Roy Tang

Someone on quora asked:

How do I get started to learn java for developing web apps? Do I need to know all of these technologies like servlets, jsp, jsf, spring, struts, etc?

I always recommend learning java web development in the following order:

1. Client-side stuff (If you’re not familiar yet - HTML, JavaScript, CSS)
2. Basic Java usage (no web stuff)
3. Servlets, including request processing and response generation
4. JSP, including EL and tag libraries
5. SQL and basic database usage (If you’re not familiar yet)
6. Database usage in Java (JDBC)

At this point, you understand the basics of building webapps in Java without using any frameworks. It will give you a good base from which to branch out and choose specific frameworks or technologies to try and specialize in. The above is part of the regular training course for new developers in a company I previously worked in, new hires (fresh grads) without Java knowledge can complete the above in two weeks.

I would also recommend the Head First Servlets and JSP book, I’ve found it to be pretty useful