为什么Servlet名称在RequestDispatcher.forward之后保留在url中？

Question

I am making a JSP/Servlet web app which starts with log in page. After user enters log in information, a servlet, called LoginServlet , processes the data and if the log in is successful the servlet redirects user to MainPage.jsp like this:

RequestDispatcher rd = request.getRequestDispatcher("MainPage.jsp");
rd.forward(request,response);

It works. It takes me to MainPage.jsp, only the URL is NOT :

http://localhost:8080/RestauRec/MainPage.jsp

it is :

http://localhost:8080/RestauRec/LoginServlet

It is not an actual problem, but still, I want to know why this is and how can I change this?

Note: I don't know if it matters or not but, in the action attribute of the form element (in the log in page) I place LoginServlet . Like this:

<form action="LoginServlet" method="POST">

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

forward is an action that happens within a single request-response cycle. It uses the forward-to resource to complete the response.

Your browser sends a single request to /someUrl and your server handles it, returning a response.

It is not an actual problem, but still, I want to know why this is and how can I change this?

You'd have to make your client, the browser, send a different request to another URL, possibly because of a redirect.

Answer 2

forward() method won't change the url. sendRedirect() in HttpServletResponse do change the url as well.

response.sendRedirect("MainPage.jsp");  

Remember that a new request gets hit to the container when you do redirect. That means all the previous data vanishes and you'll get a brand new request.