Servlets
Servlets are Java programs that use the Java Servlet Application Programming Interface (API). You must package servlets in a Web archive (WAR) file or Web module for deployment to the application server. Servlets run on a Java-enabled Web server and extend the capabilities of a Web server, similar to the way applets run on a browser and extend the capabilities of a browser.
Servlets can support dynamic Web page content, provide database access, serve multiple clients at one time, and filter data.
For the purposes of WebSphere Application Server, discussions of servlets focus on Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) servlets, which serve Web-based clients.
With the introduction of Java Servlet 2.4 specification, one can define servlets as welcome files. Non servlet resources are served only when the FileServingEnabled attribute is set to true. Serving welcome files is connected to serving static content, therefore fileServing enabled is set in the Web module.
Related Tasks
Developing servlets with WAS extensions
See Also
Web applications: Resources for learning