Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Payara Server VS Apache Tomcat

Compare Payara Server VS Apache Tomcat and see what are their differences

Payara Server logo 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 logo Apache Tomcat

An open source software implementation of the Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages technologies
  • Payara Server Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-11-22

Payara Server is an open source, cloud-native middleware platform supporting reliable and secure deployments of Java EE (Jakarta EE) applications on premise, in the cloud or hybrid environments. Originally derived from GlassFish and used as a drop in replacement.

Monthly releases, bug fixes and a 10-year support lifecycle optimizes Payara Server for production deployments. Payara Server is aggressively compatible with common ecosystem components and ensures future compliance with Jakarta EE.

Payara Server is built and supported by a team of DevOps engineers dedicated to continued development and maintenance of the open source software, and committed to collaboration with the community to ensure Payara Server is the best option for production Java EE applications.

  • Apache Tomcat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-24

Payara Server features and specs

  • Open Source
    Payara Server is open source, which means it's free to use and has a community of developers contributing to its development and improvements.
  • Jakarta EE Support
    It supports Jakarta EE, offering developers access to a wide range of enterprise features and a robust platform for building scalable applications.
  • Payara Micro
    Payara Server offers Payara Micro, a lightweight version designed specifically for microservices architectures, making it agile and easily deployable in cloud environments.
  • Commercial Support
    For organizations requiring professional support, Payara Services Ltd offers a range of commercial support options, including 24/7 support and monitoring.
  • Cloud-Ready
    Payara Server is designed to be ready for cloud deployment, offering robust support for Docker, Kubernetes, and other cloud-native tools.

Possible disadvantages of Payara Server

  • Learning Curve
    For new users, there might be a steep learning curve in understanding Jakarta EE specifications and how Payara Server implements these functionalities.
  • Performance Overhead
    It can have higher overhead compared to more lightweight, specialized solutions, especially in cases where full Jakarta EE stack is not required.
  • Limited Niche Community
    While it is actively developed and supported, the community is smaller compared to other enterprise servers like WildFly or Apache Tomcat, potentially leading to fewer resources and community-driven extensions.
  • Version Compatibility
    Some users may face challenges with compatibility when migrating from other application servers, requiring code adjustments to comply with Payara Server's configurations.
  • High Support Costs
    While there's a free open-source version, the costs for commercial support can be high, which might be a consideration for smaller businesses.

Apache Tomcat features and specs

  • Open Source
    Apache Tomcat is an open-source software, which means it is freely available for use and modifications. This can significantly reduce the cost of ownership and allows for customization.
  • Community Support
    Being a widely-used open-source server, Tomcat has a large and active community of developers and users who contribute to its documentation, plugins, and forums, providing extensive support.
  • Lightweight
    Tomcat is designed to be a lightweight servlet container, making it faster and less resource-intensive compared to full-blown Java EE application servers.
  • Integration with Popular Frameworks
    Tomcat integrates well with popular Java frameworks such as Spring and Hibernate, making it easier for developers to deploy and manage web applications.
  • Easy to Set Up and Configure
    Tomcat is relatively easy to set up and configure, making it suitable for both development and production environments.
  • Frequent Updates
    Regular updates and patches are released to improve performance, security, and compatibility, ensuring the server is up-to-date with the latest web technologies.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Tomcat

  • Limited Functionality
    While Tomcat is a powerful servlet container, it lacks some of the advanced features found in full-fledged Java EE application servers, which might be necessary for complex enterprise applications.
  • Resource Management
    Tomcat's default configuration might not be suitable for high traffic web applications, requiring significant tweaking and tuning to handle heavy loads effectively.
  • Documentation Quality
    The documentation, while extensive, can sometimes be hard to navigate and understand, especially for beginners. This can slow down the learning curve.
  • Limited Built-in Tools
    Compared to other full-stack application servers, Tomcat comes with limited built-in tooling for monitoring, load balancing, and clustering, often requiring third-party solutions.
  • Security Concerns
    As with any open-source project, security vulnerabilities may emerge. It requires constant monitoring and timely updates to ensure security.
  • Lack of EJB Support
    Tomcat does not support Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB), limiting its use in scenarios where EJB is a crucial component of the architecture.

