WebLogic and Portlet

WebLogic

BEA Systems' WebLogic is a server software application that runs on a middle tier, between back-end databases and related applications andbrowser-based thin clients. WebLogic is a leading e-commerce online transaction processing (OLTP) platform, developed to connect users in adistributed computing environment and to facilitate the integration ofmainframe applications with distributed corporate data and applications.

WebLogic server is based on Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE), the standard platform used to create Java-based multi-tier enterprise applications. J2EE platform technologies were developed through the efforts of BEA Systems and other vendors in collaboration with the main developer, Sun Microsystems. Because J2EE applications are standardized modules, WebLogic can automate many system-level tasks that would otherwise have demanded programming time.

Portlet

Portlets are pluggable user interface software components that are managed and displayed in a web portal. Portlets produce fragments of markup code that are aggregated into a portal page. Typically, following the desktop metaphor, a portal page is displayed as a collection of non-overlapping portlet windows, where each portlet window displays a portlet. Hence a portlet (or collection of portlets) resembles a web-based application that is hosted in a portal. Some examples of portlet applications are email, weather reports, discussion forums, andnews.

Portlet standards are intended to enable software developers to create portlets that can be plugged in to any portal supporting the standards.