Scroll down for more about Apache Struts, the Apache Struts project, and Struts for Newbies
The latest production release of Struts 2 is Struts 2.1.8.1, which was promoted to "General Availability" (or "Ready for Primetime") on 16 Nov 2009.
The latest production release of Struts 1 is Struts 1.3.10, which was promoted to "General Availability" (or "Ready for Primetime") on 04 Dec 2008.
The latest release of Struts 2 is Struts 2.0.14, which was promoted to "General Availability" on 24 November 2008.
For changes included in Struts 2.0.14, see the release notes. Struts 2.0.14 is a bugfix release for version 2.0.12, which provided important security fixes. Struts 2.0.14 addresses two major bugs introduced with these security fixes, keeping the FilterDispatcher from serving built in static resources, and keeping conversion error messages from being displayed. All developers are strongly encouraged to update existing Struts 2 applications to Struts 2.0.14.
Apache Struts is a free open-source framework for creating Java web applications.
Web applications differ from conventional websites in that web applications can create a dynamic response. Many websites deliver only static pages. A web application can interact with databases and business logic engines to customize a response.
Web applications based on JavaServer Pages sometimes commingle database code, page design code, and control flow code. In practice, we find that unless these concerns are separated, larger applications become difficult to maintain.
One way to separate concerns in a software application is to use a Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. The Model represents the business or database code, the View represents the page design code, and the Controller represents the navigational code. The Struts framework is designed to help developers create web applications that utilize a MVC architecture.
The framework provides three key components:
The Apache Struts Project offers two major versions of the Struts framework. Struts 1 is recognized as the most popular web application framework for Java. The 1.x framework is mature, well-documented, and widely supported. Struts 1 is the best choice for teams who value proven solutions to common problems.
Struts 2 was originally known as WebWork 2. After working independently for several years, the WebWork and Struts communities joined forces to create Struts 2. The 2.x framework is the best choice for teams who value elegant solutions to difficult problems.
If you are new to development with Struts, here are some pointers on how to get started.
The framework "stands on the shoulders of giants". To use Struts well, it's important to have a good grasp of the fundamentals. Start by reviewing the Key Technologies primer, and studying any unfamiliar topics.
Next, branch to either the Struts 2 or Struts 1 documentation
The Struts 2 documentation is maintained as a wiki, but don't let that stop you from scrolling through. We have organized the wiki so that it can be read like a book, cover to cover. Just keep following the Next links.
![[Starting Struts 2]](/criselda-https-web.archive.org/web/20100118012702im_/http://struts.apache.org/images/starting-struts2.jpg)
Better yet, turn first to the
Starting with Struts2 book.
At 122 pages, it's a small book that doesn't try to replicate the
online Struts 2 Documentation. Instead, the book is a perfect complement
to the Struts 2 website. The "minibook" is available both as a free PDF
and in conventional printed form.
For Struts 1, the most up-to-date book would be Struts: The Complete Reference. For newbies, Struts for Dummies is another good choice.
And don't hesitate to get involved. The best way to help with any open source project is to improve the documentation! There are mountains of Struts know-how posted to the user mailing list that could be sholved into the documentation. (How do you think this section started?)
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