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Glassfish VS Eclipse Jetty

Compare Glassfish VS Eclipse Jetty and see what are their differences

Glassfish logo Glassfish

GlassFish v3, built by the GlassFish community, is the first compatible implementation of the Java...

Eclipse Jetty logo Eclipse Jetty

Jetty is a highly scalable modular servlet engine and http server that natively supports many modern protocols like SPDY and WebSockets.
  • Glassfish Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-26
  • Eclipse Jetty Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-19

Glassfish features and specs

  • Open Source
    GlassFish is open-source, allowing developers to access and modify its source code. This promotes collaboration and continuous improvement by the community.
  • Enterprise Features
    It offers a range of enterprise-level features such as EJB, JPA, JMS, and web services, making it suitable for building complex applications.
  • Java EE Reference Implementation
    GlassFish is the reference implementation of Jakarta EE (formerly Java EE), ensuring adherence to standards and compatibility with other Java EE technologies.
  • Modular Architecture
    Using OSGi modules, GlassFish allows for a high degree of customization and the ability to deploy only necessary components, enhancing performance.
  • Admin Console
    It features an intuitive and user-friendly administrative console, simplifying the management of server instances and deployed applications.

Possible disadvantages of Glassfish

  • Performance Overhead
    Compared to other application servers, GlassFish might encounter performance issues under heavy load due to its extensive feature set.
  • Complex Configuration
    Configuring GlassFish can be complex and time-consuming, especially for beginners, due to its numerous configurable options.
  • Lower Adoption Rate
    It has a smaller user base compared to other application servers like Apache Tomcat or WildFly, potentially leading to less community support.
  • Limited Commercial Support
    While there is commercial support available, it is limited compared to other leading application servers, which might deter enterprise users seeking robust support options.
  • Resource Intensive
    GlassFish can be resource-intensive, requiring significant memory and processing power, which may not be ideal for smaller deployments.

Eclipse Jetty features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Jetty has a small memory footprint and is designed to be lightweight, making it suitable for resource-constrained environments.
  • Embeddable
    Jetty can be embedded directly into applications, providing greater flexibility and allowing developers to manage the server from within their applications.
  • Scalable
    Jetty is capable of handling a large number of simultaneous connections, making it ideal for applications that require high concurrency and scalability.
  • Active Development
    Jetty is actively maintained and continuously updated, ensuring that it keeps up with the latest standards and security practices.
  • Support for WebSockets and HTTP/2
    Jetty includes built-in support for modern web protocols like WebSockets and HTTP/2, which can enhance performance and provide additional functionality.
  • Modular Architecture
    Jetty’s modular architecture allows developers to include only the needed components, further optimizing resource usage and performance.
  • Good Documentation
    Jetty offers comprehensive documentation and examples, making it easier for developers to get started and troubleshoot issues.

Possible disadvantages of Eclipse Jetty

  • Learning Curve
    Because of its numerous features and configuration options, Jetty may have a steeper learning curve for newcomers compared to simpler server options.
  • Community Support
    While Jetty has a passionate user base, its community support may not be as extensive as more widely adopted solutions like Apache Tomcat.
  • Default Configuration
    Jetty’s default settings may not always be optimal for all use cases, requiring developers to spend additional time tweaking configurations for specific needs.
  • Limited Commercial Support
    Jetty has fewer commercial support options available compared to some other enterprise-level servers, which may be a concern for larger organizations.
  • Complexity for Small Projects
    For small or less complex projects, Jetty's feature set and capabilities may be overkill, leading to unnecessary complexity and overhead.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Glassfish and Eclipse Jetty)
Web And Application Servers
Application Server
18 18%
82% 82
Web Servers
12 12%
88% 88
Java
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Glassfish and Eclipse Jetty

Glassfish Reviews

4 Open Source Application Servers (Comparison and Review)
There is no cost associated with downloading Glassfish software. There is product documentation available online. In addition, there are a number of resources available including forums and a product wiki.
Source: shadow-soft.com
Top 10 Open Source Java and JavaEE Application Servers
GlassFish is often considered as the reference implementation of Java EE and so supports Enterprise JavaBeans (a managed, server-side component architecture for modular construction of enterprise applications), JPA (Java Persistence API ), JavaServer Faces, JMS (Java Message Service), RMI (Java Remote Method Invocation), JavaServer Pages, servlets and more. Glassfish allows...

Eclipse Jetty Reviews

Top 10 Open Source Java and JavaEE Application Servers
JOnAS provides a fully compliant EJB container through EasyBeans and is available with an embedded Tomcat or Jetty web container which is 1.6 JVM supported, and can run on numerous operating systems including Linux, Windows, AIX, and many Posix platforms.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Glassfish and Eclipse Jetty, you can also consider the following products

Payara Server - Payara Server is a fully supported, developer-friendly, open source application server. Innovative, cloud-native, optimized for production deployments. Jakarta EE & MicroProfile compatible.

Apache Tomcat - An open source software implementation of the Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages technologies

JBoss - JBoss is Red Hats Java EE 5-compliant (soon Java EE 6-compliant) application server.

Microsoft IIS - Internet Information Services is a web server for Microsoft Windows

LiteSpeed Web Server - LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) is a high-performance Apache drop-in replacement.

Oracle WebLogic - Receive a complimentary technical review and consultation on moving your Oracle WebLogic Server applications into containers.