Profile

Tomcat is a free, open-source implementation of Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages technologies developed under the Jakarta project at the Apache Software Foundation. Tomcat is available for commercial use under the ASF license from the Apache web site in both binary and source versions.

Any developer can participate in the Tomcat project. Apache, Sun, and several key industry players including IBM, Oracle, Netscape, and Symantec have already endorsed the technology and are participating in the evolution of the technology specifications.

Jakarta is an Apache umbrella project that includes 3 subprojects related to JSP and servlet technology:

• Tomcat , a JavaServer Pages and Java Servlets implementation
• Watchdog, a JSP page and servlet validator
• Taglibs, a JSP tag library repository

Three different versions of Tomcat are available for download: Nightly, Milestone and Release builds.

Nightly Builds are those that are very unstable (a.k.a. dynamite!). There is no guarantee of their stability and/or completeness. Nightly builds are for developers who are helping to develop the technology and want "the latest bits." Use at your own risk!

Milestone Builds are builds that are somewhat stable but not crystal-clean. There exists some confidence in them, but they are likely to be buggy and should only be used by advanced users who want to explore future product direction or take advantage of new features.

Release Builds are those that are ready for Prime Time. These releases will be reviewed by Sun's QA Team to ensure compatibility with the JavaServer Pages and Servlets specifications. Release builds are "as good as it gets!"

Tomcat is available at the Jakarta binary downloads page.

Tomcat 3 supports the Servlet 2.2 and JSP 1.1 specifications.

Tomcat 4 supports the Servlet 2.3 and JSP 1.2 specifications.

Tomcat 5 supports the Servlet 2.4 and JSP 2.0 specifications.

No. You can choose any web server on the market that supports JSP and Servlets (e.g. Sun ONE Web Server, IBM WebSphere, BEA Weblogic and others). We are working closely with a variety of partners to support them in quickly adding JSP and Servlet support to their web servers.

Tomcat represents the single implementation that delivers on both JSP and Servlets.

Tomcat is available through the Apache license.

Yes. Both a binary and a source version are available.

Sun owns and evolves the JavaServer Pages and Java Servlets specifications under the Java Community Process. The most recent specifications can be found at the JavaServer Pages and Java Servlet download pages.

JavaServer Pages and Java Servlets are the web presentation layer in the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition Platform. Sun adapts and integrates the Tomcat code base into the J2EE SDK, which is available under separate licensing.