Tomcat
Apache Tomcat is an open-source implementation of the Java Servlet, JavaServer Pages, Java Expression Language, and WebSocket technologies, providing a pure Java HTTP web server environment for running Java web applications. It is widely used as a lightweight, efficient container for deploying and managing Java-based web applications and services. Tomcat is developed and maintained by the Apache Software Foundation and is a key component in many enterprise Java ecosystems.
Developers should learn and use Tomcat when building and deploying Java web applications, particularly those based on servlets and JSPs, as it offers a robust, standards-compliant environment with minimal overhead compared to full Java EE application servers. It is ideal for production environments requiring high performance, scalability, and ease of configuration, such as in microservices architectures or standalone web services. Tomcat is also commonly used in development and testing phases due to its simplicity and fast startup times.