Shared-nothing Java web application frameworks

Question

Most Java web application frameworks use server-side session objects to store session state. Because this complicates scaling, I'm looking at frameworks that implement a shared-nothing architecture, e.g. the Play! Framework and Apache Click. What other frameworks should I add to this list?

Answer 1

GWT framework - you write full AJAX application, so you can store everything you need on client side and to server send only authorization tokens (which could be stored in memory singleton or in database for verification).

Any javascript solution for client side, where you can do the same. On client side you can use Spring MVC just for implementing business methods and allowing them via REST channels (JSON as data transfer protocol is the preferred option).

Answer 2

Take any of MVC frameworks, just don't use sessions. It's dead simple: most of them do not use session by themselves, it is you who decide whether to put anything into a session.

Answer 3

Play framework should provide everything you need as it was designed with stateless principles. As mentioned other framework could do the trick but play is a full stack and geared for rapid development (probably the equivalent of ruby on rails for java). You can easily and quickly develop fully fledged web application with user authentication and authorisation. I would strongly advice to go through the tutorial. Java development has never been so productive and fun!

Answer 4

Restlet (2.1) has a CookieAuthenticator that handles authentication without reliance on server-side sessions, so that's another framework that can be added to the list.