Comparison of Four Popular Java Web Framework Implementations: Struts1.X, WebWork2.2X, Tapestry4, JSF1.2

Java web framework has been widely used in industry Java web applications in the last few years, its outstanding MVC design concept and supported web features provide great benefits of standardizing application structure and reducing development time and effort. However, after years of evolution, numerous Java web frameworks have been invented with different focuses, it becomes increasingly difficult for developers to select a suitable framework for their web applications. In this thesis, we conduct a general comparison of four popular Java web frameworks: Struts1.X, WebWork2.2X, Tapestry 4, JSF1.2, and we try to help web developers or technique managers gain a deep insight of these frameworks through the comparison and therefore be able to choose the right framework for their web applications. The comparison preformed by this thesis generally takes three steps: first it studies the infrastructure of four chosen frameworks through which the overall view of different frameworks could be presented to readers; second it selects six basic but essential web features and fulfill the feature comparison by discussing different frameworks’ web feature implementation; third it presents a case study application to provide practical support of feature comparison. The thesis ends with an evaluation of pros and cons of different framework web features and a general suggestion of web application types that the four chosen Java web frameworks can effectively fit in. Key words and terms: Java web framework, MVC, web features, Struts1.X, WebWork2.2X, Tapestry 4, JSF1.2, feature compariso