Servlets are Java programmes that extend the capabilities of servers.

Depending on context, the term can be used to refer to an API that provides different interfaces and classes, an interface implemented when creating servlets, or a class.

Servlets can be used by servers to respond to particular types of network request.

They are commonly used to respond to HTTP requests, although they could be used to communicate over any client-server protocol.

How can you use a Servlet?

A web container is necessary to run a Servlet, these are a component of a web server that interacts with Java Servlets.

In this relationship, the web container is responsible for managing the lifecycle of Servlets.

Pavni Diwanji is credited with the creation of the Servlet1 specification, which she created while she worked at Sun Microsystems. A finalised 1.0 version was created in June 1997.

Since version 2.3, the specification was developed under the Java Community Process, which is a formalised mechanism that allows parties to develop standard technical specifications for Java technology.