Updated June 7, 2023
Difference Between WebLogic vs WebSphere
A server that provides access to business functionalities to various client applications through protocols, including HTTP. The client applications can use these functionalities as they would call a method of an object. The application server manages security, transaction processing, messaging, and resource pooling resources. There are various clients for an application server like GUIs (Graphical User Interface), a web server, or other applications hosted on any application server. The information transferred between clients and application servers is not limited to displaying just the HTML files; the information could be some programming logic. The client can modify the data and use it in his applications according to his needs. The data transferred between the client and server could be of several types like XML, JSON, plain text format, etc.
Example of Application Servers is SAP Netweaver (SAP), JBoss(Red Hat), WebLogic Server(Oracle), WebSphere(IBM), Glassfish(Oracle), etc.
What is WebLogic?
WebLogic is an Oracle product that performs the role of the application server. The software application is a middleware that connects back-end applications like databases and related applications with browser-based thin clients. WebLogic is used to develop and deploy J2EE applications. J2EE is the standard platform for developing multitier enterprise applications based on the Java programming language.
What is WebSphere?
WebSphere is an IBM software that performs the role of the application server. It is a software framework and middleware that hosts Java-based web applications. WebSphere was built using open standards such as Java EE, XML, and web services. It is used to develop and deploy back-end applications or services built using Java or J2EE to access it using web browsers or any other clients.
Head-to-Head Differences Between WebLogic and WebSphere (Infographics)
Below is the top 8 difference between WebLogic vs WebSphere
Key Difference Between WebLogic and WebSphere
Both are popular choices in the market; let us discuss some of the significant differences:
- WebSphere tends to focus more on integration, connectivity, and web services, whereas WebLogic has focused more on emerging J2EE standards and ease of use.
- WebLogic has a default Transaction Attribute as “Supports,” but WebSphere has no default Transaction attribute.
- WebLogic is evolving faster than WebSphere.
- Class loading is easier to understand and more effective in WebLogic than in WebSphere.
WebLogic vs WebSphere Comparison Table
Below is the topmost comparisons between WebLogic vs WebSphere are as follows –
| The Basis Of Comparison | WebLogic | WebSphere |
| Vendor | WebLogic is developed by Oracle Corporation | WebSphere is designed by IBM |
| Learning Curve | We need to invest a lot of time initially to understand all the features and their working. | Like WebSphere, it needs much time to understand all the features and functionalities. |
| Supported Databases | WebLogic supports Oracle, DB2, MS SQL Server, MySQL, and other JDBC-compliant databases. | WebSphere supports DB2, Oracle, Sybase, Informix, SQL Server, IBM Cloudscape and IBM Derby (test and development only), and other JDBC data sources. |
| Applications and Modules supported | WebLogic consists of one of the applications or modules running on the server.
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WebSphere consists of the below-mentioned applications or modules running on the server.
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| Cloud Support | WebLogic supports installation on the cloud. | WebSphere also supports installation on the cloud. |
| Network Protocols | WebLogic server connects with the client through various network protocols over TCP/IP like HTTP, HTTPS, RMI, IIOP, etc. | WebSphere supports network protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, JMS, and MQ. |
| Data and Access Services | WebLogic Server implements standard J2EE technologies to provide data and access services to applications and components. These services include the following APIs
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WebSphere provides data and access services to applications through the following APIs.
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| Logs | WebLogic allows accessing logs using the REST API. | WebSphere has no REST API to access logs; it must view them inside the application server. |
Performance Comparison Between WebLogic vs WebSphere
Below is the Performance Comparison between WebLogic vs WebSphere
IDE’s:- various development tools like Eclipse, NetBeans, IntelliJ, etc, can use WebLogic. Whereas IBM has provided an IDE called MyEclipse with the full support of WebSphere, it is available as a paid version.
Server Performance:- WebLogic takes less effort and time, even in production servers.WebSphere takes some time to get the server up and running.
Deployment:- WebLogic provides multiple ways to deploy an application, like a command-line interface,web-based interface, and a command-line tool to automate deployment and configuration, and operation. WebSphere also provides several deployment methods, like hot deployment (Directly copy files to deployed application folder in WebSphere), WebSphere-specific ant tasks, and building automated scripts for deploying the application and administrative console.
Editions:- WebLogic has three editions 1)Oracle WebLogic Server Standard Edition, 2)Oracle WebLogic Server Enterprise Edition, and 3)Oracle WebLogic Suite.WebSphere has seven editions 1)WebSphere Application Server – Liberty Core, 2)WebSphere Application Server – Express, 3)WebSphere Application Server – Base, 4)WebSphere Application Server – Network Deployment, 5)WebSphere Application Server – Hypervisor Edition, 6)WebSphere Application Server – z/OS, 7)WebSphere Application – Developers.
Conclusion
After understanding the differences between WebLogic and WebSphere, we can conclude that both are leading J2EE-based application servers. Though the two application servers have similar functionalities, both have their pros and cons. According to our needs and requirements, we can choose any of them. Most likely, it is a business decision too. We can read the official documentation of the servers and find out more details about the two servers. For more information about the servers, refer to the below-mentioned official websites.
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