How to build a Web Application Using Java

Java is a programming language used in the development of web applications, desktop applications, and Android applications.

This article is for those who want to develop web applications using Java or those who have started learning Java but still don’t clearly understand how Java can be useful. It will explain the basic concepts and provide examples related to web application development with Java.

1. Basic knowledge to build a web application using Java

Before you start creating a web application with Java, you need to understand some fundamental concepts about web applications. A web application is software that runs in a web browser. It is built on a client-server architecture, where two computers—the client and the server—are connected through a network.

• Client: The user’s computer.

• Server: The computer providing the services.

The client performs simple operations such as opening a browser, entering data, or displaying information received from the server. Meanwhile, the server handles more complex tasks like managing databases or processing a large number of simultaneous accesses from tens of thousands of users. Therefore, the server usually has much more powerful hardware than the client.

The client sends a request to the server over the network, and the server sends back a response to provide the service. The server side is divided into three types of servers that work together. This structure is called the three-tier architecture, and most modern web applications follow this model:

• Web Server: Communicates with the client.

• Application Server (AP Server): Processes requests and retrieves data.

• Database Server (DB Server): Stores the necessary data for the web service.

2. What role does Java play in web applications?

To understand how Java works in web applications, you first need to distinguish between two types of content: static and dynamic content.

2.1. Dynamic content and static content

Websites are generally divided into two types:

• Static websites: Display the same content to all users at all times.
  (Example: A company introduction page – content remains the same regardless of who visits it.)

• Dynamic websites: Display different content depending on the client’s request.
  (Example: An online shopping site – purchase history varies by user.)

For static content, the web server simply returns predefined content to the client. But for dynamic content, after receiving a request, the web server must work with the application server to process data and retrieve information from the database server.

2.2. Java as a technology for generating dynamic content

As mentioned earlier, at the application server level, applications are executed based on requests received from the web server. The programming language used to build these applications is Java.

Java has many advantages such as being platform-independent, fast in execution, and highly secure. For these reasons, it is one of the most widely used programming languages in the world.

3. Examples of web applications developed using Java

Most web applications can be developed using Java. Some well-known web apps built with Java include:

• Twitter
• Evernote
• Google
• YouTube
• Rakuten
• eBay
• Amazon

Thanks to its high processing performance, Java is particularly suitable for large-scale web services and systems.

4. Getting started with web application development in Java

So how do you start learning to develop web applications with Java? First, you need to study the basics of Java and set up a development environment. Many websites offer free video tutorials that provide an overview, coding lessons, and setup guides. You should take advantage of these resources.

Once you have a general understanding through videos, you can also buy specialized books to study more deeply.

Some websites to learn Java:

• Dotinstall

• Uzukare Online

Have you understood the basic knowledge needed to build web applications with Java? Understanding how web applications work will give you more motivation to learn Java. Good luck, and may you soon become a professional Java developer!