Payara Server videos

Payara Server Deployment Group on Docker

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to Deploy an Application to Payara Server

Apache Tomcat videos

Introducing Apache Tomcat 8.5

More videos:

  • Review - Webinar: Introduction to Apache Tomcat 8
  • Review - Tcat - The Leading Enterprise Apache Tomcat Application Server

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Payara Server and Apache Tomcat)
Web And Application Servers
Application Server
11 11%
89% 89
Web Servers
9 9%
91% 91
Java
13 13%
87% 87

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Payara Server and Apache Tomcat

Payara Server Reviews

4 Open Source Application Servers (Comparison and Review)
The Payara Server was derived from GlassFish. It offers 24/7 production and developer support. This server is optimized for production and is secure by default. Payara has implemented its own enhancements and fixes, and has no association with Oracle. Plans are in place to address advanced database capabilities, enhanced diagnostics and more.
Source: shadow-soft.com

Apache Tomcat Reviews

FOSS | Top 15 Web Servers 2021
Java programs are run using Apache Tomcat. To be more precise, it is a Java servlet – a Java software component that expands the functionality of a web server. Apache Tomcat, released under the Apache License version 2, is used by 0.1% of websites worldwide.
Source: www.zentao.pm
4 Open Source Application Servers (Comparison and Review)
Apache Tomcat is an open-source implementation of several Java technologies. It is the result of a collaboration of the finest developers worldwide. You can get involved with the development in a number of ways.
Source: shadow-soft.com
Top 5 open source web servers
Apache Tomcat is an open source Java servlet container that functions as a web server. A Java servlet is a Java program that extends the capabilities of a server. Although servlets can respond to any types of requests, they most commonly implement applications hosted on Web servers. Such web servlets are the Java counterpart to other dynamic web content technologies such as...
Source: opensource.com
Top 10 Open Source Java and JavaEE Application Servers
It is built upon a modular kernel powered by OSGi, and runs straight on top of the Apache Felix implementation. It is also capable of running with Equinox OSGi or Knopflerfish OSGi runtimes. HK2 abstracts the OSGi module system to provide components, which can also be viewed as services and injected into the run time and uses a derivative of Apache Tomcat as the servlet...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Tomcat seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 17 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Payara Server mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Payara Server yet. Tracking of Payara Server recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Apache Tomcat mentions (17)

  • Java News: WildFly 36, Spring Milestones, and Open Liberty Updates
    Versions 11.0.6 and 9.0.104 of Apache Tomcat deliver new features and improvements. The release notes can be found for both versions. - Source: dev.to / 16 days ago
  • Artifactory: Centralizing Artifact Management for DevOps Success
    Download and Install Tomcat Before downloading, confirm the latest Tomcat build package from the official website. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • How to Deploy Applications Using Tomcat on a Web Server
    First, download the latest version of Tomcat from the official Apache Tomcat website. Choose the version that suits your needs, typically the latest stable release. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Spring Boot Monitoring with Open-Source Tools
    Manual instrumentation allows you to define your Spans within the code itself rather than relying on automatic instrumentation finding the entry point for a trace. Manual instrumentation is especially helpful for applications that don’t use an application server such as Tomcat, JBoss, or Jetty. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Issue with chatgpy
    99% is a huge exaggeration. Two essential deployment tools off the top of my head: Https://tomcat.apache.org/ Https://docs.jboss.org/author/display/AS71/Developer%20Guide.html. Source: about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Payara Server and Apache Tomcat, you can also consider the following products

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

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

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

Eclipse Jetty - Jetty is a highly scalable modular servlet engine and http server that natively supports many modern protocols like SPDY and WebSockets.

Apache HTTP Server - Apache httpd has been the most popular web server on the Internet since April 1996