Java – Using Sqlite JDBC Driver in a Gradle Java Project

This is really linked to HotSpot and the default option values (Java HotSpot VM Options) which differ between client and server configuration.

From Chapter 2 of the whitepaper (The Java HotSpot Performance Engine Architecture):

The JDK includes two flavors of the VM -- a client-side offering, and a VM tuned for server applications. These two solutions share the Java HotSpot runtime environment code base, but use different compilers that are suited to the distinctly unique performance characteristics of clients and servers. These differences include the compilation inlining policy and heap defaults.

Although the Server and the Client VMs are similar, the Server VM has been specially tuned to maximize peak operating speed. It is intended for executing long-running server applications, which need the fastest possible operating speed more than a fast start-up time or smaller runtime memory footprint.

The Client VM compiler serves as an upgrade for both the Classic VM and the just-in-time (JIT) compilers used by previous versions of the JDK. The Client VM offers improved run time performance for applications and applets. The Java HotSpot Client VM has been specially tuned to reduce application start-up time and memory footprint, making it particularly well suited for client environments. In general, the client system is better for GUIs.

So the real difference is also on the compiler level:

The Client VM compiler does not try to execute many of the more complex optimizations performed by the compiler in the Server VM, but in exchange, it requires less time to analyze and compile a piece of code. This means the Client VM can start up faster and requires a smaller memory footprint.

The Server VM contains an advanced adaptive compiler that supports many of the same types of optimizations performed by optimizing C++ compilers, as well as some optimizations that cannot be done by traditional compilers, such as aggressive inlining across virtual method invocations. This is a competitive and performance advantage over static compilers. Adaptive optimization technology is very flexible in its approach, and typically outperforms even advanced static analysis and compilation techniques.

Note: The release of jdk6 update 10 (see Update Release Notes:Changes in 1.6.0_10) tried to improve startup time, but for a different reason than the hotspot options, being packaged differently with a much smaller kernel.

G. Demecki points out in the comments that in 64-bit versions of JDK, the -client option is ignored for many years.
See Windows java command:

-client

Selects the Java HotSpot Client VM.
A 64-bit capable JDK currently ignores this option and instead uses the Java Hotspot Server VM.

The use of scriptlets (those <% %> things) in JSP is indeed highly discouraged since the birth of taglibs (like JSTL) and EL (Expression Language, those ${} things) way back in 2001.

The major disadvantages of scriptlets are:

1. Reusability: you can't reuse scriptlets.
2. Replaceability: you can't make scriptlets abstract.
3. OO-ability: you can't make use of inheritance/composition.
4. Debuggability: if scriptlet throws an exception halfway, all you get is a blank page.
5. Testability: scriptlets are not unit-testable.
6. Maintainability: per saldo more time is needed to maintain mingled/cluttered/duplicated code logic.

Sun Oracle itself also recommends in the JSP coding conventions to avoid use of scriptlets whenever the same functionality is possible by (tag) classes. Here are several cites of relevance:

From JSP 1.2 Specification, it is highly recommended that the JSP Standard Tag Library (JSTL) be used in your web application to help reduce the need for JSP scriptlets in your pages. Pages that use JSTL are, in general, easier to read and maintain.

...

Where possible, avoid JSP scriptlets whenever tag libraries provide equivalent functionality. This makes pages easier to read and maintain, helps to separate business logic from presentation logic, and will make your pages easier to evolve into JSP 2.0-style pages (JSP 2.0 Specification supports but de-emphasizes the use of scriptlets).

...

In the spirit of adopting the model-view-controller (MVC) design pattern to reduce coupling between the presentation tier from the business logic, JSP scriptlets should not be used for writing business logic. Rather, JSP scriptlets are used if necessary to transform data (also called "value objects") returned from processing the client's requests into a proper client-ready format. Even then, this would be better done with a front controller servlet or a custom tag.

How to replace scriptlets entirely depends on the sole purpose of the code/logic. More than often this code is to be placed in a fullworthy Java class:

• If you want to invoke the same Java code on every request, less-or-more regardless of the requested page, e.g. checking if a user is logged in, then implement a filter and write code accordingly in doFilter() method. E.g.:

    public void doFilter(ServletRequest request, ServletResponse response, FilterChain chain) throws ServletException, IOException {
        if (((HttpServletRequest) request).getSession().getAttribute("user") == null) {
            ((HttpServletResponse) response).sendRedirect("login"); // Not logged in, redirect to login page.
        } else {
            chain.doFilter(request, response); // Logged in, just continue request.
        }
    }
  

  When mapped on an appropriate <url-pattern> covering the JSP pages of interest, then you don't need to copypaste the same piece of code overall JSP pages.

