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Servlet Life Cycle

The life cycle of a Servlet refers to the stages that a Servlet goes through from its initialization to its destruction. The life cycle of a Servlet can be divided into four stages:

  • Initialization: This is the first stage in the life cycle of a Servlet. During this stage, the Servlet is loaded into memory and its init() method is called. The init() method is used to perform any initialization tasks that the Servlet requires before it can process requests. For example, a Servlet might need to set up a database connection pool or read configuration parameters from a file. Here's an example of an init() method:
java
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public void init(ServletConfig config) throws ServletException {
    // Perform initialization tasks here
    // For example, set up a database connection pool
}
  • Service: This is the second stage in the life cycle of a Servlet. During this stage, the Servlet processes client requests by calling its service() method. The service() method takes two parameters: a request object and a response object. The request object contains information about the client's request, while the response object is used to send a response back to the client. Here's an example of a service() method:
java
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public void service(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
    // Process the client request here
    // For example, retrieve data from a database and send it back to the client
}
  • Destruction: This is the third stage in the life cycle of a Servlet. During this stage, the Servlet is removed from memory and its destroy() method is called. The destroy() method is used to perform any cleanup tasks that the Servlet requires before it is destroyed. For example, a Servlet might need to close any database connections or release any other resources that it has allocated. Here's an example of a destroy() method:
csharp
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public void destroy() {
    // Perform cleanup tasks here
    // For example, close any database connections
}
  • Finalization: This is the final stage in the life cycle of a Servlet. During this stage, the Servlet is garbage collected by the JVM. This stage is not controllable by the Servlet itself and is handled by the JVM.


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