Apache Tomcat vs Payara: What are the differences?
Introduction
Apache Tomcat and Payara are both popular server containers for running Java applications. While they share some similarities, there are key differences between the two that distinguish them in terms of features and functionalities.
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Deployment: Apache Tomcat is a lightweight server container primarily designed for running Java servlets and JSPs. It focuses on providing a basic servlet container and requires additional configuration for advanced Java EE features. On the other hand, Payara is a full-featured application server built on top of GlassFish, offering a wide range of Java EE capabilities out-of-the-box, making it suitable for enterprise-level applications.
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Support and Maintenance: Apache Tomcat is an open-source project with a large community of contributors, providing continuous updates, bug fixes, and security patches. However, the level of support and maintenance may vary depending on the resources available within the community. Payara, on the other hand, is a commercially supported product with dedicated technical support, regular updates, and long-term support options, ensuring a higher level of reliability and stability.
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Administration and Monitoring: Apache Tomcat provides basic administration and monitoring capabilities through its web-based management interface. While it allows managing server resources and web applications, it may require additional setup for more advanced management tasks. Payara, on the other hand, offers an extensive administration and monitoring console with a user-friendly interface, providing advanced features such as cluster management, application profiling, and monitoring.
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Clustering and High Availability: In Apache Tomcat, setting up clustering and achieving high availability requires additional manual configuration, including load balancing and session replication. Payara, being a full-fledged application server, offers built-in clustering capabilities with easy configuration, automatic load balancing, and session failover, making it more suitable for scalable and highly available deployments.
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Microservices Support: Payara supports microservices architecture out-of-the-box by incorporating Eclipse MicroProfile, a set of specifications for building cloud-native applications. It provides features such as service discovery, fault tolerance, and health checks, enabling developers to quickly build and deploy microservices-based applications. Apache Tomcat, being a more lightweight servlet container, lacks built-in support for microservices and requires additional libraries and frameworks to implement similar functionality.
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Extensibility and Integration: Payara offers seamless integration with various frameworks, tools, and technologies from the Java EE ecosystem. It supports popular frameworks like Hibernate, CDI, and JPA, making it easier to develop and deploy enterprise applications. While Apache Tomcat can also be extended with various libraries and frameworks, it may require additional configuration and setup to integrate them seamlessly.
In summary, Apache Tomcat is a lightweight servlet container ideal for simple Java web applications, while Payara is a full-featured application server designed for complex enterprise applications, offering advanced features, commercial support, and microservices support out-of-the-box.
