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There are so many Java technologies that it is difficult for me to know where to start. I understand JSP and Servlets. I know what http servers to use. Real basic stuff. What I don't understand is what I do after that?

I don't want to create a bunch of jsp and servlets. That's not very different than what I have.

I need to query various databases. Some are direct hits. Some have webservices I need to consume. I will have to create a login system that hits active directly.

Aren't I supposed to do more to make a "big java" enterprise application?

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  • You would be creating a bunch of jsp and servlets. The MVC model exists for both ASP and Java - the overall architecture is the same. What is different is the language and frameworks.
    – user40980
    Aug 8, 2013 at 16:05
  • @MichaelT Why the heck would I change it then?
    – johnny
    Aug 8, 2013 at 16:11
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    Companies often like to have a linux stack for web facing (often cheaper hosting, better security, command line remote administration...). There a number of reasons that a non-microsoft stack may be prefered and it is rather difficult to deploy asp into such an environment. It could also be to consolidate skill sets in development (it is often better to have 10 java developers than 5 asp and 5 java in a mixed environment).
    – user40980
    Aug 8, 2013 at 16:18
  • @MichaelT: Nowadays you can deploy Mono running ASP.NET over an Apache Server and have the best of both worlds. How well it scales I don't know.
    – Robert Harvey
    Aug 8, 2013 at 17:11
  • @RobertHarvey the question there is trying to presuade the various IT hierachy that one solution is better than another... and that CIO has been reading about the low cost of linux hosting and the maturity of Java and checked out the various prices and availability of companies willing to contract development and support for the different solutions... and he's trying to cut down on the cost of developer machines too (those windows and office licenses keep eating into the budget). Such decisions are often made at the high levels were politics and glossies are more important.
    – user40980
    Aug 8, 2013 at 17:23

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As @MichaelT pointed out, the overall architecture of an ASP.NET and J2EE application are basically the same. J2EE applications don't have to be big huge Java applications, you can whip something up in a few hours that works quite well and can be deployed.

The earlier implementations of J2EE were terrible and clunky and involved loads of XML configuration to wire up components of the application but that isn't the case any more. The canonical J2EE framework is Spring and its associated packages. With Java 1.5+ you can use annotations in lieu of configuration files and other tools and frameworks (e.g. Maven) make dependency management rather simple. I won't go into which tool/framework is better/worse here as (with all other things) they each have their place.

I found this link which provides a decent comparison of ASP.NET and J2EE and basically says they're the same. Which means you will be creating a bunch of JSPs and Servlets, that's what a Java web application is.

In terms of "what design do I follow?" my suggestion is to refactor/redesign your implementation when porting over to Java. Use things such as Spring, Hibernate, etc. if you're not already using the .NET equivalents. It isn't often you get a chance to redevelop a legacy system in a new language - so take the opportunity to improve it.

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