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Comparison

Tomcat vs WebLogic: the features you have to replace, one by one.

Tomcat costs nothing to license, but it does not do what WebLogic does. The work is in the gap.

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AceMQ engineering team3 min readEngineer-reviewed

The short answer

Tomcat is an open-source servlet container. WebLogic is Oracle's full Java EE and Jakarta EE application server. Moving from WebLogic to Tomcat removes the license fee but also removes built-in JMS, JTA, EJB, clustering and work managers. You replace each one with a library or a service, or you drop it if the application does not use it.

01Side by side

How do Tomcat and WebLogic differ?

For cost, see the formula for WebLogic and WebSphere license cost.

AreaTomcatWebLogic
CategoryServlet containerFull application server
LicenseApache 2.0, freeOracle license plus support
EJBNot includedIncluded
JMSNot includedIncluded
JTA and XA transactionsNot includedIncluded
Clustering and failoverBasic session replicationManaged clusters, singleton services
Thread and resource controlExecutor and connector settingsWork managers
Admin console and domainsConfig files, manager appDomain model and console
Vendor descriptorsNot applicableweblogic.xml and weblogic-ejb-jar.xml

02The gap

What do you replace when you move off WebLogic?

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03Checklist

How do you find out what you actually use?

  1. 01

    Scan the code

    Search for javax.jms, javax.ejb, javax.transaction and weblogic.* imports. Each hit is a feature to keep or replace.

  2. 02

    Read the descriptors

    weblogic.xml and weblogic-ejb-jar.xml show work manager, resource and security mappings.

  3. 03

    Check the domain config

    config.xml lists JMS modules, data sources, clusters and deployments. Some features hide here, not in code.

  4. 04

    Ask operations

    Scripts, monitoring and restart behavior rely on server features that code does not show.

04Verdict

When does Tomcat make sense, and when does it not?

Tomcat makes sense when the scan returns servlets, JSP or Spring MVC, and a database through JDBC. The move is mostly configuration and the javax to Jakarta migration where needed.

Tomcat is the wrong target when the application relies on distributed XA transactions or heavy EJB. Then consider Spring Boot, or a lighter full server. The page on WebLogic to Spring Boot covers that route. For the full range of options, see WebLogic migration.

05Next step

How does Ace8 help?

Ace8 is the AI-assisted application modernization practice of AceMQ. We scan each application for the features above, run recipes for mechanical changes, use AI-assisted tools on what remains and have an engineer review every change against tests.

Start with the modernization assessment to get a per-application list of what to replace. The next page to read is WebLogic migration.

FAQ

Frequently asked.

Something else on your mind? Ask an engineer.

For applications that use only web and JDBC features, yes. Applications that use JMS, JTA, EJB or clustering need replacements added.

Start here

Know the cost before anything moves.

A fixed-price assessment gives you the inventory, the risk score and a phased plan. Scope and cost are fixed before the migration starts.

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Get in touch

Talk to a modernization engineer

Tell us what you run today. An engineer, not a sales script, replies within one business day.

305-204-2607info@ace8.io

66 W. Flagler St. 9th Floor
Miami, FL 33130

What are you moving off? *

Fixed price. Scope and cost before any migration starts.