Do I need an applicationserver for Java WebSocketServer

Question

I am completely new to java and now I need your help.

The different between JavaSE and JavaEE is clear to me. But why do I need for JavaEE coding an application server. Or lets say, I try to code a websocket server in java and i did it with this tutorial: http://www.oracle.com/webfolder/technetwork/tutorials/obe/java/HomeWebsocket/WebsocketHome.html

But do I need an application server like in this case glassfish???

Answer 1

Java EE is the specification , and Glassfish is Oracle's implementation of Java EE. Glassfish can run the byte code that is generated from compiling your source code. You must have some implementation of Java EE in order to actually run the code that you write using Java EE. An alternative server for WebSocket capabilities is Tomcat from Apache.

It's similar to how a JRE is an implementation of Java SE. You must have a JRE in order to run the code that you write using the Java SE specification.