The following article explains When should we Prefer Servlets over JSP.
While JavaServer Pages (JSP) can make it easier to develop dynamic web applications, there are certain situations where it may be more appropriate to use Java Servlets instead. The following list shows some situations where you might prefer Servlets over JSP:
- When you need greater control over the HTML output. JSPs allow developers to embed Java code within HTML pages, which can be convenient for generating dynamic content. However, if you need more fine-grained control over the HTML output, Servlets may be a better choice.
- When you need to generate non-HTML content. JSPs are primarily designed to generate HTML content, but if you need to generate non-HTML content, such as binary data or XML, Servlets may be a better choice.
- When you need to perform complex business logic. JSPs are designed to be simple and easy to use, but if you need to perform complex business logic, such as database access or complex calculations, Servlets may be a better choice.
- When you need better performance. Servlets are generally faster and more efficient than JSPs because they are compiled into Java bytecode at runtime, while JSPs are compiled into Java servlets before they can be executed.
- When you need better maintainability. Servlets are generally considered to be easier to maintain than JSPs because they are pure Java code, which makes them easier to understand and modify.
In summary, if you need greater control over the HTML output, need to generate non-HTML content, need to perform complex business logic, require better performance or maintainability, then Servlets may be a better choice than JSPs. However, if you are primarily generating HTML content and do not require fine-grained control over the output, JSPs may be a better choice.