30:22 - Create Servlet & Web.xml: Creating a Servlet and configuring it in the web.xml deployment descriptor.

• 42:56 - GET & POST Method: Understanding and implementing GET and POST methods in Servlets.

• 49:33 - RequestDispatcher | Calling a Servlet from Servlet: Using RequestDispatcher to forward requests between Servlets.

• 58:02 - HttpServletRequest & HttpServletResponse: Working with HttpServletRequest and HttpServletResponse objects for handling client requests and responses.

• 01:02:38 - RequestDispatcher & sendRedirect Theory: Theoretical explanation of RequestDispatcher and sendRedirect for request handling.

• 01:08:08 - sendRedirect | URL Rewriting: Implementing sendRedirect and URL rewriting techniques.

• 01:15:27 - HttpSession | Cookie: Using HttpSession and cookies for session management and state maintenance.

• 01:26:55 - ServletConfig & ServletContext: Understanding ServletConfig and ServletContext for configuration and context information.

• 01:34:45 - Servlet Annotation Configuration: Using annotations for configuring Servlets, an alternative to XML-based configuration.

JSP (JavaServer Pages):

• 01:38:13 - Why JSP?: Introduction to JSP and its advantages over Servlets for generating dynamic web content.

• 01:46:43 - How JSP Translated into Servlets?: Explanation of how JSP files are compiled into Servlets by the server.

• 01:59:40 - JSP to Servlet Conversion | NetBeans: Converting JSP to Servlets using NetBeans IDE.

• 02:07:17 - JSP Tags | Scriptlet | Declaration | Directive | Expression: Overview of JSP tags, including scriptlets, declarations, directives, and expressions.

• 02:14:46 - JSP Directive | Page | Include | Taglib: Understanding and using JSP directives such as page, include, and taglib.

• 02:24:05 - Implicit Object in JSP: Exploring implicit objects available in JSP for accessing request, session, and application data.

• 02:29:56 - Exception Handling in JSP: Handling exceptions in JSP using error pages and the exception implicit object.

• 02:36:52 - JDBC in JSP: Integrating JDBC with JSP for database operations and data retrieval.

• 02:48:42 - MVC Using Servlet & JSP: Implementing the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern using Servlets and JSP.

JSTL (JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library):

• 02:58:58 - JSTL Tutorial Part 1 EL: Introduction to Expression Language (EL) in JSTL for accessing data in JSP.

• 03:06:13 - JSTL Tutorial Part 2 Core Tags: Overview of core tags in JSTL for controlling flow and formatting data.

• 03:19:03 - JSTL Tutorial SQL Tags Part 1: Using JSTL SQL tags for database operations.

• 03:24:06 - JSTL Tutorial SQL Tags Part 2: Advanced usage of JSTL SQL tags for complex database interactions.

• 03:28:07 - JSTL Tutorial Function Tags: Exploring JSTL function tags for common operations and utilities in JSP.

Advanced Topics:

• 03:37:16 - Servlet Filter Tutorial Theory: Understanding Servlet filters and their role in request and response processing.

• 03:45:51 - Servlet Filter Practical: Practical implementation of Servlet filters.

• 03:56:17 - Login Using Servlet & JSP: Implementing a login system using Servlets and JSP.

• 04:09:28 - How to Prevent Back Button after Logout Part 1: Techniques to prevent users from accessing restricted pages after logout.

• 04:26:56 - How to Prevent Back Button after Logout Part 2: Continued discussion on preventing access to restricted pages after logout.

• 04:40:48 - Login Using Servlet & JSP | JDBC Part 3: Integrating JDBC with login functionality for database authentication.

• 04:57:08 - Servlet | JSP | JDBC | Maven Example: Comprehensive example combining Servlets, JSP, JDBC, and Maven for a complete web application.

• 05:34:25 - File Upload in Java Servlet: Implementing file upload functionality in Java Servlets.

This detailed lecture aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to develop, deploy, and manage web applications using Servlets and JSP, from basic setup to advanced features.