Java Server Faces(JSF) - Overview

JavaServer Faces is based on Specification Request JSR 127 released on 2004. Main purpose of it is to create a collection of APIs for the UI components managing their state together with event handling and validation. Custom tags allow it to be integrated into JSP pages.

As long as JavaServer Faces technology was developed under the Java Community Process it is a vendor independent technology representing a standard to be supported by whole software world. Main reason for it was to create one technology able to fit web-designers and component developers requirements into an easy-to-use way.

What is JSF?

JavaServer Faces (JSF) is a new standard Java framework for building Web applications. It simplifies development by providing a component-centric approach to developing Java Web user interfaces. JavaServer Faces also appeals to a diverse audience of Java/Web developers. "Corporate developers" and Web designers will find that JSF development can be as simple as dragging and dropping user interface (UI) components onto a page, while "systems developers" will find that the rich and robust JSF API offers them unsurpassed power and programming flexibility. JSF also ensures that applications are well designed with greater maintainability by integrating the well established Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern into it's architecture. Finally, since JSF is a Java standard developed through Java Community Process (JCP), development tools vendors are fully empowered to provide easy to use, visual, and productive develop environments for JavaServer Faces.

JSF Architecture