Top Jetty Alternatives: Finding the Right Web Server for Your Needs
Jetty is a popular and versatile HTTP server and Servlet container, known for its lightweight nature and embedded capabilities. It's an excellent choice for many web applications, but depending on your specific project requirements, scalability needs, or preferred technology stack, you might be looking for a robust Jetty alternative. This article explores some of the best replacements for Jetty, offering different features, performance profiles, and community support.
Top Jetty Alternatives
Whether you're building a new application or migrating from an existing one, finding the right web server is crucial. Here are some top-tier alternatives to Jetty that offer compelling features and performance.
Apache Tomcat
Apache Tomcat is a widely adopted open-source implementation of Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages technologies. It's a fantastic Jetty alternative for Java-based web development, offering robust features like Java and Web Server capabilities. Tomcat is free and open-source, available across Mac, Windows, and Linux platforms, making it a highly flexible choice for various environments.
Socket.io
Socket.IO is an excellent Jetty alternative for real-time web applications. It's designed to enable real-time communication across various browsers and mobile devices, abstracting away different transport mechanisms. This free and open-source platform supports Mac, Windows, Linux, and Web environments, and integrates with JavaScript, C++, and Java, offering features like Broadcasting messages and Real-time capabilities, making it ideal for dynamic interactions.
JBoss
JBoss, a Red Hat product, is a Java EE compliant application server and a strong Jetty alternative for enterprise-grade applications. It's dual-licensed (open source community and commercial) and runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux, offering robust Web Development features. JBoss is particularly suited for large-scale, mission-critical Java applications.
simperium
Simperium offers a unique approach as a Jetty alternative, focusing on data synchronization for developers. It's a freemium service available on Mac and Windows, providing Developer Tools that instantly and automatically move data wherever needed. While not a direct web server, its data handling capabilities can complement certain application architectures.
Pusher
Pusher is a commercial, hosted API that serves as a powerful Jetty alternative for adding scalable real-time functionality to web and mobile apps. It supports Websocket streams and general Web Development, available across Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, Android, iPhone, Android Tablet, and iPad platforms. Pusher is ideal for developers seeking quick and secure real-time features without managing the underlying infrastructure.
Payara Server
Payara Server is an open-source, cloud-native middleware platform that's a robust Jetty alternative for Java EE (Jakarta EE) applications. It's free and open-source, available on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Java, providing features like Backend, Clustering, MicroProfile compatibility, REST API, and Web Server capabilities. Payara Server is designed for reliable and secure deployments on-premise or in the cloud.
DataKernel
DataKernel is a lightweight asynchronous framework offering a compelling Jetty alternative for efficient and scalable web, network, and big data solutions. This free and open-source platform is available on Mac, Windows, and Linux, and leverages Java for its operations. It boasts its own lightning-fast I/O core and DI, making it suitable for high-performance applications and Web Development.
Mako Server
The Mako Server is an application server that presents a unique Jetty alternative, with an API resembling the Java Servlet API but with server-side web applications designed in Lua. It's free for personal use, supporting Mac, Windows, and Linux. Its Portable and Web Development features make it an interesting choice for developers familiar with Lua or seeking a lightweight, embeddable server.
Choosing the best Jetty alternative depends heavily on your project's specific needs, including your preferred programming language, required features, scalability demands, and deployment environment. Explore these options to find the perfect fit that aligns with your development goals and helps you build robust, high-performing web applications.