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JBoss vs Tomcat comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 2, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

JBoss
Ranking in Application Server
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Tomcat
Ranking in Application Server
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
51
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Application Server category, the mindshare of JBoss is 18.1%, up from 17.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tomcat is 19.8%, down from 21.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Server
 

Featured Reviews

Srinadh  Puli - PeerSpot reviewer
Automation aids installation while management consolidation needs improvement
We are currently using Ansible for Jira installations and all the management tasks. We perform some tasks manually, however, Ansible helps in automating some of these processes I find JBoss to be lightweight and easier to manage compared to WebSphere. It allows for simple modification of…
Erick  Karanja - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers high availability, straightforward deployment and easy to use
Tomcat could be a little bit more innovative. Tomcat could come up with a framework that's more lightweight and purely targeted at Java applications. Some other solutions are doing better right now, maybe because they have come up with MicroProfile, which I think is moving forward. It may actually beat Tomcat because of the lightweight nature of the framework, the MicroProfile. They're coming up with new solutions. So, for the future of Tomcat and to maintain the market share they might be looking for, they need to come up with initiatives to ensure that several of us have a lightweight framework to deploy applications on.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"JBoss is more flexible and keeps up with modern technologies, supporting newer versions of different libraries."
"The product's initial setup phase is easy."
"JBoss's configuration is straightforward and easy."
"The stability is great."
"It is a Java-based product, so it is pretty straightforward. It is pretty easy from a developer's perspective. It is also pretty reliable and scalable."
"We can deploy the applications on the JBoss server, so it is easy to manage. It's also easy to add new certificates to the config."
"The stability is good. I would rate it a nine out of ten."
"We use JBoss mainly for application deployments and application servers."
"I would rate the pricing a ten out of ten, where one is high price and ten is low price. The pricing is pretty low."
"I like the solution’s ease of use."
"The product is easy to use."
"Tomcat is a lightweight application server, which makes it easy to deploy and install small applications."
"Tomcat is easy to handle, its installation process does not take much time, and its server speed is also very good compared to other servers."
"Tomcat is reliable and secure, which makes it valuable for our application deployment."
"It's very stable. No problems at all. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten."
"We chose to use Tomcat because it's perfect compared to other containers that we have tested."
 

Cons

"In terms of monitoring, the old version was somewhat limited in flexibility, lacking the ability to easily adjust configurations."
"The solution's documentation could be better."
"The initial setup is a bit complex."
"They are trying to make it less heavyweight since app servers often deliver a lot of functionality. Still, if we aren't leveraging them, they can be too much for certain use cases."
"Logging-related issues in JBoss require improvement."
"The tool's documentation could be improved to explain its usage and functionalities clearly. Having accessible documentation would save time for leaders like me when juniors seek information about it. The documentation should be self-explanatory and guide users on how to utilize the tool."
"JBoss is not as reliable and stable as WebLogic."
"The price could be improved. Customers don't want to buy the license easily."
"Resource configuration like JNDI and queue configuration, similar to other servers, should be provided from the admin console for Tomcat."
"Sometimes we face issues with the private and public networks and ensuring that once Tomcat is installed, that it is secure."
"The solution's interface and backup features could be better."
"The current procedure appears complex and could benefit from a more straightforward solution."
"Deployment in Tomcat should be done through a GUI. We deploy applications from the backend using commands."
"The product needs to have more updates."
"Tomcat's stability could be improved, especially when handling more memory-intensive, large-scale applications."
"Perhaps there could be an easier way to configure some advanced features."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Despite the price increase after being acquired by IBM, JBoss still maintains its competitiveness. The package provided is more geared towards cloud-based deployments, whereas our setup is more traditional, which makes it slightly more expensive for us. As most vendors are transitioning towards cloud-centric solutions, companies like ours need to adapt accordingly."
"The solution is cost-efficient compared to other products. Pricing is rated an eight out of ten."
"Since the solution is freeware, our customers don't need to pay any licensing fees."
"We pay for a maintenance license, but it is not expensive."
"JBoss is an expensive solution."
"I rate the product price as eight on a scale, where one means it is a very cheap solution, and ten points mean that it is a very expensive tool."
"There is no licensing cost. The solution is free to use."
"It is an open-source solution."
"This is an open-source product and it's free to use."
"It's open-source. We don't pay for the license."
"We are using the open-source version."
"Tomcat is open-source and free to use."
"There are no additional costs apart from the standard license."
"Tomcat's pricing is very cheap."
"Tomcat is an open source solution."
"The price of the solution is good."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
26%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Educational Organization
48%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
6%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about JBoss?
The product's initial setup phase is easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for JBoss?
JBoss is the cheaper option out of the three when compared to WebSphere and WebLogic. Though I haven't done a detailed price comparison, the licensing fee is cheaper, and due to its flexibility, th...
What needs improvement with JBoss?
They are trying to make it less heavyweight since app servers often deliver a lot of functionality. Still, if we aren't leveraging them, they can be too much for certain use cases. Making it lighte...
What do you like most about Tomcat?
Tomcat's ease of use has positively impacted project timelines. Tomcat already has high availability – it doesn't go down so often and doesn't require a lot of maintenance. As long as your applicat...
What needs improvement with Tomcat?
Resource configuration like JNDI and queue configuration, similar to other servers, should be provided from the admin console for Tomcat. Currently, it is done manually. The server config file must...
What is your primary use case for Tomcat?
I am using the solution at running level three. It is for running web applications.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Tata Sky, Nissan, Swedish Board of Agriculture, Novamedia, American Product Distributors, Advanced Micro Devices, Emirates Group, E*TRADE
1. Adobe Systems 2. Amazon 3. Apple 4. AT&T 5. Bank of America 6. Boeing 7. Cisco Systems 8. Citigroup 9. Dell 10. eBay 11. Facebook 12. General Electric 13. Google 14. Hewlett-Packard 15. IBM 16. Intel 17. JPMorgan Chase 18. Microsoft 19. Netflix 20. Oracle 21. PayPal 22. Salesforce 23. Samsung 24. Sony 25. Target 26. Twitter 27. Uber 28. Verizon 29. Visa 30. Volkswagen 31. Walmart 32. Yahoo
Find out what your peers are saying about JBoss vs. Tomcat and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
841,004 professionals have used our research since 2012.