Explain the lifecycle of a JSP page.

The Lifecycle of a JSP Page

When discussing the lifecycle of a JSP page, it is important to understand the various stages that a JSP page goes through from its creation to rendering on the client's browser.

1. Translation: During this stage, the JSP engine translates the JSP page into a servlet class. This is done the first time the JSP page is requested by a client.
2. Compilation: The translated servlet class is then compiled by the Java compiler to generate a bytecode file.
3. Initialization: In this stage, the servlet container loads and initializes the servlet class. This is typically done the first time the servlet is requested.
4. Request Processing: Once initialized, the servlet processes client requests using the service method, which may include dynamically generating HTML content using Java code embedded in the JSP page.
5. Destroy: Finally, when the servlet container is shut down or the JSP page is explicitly unloaded, the servlet class is destroyed.

Understanding the lifecycle of a JSP page is crucial for Java web developers to effectively develop and maintain dynamic web applications.