Advantages/Disadvantages of Struts 2 Framework

Struts 2 is a Framework which is an implementation of MVC-2 at server side. Struts 2 have many advantages over the standard servlet and JSP API alone. But struts 2 is complex so Struts2  have many disadvantages too.

 



Action Classes:-Struts 2 framework Action class implements Action interface and other interfaces are optional .Struts 2 provides a base ActionSupport class to implements Validatable ,ValidationAware ,TextProvider and Action interface. Any POJO object with a execute signature can be used as an Struts 2 Action object.

Threading Model:- Struts 2 framework instantiated Action object for each request, so there are no thread-safety issues.  

Servlet Dependency:- The Struts 2 framework servlet contexts are represented as simple Maps because it is not coupled to a container allowing Actions to be tested in isolation. Struts 2 Actions can still access the original request and response, if required. However, other architectural elements reduce or eliminate the need to access the HttpServetRequest or HttpServletResponse directly.

Testability:- Struts 2 Actions can be tested by instantiating the Action, setting properties, and invoking methods. Dependency Injection support also makes testing simpler.

Expression Language:- Struts 2 can use  "Object Graph Navigation Language" (OGNL).

Binding values into views:- Struts 2 uses a "ValueStack" concept so that the taglibs can access values without coupling your view to the object type it is rendering. 

Type Conversion:- Struts 2 uses OGNL for type conversion. The framework includes converters for basic and common object types and primitives.

Validation:- Struts 2 supports manual validation via the validate method and also contain the Sub Framework validation .

Control of Action Execution:- Struts 2 supports creating different lifecycles on a per Action basis via Interceptor Stacks. Custom stacks can be created and used with different Actions, as needed.

Disadvantages of the Struts2 framework:a) Convention problem:-The Struts2 framework more follow the convention.

b) Harder to learn:-Struts are harder to learn, benchmark and optimize.

Posted in: Struts 2