Chapter 13. Rapid web development

 

This chapter covers

  • Why Java isn’t ideal for rapid web development
  • Criteria to use when choosing a web framework
  • Comparing JVM based web frameworks
  • Introducing Grails (with Groovy)
  • Introducing Compojure (with Clojure)

Rapid web development matters. A lot. A huge number of websites and applications driven by web technology dominate commercial and social activities across the globe. Businesses (especially startups) live and die by their capability to get a new product or feature rapidly into a competitive market. End users now expect near-instant turnaround of new features and rapid fixes for any bugs they discover. The modern user is less patient than ever before.

Unfortunately a vast majority of Java-based web frameworks aren’t good at supporting rapid web development, and organizations have turned to technologies such as PHP and Rails to stay competitive.

So where does this leave you as a well-grounded Java developer? With the recent advancement of dynamic layer languages on the JVM, you now have some fantastic rapid web development options. There are now frameworks, such as Grails (Groovy) and Compojure (Clojure) that can provide you with the rapid web development capabilities that you need. This means you don’t have to throw away the power and flexibility of the JVM, and you no longer have to spend hours of overtime to try to compete with technologies such as PHP and Rails.

13.1. The problem with Java-based web frameworks

13.2. Criteria in selecting a web framework

13.3. Getting started with Grails

13.4. Grails quick-start project

13.5. Further Grails exploration

13.6. Getting started with Compojure

13.7. A sample Compojure project—“Am I an Otter or Not?”

13.8. Summary