application-server

We use Tomcat to host our WAR based applications. We are servlet container compliant J2EE applications with the exception of org.apache.catalina.authenticator.SingleSignOn. We are being asked to move to a commercial Java EE application server. The first downside to changing that I see is the cost. No matter what the charges for the application server, Tomcat is free. Second is the complexity. We don't use either EJB nor EAR features (of course not, we can't), and have not missed them. What then are the benefits I'm not seeing? What are the drawbacks that I haven't mentioned? Mentioned were...

I am trying to understand the difference between a full fledged application server (e.g. Weblogic, JBoss etc.) and a servlet container (Tomcat, Jetty etc.). How do they differ and when to use which? Thanks, Bozho A servlet-container supports only the servlet API (including JSP, JSTL). An application server supports the whole JavaEE - EJB, JMS, CDI, JTA, the servlet API (including JSP, JSTL), etc. It is possible to run most of the JavaEE technologies on a servlet-container, but you have to install a standalone implementation of the particular technology. Broadly speaking, a servlet container