Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Apache Tomcat VS Devilbox

Compare Apache Tomcat VS Devilbox and see what are their differences

Apache Tomcat logo Apache Tomcat

An open source software implementation of the Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages technologies

Devilbox logo Devilbox

Cross-platform, Docker-based alternative to XAMPP.
  • Apache Tomcat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-24
  • Devilbox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-05-04

Apache Tomcat features and specs

  • Open Source
    Apache Tomcat is an open-source software, which means it is freely available for use and modifications. This can significantly reduce the cost of ownership and allows for customization.
  • Community Support
    Being a widely-used open-source server, Tomcat has a large and active community of developers and users who contribute to its documentation, plugins, and forums, providing extensive support.
  • Lightweight
    Tomcat is designed to be a lightweight servlet container, making it faster and less resource-intensive compared to full-blown Java EE application servers.
  • Integration with Popular Frameworks
    Tomcat integrates well with popular Java frameworks such as Spring and Hibernate, making it easier for developers to deploy and manage web applications.
  • Easy to Set Up and Configure
    Tomcat is relatively easy to set up and configure, making it suitable for both development and production environments.
  • Frequent Updates
    Regular updates and patches are released to improve performance, security, and compatibility, ensuring the server is up-to-date with the latest web technologies.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Tomcat

  • Limited Functionality
    While Tomcat is a powerful servlet container, it lacks some of the advanced features found in full-fledged Java EE application servers, which might be necessary for complex enterprise applications.
  • Resource Management
    Tomcat's default configuration might not be suitable for high traffic web applications, requiring significant tweaking and tuning to handle heavy loads effectively.
  • Documentation Quality
    The documentation, while extensive, can sometimes be hard to navigate and understand, especially for beginners. This can slow down the learning curve.
  • Limited Built-in Tools
    Compared to other full-stack application servers, Tomcat comes with limited built-in tooling for monitoring, load balancing, and clustering, often requiring third-party solutions.
  • Security Concerns
    As with any open-source project, security vulnerabilities may emerge. It requires constant monitoring and timely updates to ensure security.
  • Lack of EJB Support
    Tomcat does not support Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB), limiting its use in scenarios where EJB is a crucial component of the architecture.

Devilbox features and specs

  • Versatile Environment
    Devilbox provides a highly flexible and modular LAMP/LEMP stack environment that supports a variety of programming languages and databases, catering to diverse project needs.
  • Dockerized
    Being Docker-based, Devilbox ensures consistency across different environments and makes it easy to set up and tear down development environments without conflicts or contamination.
  • Multi-version Support
    It allows users to switch between different versions of PHP, MySQL, and other components effortlessly, facilitating testing across different system configurations.
  • Comprehensive Toolset
    Includes a wealth of tools and applications such as MailHog for SMTP testing, phpMyAdmin, and more, providing an all-in-one package for web development and testing.
  • Active Community
    Supported by a vibrant community, users can access documentation, tutorials, and forums that can help troubleshoot issues and optimize their setup.

Possible disadvantages of Devilbox

  • Complex Setup
    Initial configuration and understanding of the environment can be daunting for beginners or those unfamiliar with Docker, requiring a learning curve.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running a Docker-based environment with multiple services can be resource-heavy, potentially impacting performance on lower-spec machines.
  • Limited GUI
    While offering comprehensive functionality, Devilbox’s reliance on command-line operations might be less intuitive for users who prefer graphical interfaces.
  • Documentation Gaps
    Despite having extensive documentation, certain advanced configurations might lack detailed guidance, requiring users to seek community support or experiment independently.
  • Dependence on Docker
    As Devilbox relies on Docker, any issues or limitations with Docker can directly impact its functionality and usability, posing dependency concerns for users.

