Murach's Java Servlets and JSP by Andrea Steelman, Joel Murach

[Book Review Team]

Author/s   : Andrea Steelman, Joel Murach
Publisher   : Mike Murach & Associates
Category   : Servlets, JSP and Tag Libraries
Review by : Thomas Paul
Rating       : 9 horseshoes
Edition      : 1st
If you are looking for a book that is going to teach you Servlets and JSP in a very easy way with a lot of hand holding then you are looking for this book. The authors make the assumption that the reader knows the basics of Java but has absolutely no knowledge of internet programming.

The authors start by guiding the reader through the process of installing Tomcat (all the samples use Tomcat as the servlet engine) and creating a simple HTML page before they introduce you to Servlets and JSP. Servlets and JSP are covered separately and then working together in the Model 2 architecture. The one thing missing from this section is any mention of Struts or other MVC frameworks. Advanced topics such as using SSL and restricting access to a web site are covered very well and in a way that makes it easy to follow and understand. The authors even show how to write your own tag libraries. Unfortunately, no mention is made of JSTL. The authors show how to install and use MySQL and how to code SQL before moving on to explain using JDBC in a web application. The book ends with a complete sample application of an online store including secure credit card handling.

This is an excellent tutorial that will painlessly teach you how to write complex web applications. I doubt that there is another book available that makes the subject this easy to understand.


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[Book Review Team]

Category   : Servlets, JSP and Tag Libraries
Review by : Christophe Verre
Rating       : 9 horseshoes
Edition      : 2nd
"Murach's Java Servlets and JSPs" covers a broad range of web development related topics such as servlets and JSP. It uses a two-page layout, with theory on the left page, and examples, figures, code, summary on the right page.

The book starts with a step-by-step installation of Tomcat 6, Netbeans and MySql, following with instructions on how to use each of them. Then starts the journey to web application development: Servlets, JSP, EL, JSTL, custom tags, filters, listeners. From scriptlets to the Expression Language, from MVC Model 1 to Model 2, using database, JavaMail, dealing with security, everything is clearly written and logically explained. I found that the chapter on custom tags could have been more polished, and a chapter on Tag Files would have been welcome too.

The icing on the cake is all the hands-on exercises. Each chapter concludes with a summary, and practical exercises. I strongly recommend downloading the sample applications and going through each exercise carefully, as it will certainly improve your learning experience. Moreover, the last section introduces a music store application to put all the freshly assimilated knowledge into practice.

This book is mainly aimed at beginners, but it is still a great refresher for experienced users. It is very practical, and will make Servlets and JSP fun to learn. It is so enjoyable that you'll finish reading it in no time. I wish I had such a book when I started developing web applications. Highly recommended.


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[ February 27, 2008: Message edited by: Book Review Team ]

[David O'Meara]

I'm reading this at the moment, and I agree. I'll drop my own review once I'm done, but I'm pretty happy so far

[Ed Carrington]

The First edition is the best JSP/Servlet book in my opinion. I didnt know there was a new edition. I assume it focuses more on Java 6 and Tomcat 6?
What else is extra from the first edition?

[Christophe Verré]

I assume it focuses more on Java 6 and Tomcat 6?

Actually, no. It uses Java 6 and Tomcat 6, but it doesn't use anything specific to it. I don't have the first edition, so I can't tell what's new, but you can check what's new and what's not here.

[Raghavan Muthu]

It is really an excellent book. I got a chance to go through the sample chapters the authors had provided for their previous edition. The review comments given by the Review Team is excellent and 100% true.

I will vouch for the simplicity and excellence of the book!

Thank you Murach and Andrea Steelman for such an wonderful book

[Book Review Team]

Review by : David O'Meara
Rating       : 10 horseshoes
The previous version of "Murach's Servlets and JSPs" was a good book, and this one is too.

The book is described for use as "Training and reference", and while books tend to be good for one purpose or the other I found this one did manage to accomplish both objectives. The information is presented in small, distinct and incremental sections, and each block of code is clear and concise. It also contains all of the important information required to get a good start developing Servlets. I also found the same layout worked well when accessing the information as a reference.

It was very amusing that the book managed to get through four whole chapters before addressing Servlets or JSPs in detail, but given that many people leap into Servlets while their other technical skills are still growing, this prelude will be valuable to many beginners. These chapters are spent introducing web programming with Java, setting up Tomcat and the Netbeans IDE, and a one chapter crash course in HTML.

All of the required topics are covered elegantly, and enough room is left over to provide the same level of coverage for the next level of knowledge such as SSL, JavaMail, connecting to databases, container managed security and even some raw HTTP.

While I would not usually consider 10 horseshoes for a programming resource, this one is less likely to be read and forgotten, and should be of use for the first few years of Servlet programming for the novice. Therefore it is easy to recommend adding this one to your bookshelf.


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[David O'Meara]

I was expecting a good book on Servlets and JSPs, but even given these expectations I was impressed with the book.

[Raghavan Muthu]

Yes, that's true. An excellent review DOM and you are absolutely right! :cheers:

[Book Review Team]

Review by : Mohamed Sanaulla
Rating        : 10 horseshoes

Murach's Java Servlets and JSP is the ONLY book you need to learn Web App Development in Java using JSP and Servlets. The book covers all the concepts required you to build a complete Web application in Java. You will find topics covering:
- UI Development using HTML, Javascript
- Building Servlets for handling requests.
- Using JSP to create UI templates
- Building Data access layer to communicate with DB.

Its a completely hands on guide and just mere reading will be of no help. The book also covers concepts and techniques related to secure programming and also some advanced concepts in servlets.

Few among numerous salient features:
Completely hands on guide
Highly suitable for people who are familiar with Java language
Focuses on best practices where ever relevant. For example in the chapters which explains about JSP there is a guideline not to mix java code with JSP and instead make use of JSP Template Library.
Lot of reusable code snippets - useful if someone is looking to implement a subset of the feature explained.

I would highly recommend this book to -
"Any developer familiar with Java programming language looking to learn Web application development using Servlets and JSP".

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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for writing this review on behalf of CodeRanch.

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[Jarno Virta]

I agree with the reviews here. I started my foray into java web app development by reading this book and it served me very well. I'm now using Spring framework for mvc and security and I did some database stuff with it too, but just starting with the building blocks in this book was a good way to take it one step at a time. The book is excellent for its hands on approach. I like the fact that Murach's books seem to all be written so that they always add one next step and then show examples. Everything is so much clearer that way. Highly recommendable for someone getting into java web development.