JSP versus ASP

JSP and ASP deliver similar functionality. They both use tags to allow embedded code in an HTML page, session tracking, and database connection. Some of the trivial differences are:


ASP pages are written in VBScript and JSP pages are written in the Java programming language. Therefore, JSP pages are platform-independent and ASP pages are not. JSP pages use JavaBeans technology as the component architecture and ASP pages use ActiveX components. Beyond these trivial differences, there are a number of important differences that may help you in choosing a technology for your organization:


Speed and Scalability: Although ASP pages are cached, they are always interpreted. By contrast, JSP pages are compiled into Java servlets and loaded into memory the first time they are called, and executed for all subsequent calls. This gives JSP pages aspeed and scalability advantage over ASP pages.


Extensible Tags: JSP pages have an advanced feature known as extensible tags. This mechanism enables developers to create custom tags. In other words, extensible tags allow you to extend the JSP pages tag syntax. You cannot do this with ASP pages.


Freedom of Choice: Unless you install Chili!Soft ASP, ASP pages work only with Microsoft IIS and Personal Web Server. Using ASP pages requires a commitment to Microsoft products, while JSP pages do not tie you to any specific web server or operating system. JSP pages are becoming a widely supported standard.