Servlet Performance Report
Comparing The Performance of J2EE Servers
The standardization of the application server, thanks to Sun’s J2EE specifications, has spawned a wealth of implementations. There are offerings from big players such as Sun, IBM, BEA and Oracle as well as numerous offerings from low-cost vendors and the open-source community.
Like most developers, I participate in a number of technical forums and mailing lists. A recurring topic on servlet-development forums is “Which J2EE server should I use for my servlet-based application?” There are a number of criteria for selecting a server: ease of installation, quality of documentation, reliability, cost and performance. Some of these aspects are readily apparent to the evaluator; but performance seems to generate a lot of discussion with a notable lack of facts. After a quick search, I was surprised that few usable benchmarks have been published comparing the servlet performance of the popular low-cost servers.
When his dad brought home a Commodore PET computer, Chris was drawn into computers. 7 years later, after finishing his degree in Computer and Electrical Engineering at Purdue University, he found himself writing software for industrial control systems. His first foray into testing software resulted in an innovative control system for testing lubricants in automotive engines. The Internet grabbed his attention and he became one of the first Sun Certified Java Developers. His focus then locked on performance testing of websites. As Chief Engineer for Web Performance since 2001, Chris now spends his time turning real-world testing challenges into new features for the Load Tester product.