Using JSP as a Host Server

JSP Hosting is a Java-based hosting application that is very similar to Microsoft ASP. By JSP hosting is meant the functionality to operate and administrate Java Server pages. Although Java Server Pages (JSP) has many similarities with Active Server Pages (ASP) of Microsoft, yet there are some variations in the operating conditions of hosting software.

JSP is a server-side language utilizing basic, plain tag-based codes introduced into XML and HTML codes to create dynamic, interactive webpages that are not dependent on any operating system. This implies that if everything else is OK they will be displayed in the same manner on all VDUs irrespective of the operating system. This is the outcome when you bring out your website created with JSP code, on a Java hosting service having JSP support.

JSP facilitates web designers to consolidate their creation of dynamic HTML with the regular static HTML. In many CGI programs, you are required to compose the total website in one particular program; whereas JSP enables you to compose the dynamic features and the static features of your website individually in different programs.

Java hosting inclusive of JSP support is the sensible choice for a web designer who wants to avoid the annoyance of work repetition. Java hosting and particularly JSP hosting will prove to be a productive option for the web designers having a group of professionals.

One of the best features of JSP is that you need not be versed in Java to use the program and it is integrated into software such as Macromedia Dreamweaver MX.

JSP utilizes various simple tags. Given below are some of the fundamental and widely used tags:
•Actions:
<jsp:action> An XML type tag that can do any of a group of operations.
•Directives:
<%@directive%> Instructions processed when the page is composed.
•Declarations:
<%!declaration%> Declare procedures or variables with scope throughout the page.
•Expressions:
<%=expression%> A bit more complicated to explain, expressions create results which are then introduced into the output stream at suitable places.
•Hidden Comments:
<--comment--> Document the page, not sent to the customer.
•Scriptlets:
<%scriptlet%> A segment of code that can access a declared variable and execute it at a specified time.

If you want to install JSP, keep in mind that you should have a hosting service that can provide JSP runtime modules on the host part of your web server so that you can use scripts suitable for the application.