Servlets are the ubiquitous but often overlooked foundation for major Java web frameworks like Spring, JAX-RS, and JSF.
Servlets act as a crucial abstraction layer, translating low-level HTTP requests and responses into manageable Java objects.
A servlet is defined by a formal specification that has evolved from Java EE's `javax` package to Jakarta EE's `jakarta` package.
Servlet containers like Tomcat are full applications that manage the entire lifecycle, security, and multithreading of your servlet components.
The servlet container manages a servlet's lifecycle through key methods like `init()` for setup, `service()` for handling requests, and `destroy()` for cleanup.
Developers create servlets by extending the `HttpServlet` abstract class and overriding methods like `doGet()` and `doPost()` to handle specific HTTP verbs.
High-level frameworks like Spring MVC are built on the servlet specification, using a central servlet like the `DispatcherServlet` to manage requests.
Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.