I need to get a few things cleared up. I have been looking for an answer for this one, but I can't seem to find a good answer to my specific questions (eg. this question was nibbling on the answer: Difference between servlet and web service).

To my understanding, there are different ways you can implement the "request handling", aka "Controller", in an "MVC oriented" web application, two of them being:

  1. A Java specific Servlet (ie. one you create by clicking new -> Servlet, in eclipse for example), used as a "Controller". This one extends HttpServlet and you use methods like doGet and doPost etc.
  2. A Spring MVC annotated @Controller class (yes, using a DispatcherServlet). With this one you use the @RequestMethod GET/POST etc.

Now to my questions...

  • When do you use one or the other?
  • Are there any general advantages to use one method over the other? (Like, is one method recommended over the other in general?)

[EDIT]: Emphasized keywords

java spring model-view-controller
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