Apache Tomcat videos

Introducing Apache Tomcat 8.5

More videos:

  • Review - Webinar: Introduction to Apache Tomcat 8
  • Review - Tcat - The Leading Enterprise Apache Tomcat Application Server

Devilbox videos

devilbox - setup and workflow

More videos:

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Tomcat and Devilbox)
Web And Application Servers
Application Server
95 95%
5% 5
Web Servers
86 86%
14% 14
Development Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Apache Tomcat and Devilbox

Apache Tomcat Reviews

FOSS | Top 15 Web Servers 2021
Java programs are run using Apache Tomcat. To be more precise, it is a Java servlet – a Java software component that expands the functionality of a web server. Apache Tomcat, released under the Apache License version 2, is used by 0.1% of websites worldwide.
Source: www.zentao.pm
4 Open Source Application Servers (Comparison and Review)
Apache Tomcat is an open-source implementation of several Java technologies. It is the result of a collaboration of the finest developers worldwide. You can get involved with the development in a number of ways.
Source: shadow-soft.com
Top 5 open source web servers
Apache Tomcat is an open source Java servlet container that functions as a web server. A Java servlet is a Java program that extends the capabilities of a server. Although servlets can respond to any types of requests, they most commonly implement applications hosted on Web servers. Such web servlets are the Java counterpart to other dynamic web content technologies such as...
Source: opensource.com
Top 10 Open Source Java and JavaEE Application Servers
It is built upon a modular kernel powered by OSGi, and runs straight on top of the Apache Felix implementation. It is also capable of running with Equinox OSGi or Knopflerfish OSGi runtimes. HK2 abstracts the OSGi module system to provide components, which can also be viewed as services and injected into the run time and uses a derivative of Apache Tomcat as the servlet...

Devilbox Reviews

12 XAMPP Alternatives – Install WordPress On Windows And macOS Laptop
The Devilbox is a modern and highly customisable dockerized PHP stack supporting full LAMP and MEAN and running on all major platforms. The main goal is to easily switch and combine any version required for local development.

Social recommendations and mentions

Apache Tomcat might be a bit more popular than Devilbox. We know about 17 links to it since March 2021 and only 16 links to Devilbox. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Apache Tomcat mentions (17)

  • Java News: WildFly 36, Spring Milestones, and Open Liberty Updates
    Versions 11.0.6 and 9.0.104 of Apache Tomcat deliver new features and improvements. The release notes can be found for both versions. - Source: dev.to / 30 days ago
  • Artifactory: Centralizing Artifact Management for DevOps Success
    Download and Install Tomcat Before downloading, confirm the latest Tomcat build package from the official website. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • How to Deploy Applications Using Tomcat on a Web Server
    First, download the latest version of Tomcat from the official Apache Tomcat website. Choose the version that suits your needs, typically the latest stable release. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • Spring Boot Monitoring with Open-Source Tools
    Manual instrumentation allows you to define your Spans within the code itself rather than relying on automatic instrumentation finding the entry point for a trace. Manual instrumentation is especially helpful for applications that don’t use an application server such as Tomcat, JBoss, or Jetty. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Issue with chatgpy
    99% is a huge exaggeration. Two essential deployment tools off the top of my head: Https://tomcat.apache.org/ Https://docs.jboss.org/author/display/AS71/Developer%20Guide.html. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

Devilbox mentions (16)

  • What are currently the best, simplest and/or cheapest MAMP and WAMP stacks in 2023?
    Https://devilbox.org if you're ok with the command line. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • devs, how do you run a test web server?
    Use http://devilbox.org/ Comes out of the box ready and is close to your prod env then (php version, ..). Source: about 2 years ago
  • delboy1978uk/lamp v1.5.1 released. A docker LAMP stack comprising of an Apache webserver with self-signed cert, PHP 8.1 with Xdebug, Mariadb, and Mailhog. Comes with CLI scripts to simplify docker usage. Please have a play with it! :-D
    When we have giants like ddev and devilbox in our midst it's surprising to still see these pop-up. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Magento 2.4.5 Docker Setup
    Try devilbox, it works great, have everything you need for development, and kept updated: http://devilbox.org/. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Status of xampp in webdevelopment
    Try Devilbox, it's a good Docker-based alternative for XAMPP. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Tomcat and Devilbox, you can also consider the following products

Microsoft IIS - Internet Information Services is a web server for Microsoft Windows

XAMPP - XAMPP is a free and open-source cross-platform web server that is primarily used when locally developing web applications.

LiteSpeed Web Server - LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) is a high-performance Apache drop-in replacement.

Laragon - All in one web server.

Apache HTTP Server - Apache httpd has been the most popular web server on the Internet since April 1996

MAMP - MAMP is the abbreviation for Macintosh, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. It is a reliable application with its four components that allows you to access the local PHP server as well as the database server (SQL).