  ---

• If you want to invoke some Java code to process a GET request, e.g. preloading some list from a database to display in some table, if necessary based on some query parameters, then implement a servlet and write code accordingly in doGet() method. E.g.:

    protected void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
        try {
            List<Product> products = productService.list(); // Obtain all products.
            request.setAttribute("products", products); // Store products in request scope.
            request.getRequestDispatcher("/WEB-INF/products.jsp").forward(request, response); // Forward to JSP page to display them in a HTML table.
        } catch (SQLException e) {
            throw new ServletException("Retrieving products failed!", e);
        }
    }
  

  This way dealing with exceptions is easier. The DB is not accessed in the midst of JSP rendering, but far before the JSP is been displayed. You still have the possibility to change the response whenever the DB access throws an exception. In the above example, the default error 500 page will be displayed which you can anyway customize by an <error-page> in web.xml.

  ---

• If you want to invoke some Java code to process a POST request, such as gathering data from a submitted HTML form and doing some business stuff with it (conversion, validation, saving in DB, etcetera), then implement a servlet and write code accordingly in doPost() method. E.g.:

    protected void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
        String username = request.getParameter("username");
        String password = request.getParameter("password");
        User user = userService.find(username, password);
  
        if (user != null) {
            request.getSession().setAttribute("user", user); // Login user.
            response.sendRedirect("home"); // Redirect to home page.
        } else {
            request.setAttribute("message", "Unknown username/password. Please retry."); // Store error message in request scope.
            request.getRequestDispatcher("/WEB-INF/login.jsp").forward(request, response); // Forward to JSP page to redisplay login form with error.
        }
    }
  

  This way dealing with different result page destinations is easier: redisplaying the form with validation errors in case of an error (in this particular example you can redisplay it using ${message} in EL), or just taking to the desired target page in case of success.

  ---

• If you want to invoke some Java code to control the execution plan and/or the destination of the request and the response, then implement a servlet according to the MVC's Front Controller Pattern. E.g.:

    protected void service(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
        try {
            Action action = ActionFactory.getAction(request);
            String view = action.execute(request, response);
  
            if (view.equals(request.getPathInfo().substring(1)) {
                request.getRequestDispatcher("/WEB-INF/" + view + ".jsp").forward(request, response);
            } else {
                response.sendRedirect(view);
            }
        } catch (Exception e) {
            throw new ServletException("Executing action failed.", e);
        }
    }
  

  Or just adopt an MVC framework like JSF, Spring MVC, Wicket, etc so that you end up with just a JSP/Facelets page and a JavaBean class without the need for a custom servlet.

  ---

• If you want to invoke some Java code to control the flow inside a JSP page, then you need to grab an (existing) flow control taglib like JSTL core. E.g. displaying List<Product> in a table:

    <%@ taglib uri="http://java.sun.com/jsp/jstl/core" prefix="c" %>
    ...
    <table>
        <c:forEach items="${products}" var="product">
            <tr>
                <td>${product.name}</td>
                <td>${product.description}</td>
                <td>${product.price}</td>
            </tr>
        </c:forEach>
    </table>
  

  With XML-style tags which fit nicely among all that HTML, the code is better readable (and thus better maintainable) than a bunch of scriptlets with various opening and closing braces ("Where the heck does this closing brace belong to?"). An easy aid is to configure your web application to throw an exception whenever scriptlets are still been used by adding the following piece to web.xml:

    <jsp-config>
        <jsp-property-group>
            <url-pattern>*.jsp</url-pattern>
            <scripting-invalid>true</scripting-invalid>
        </jsp-property-group>
    </jsp-config>
  

  In Facelets, the successor of JSP, which is part of the Java EE provided MVC framework JSF, it is already not possible to use scriptlets. This way you're automatically forced to do things "the right way".

  ---

• If you want to invoke some Java code to access and display "backend" data inside a JSP page, then you need to use EL (Expression Language), those ${} things. E.g. redisplaying submitted input values:

    <input type="text" name="foo" value="${param.foo}" />
  

  The ${param.foo} displays the outcome of request.getParameter("foo").

  ---

• If you want to invoke some utility Java code directly in the JSP page (typically public static methods), then you need to define them as EL functions. There's a standard functions taglib in JSTL, but you can also easily create functions yourself. Here's an example how JSTL fn:escapeXml is useful to prevent XSS attacks.

    <%@ taglib uri="http://java.sun.com/jsp/jstl/functions" prefix="fn" %>
    ...
    <input type="text" name="foo" value="${fn:escapeXml(param.foo)}" />
  

  Note that the XSS sensitivity is in no way specifically related to Java/JSP/JSTL/EL/whatever, this problem needs to be taken into account in every web application you develop. The problem of scriptlets is that it provides no way of builtin preventions, at least not using the standard Java API. JSP's successor Facelets has already implicit HTML escaping, so you don't need to worry about XSS holes in Facelets.

See also:

• What's the difference between JSP, Servlet and JSF?
• How does Servlet, ServletContext, HttpSession and HttpServletRequest/Response work?
• Basic MVC example with JSP, Servlet and JDBC
• Design patterns in Java web applications
• Hidden features of JSP/Servlet